I'm Honored - Literally - by The Winn Feline Foundation

I'm a huge fan of the Winn Feline Foundation, which helps all cats through health studies into the various health problems that plague our feline companions. Even though there are more pet cats than dogs, cats have been sorely neglected in the area of health research. Winn has been working hard to help cats of all ages to lead longer, healthier lives. Those of us who write about cats, and/or discuss them on radio, tv, social networking etc. have an obligation to get the word out about Winn.

Telling the public about Winn is something I have done with great pleasure. What I never expected was for Winn to notice what I had been doing. I am just a little cog in the wheel of life, trying my best to inform pet owners. And then, on Thursday, June 28. 2012, I received a phone call from Steve Dale who was at their annual meeting. He put his cell phone on Speaker Phone and let me listen to his presentation of this year's Media award - to me!

Here is Steve's column regarding this event:

http://www.chicagonow.com/steve-dales-pet-world/2012/06/darlene-arden-recipient-winn-feline-2012-media-award/

Thank you to everyone who made this award possible. And for those of you who hadn't previously known about Winn, please check it out:

http://www.winnfelinehealth.org

June is Adopt a Cat Month

We're in the middle of Adopt a Cat month and I hope those of you who can afford the commitment will seriously consider adding a rescue cat to your family.  Whether you go to your local shelter or a breed rescue group, giving a new home to a kitty will also add happiness to your life.

If you opt for a shelter kitty you can be sure that you're saving a life.  Many cats and kittens are on "death row" every single day.  You can't save them all but you can save one or two.  If you work outside the home, consider adopting two cats, perhaps a bonded pair or two kittens to keep each other company.

I hope you'll give serious consideration to adopting an older kitty.  Cats can live up to 20 years or more and you don't need a kitten - a cat will bond to you and you'll have many happy years together. Kittens grow up fast and get into all sorts of mischief, some of which might not be appreciated by the owner. An adult cat is a known quantity; size, temperament and activity level are already established. 

Cats lose their homes for a variety of reasons and, in today's economy, too many are losing their homes because their owners can no longer afford to keep them. There's no reason for cats to die if they can get a new, loving forever home.

Go to your local shelter and look around, get acquainted. There's someone waiting there for you....

Wounded Warrior Project

The Wounded Warrior Project, to honor our wounded servicemen and women, has been taken up by the Hartz Mountain Corporation. Among those wounded warriors are military dogs. They, too, are heroes and it's interesting to see a pet supply company taking such a stand. Hartz has once again partnered with the Wounded Warrior Project, giving aid to wounded soldiers and their caregivers. This program is set up to nurture the mind, body, spirit and to encourage economic empowerment. Certainly a worthy endeavor.

 For each of Hartz's Military Dog Toys sold, one dollar is donated to the Wounded Warrior Project. Those dollars can quickly add up. In their first two years of partnership, Hartz was able to donate $265,000. to the project. It makes perfect sense to buy a toy or two for your own dog or for a friend's canine companion and help Hartz Mountain help the Wounded Warrior Project. Make playtime with your dog even more special. For more information you can go to either www.woundedwarriorproject.org or www.Hartz.com

National Dog Bite Prevention Week

Today, May 20th, is the start of National Dog Bite Prevention Week. Actually, this should be every day of every week. Most people don't read dog body language well, if at all. Never look a dog, especially one you don't know, in the eye, never loom over a dog. Don't rush up to any dog and hug him. These are simple, basic rules that so many people ignore. Hold your closed hand with your knuckles up and allow the dog to sniff after you've asked the owner's permission. Look away from the dog, let him make the approach after sniffing your knuckles, then you can gently begin to stroke him under the chin. Never bring your hand down on the dog's head to pat him. Children are noisy, move fast and dogs don't understand what they could have done to initiate that sort of behavior from a little human. Supervise all children around dogs. Babies crying can sound like a wounded animal to a dog, children can scare a dog, or poke it and hurt it and the dog has no choice but to clamp down in pain. Whose fault is this? Yours and the child's if you weren't watching carefully enough. It's foolish to leave a dog and child alone together. It's also irresponsible. Don't even think about doing it. Your dog isn't a babysitter and your dog isn't Lassie. Even Lassie has a trainer on the set giving signals behind the camera. If a loose dog runs up to you, freeze. Stand where you are, let the dog sniff and move on. A little common sense will go a long way in preventing dog bites.

Kari Winters' Cats Are Safe!

Kari Winters was an award winning pet writer and animal welfare activist who died mysteriously. At long last, her surviving cats are finally safe. They are in a loving foster home and will be placed with people Kari would want to have them.

When Kari died, her housekeeper took her dog and four cats. This person refused to give them to Kari’s family, despite being ordered to by the probate judge. One of the cats and the dog died, and Kari’s friends were upset and confused and not sure what to do. Finally, a reporter, Joline Gutierrez Krueger, for the Albuquerque Journal, took the story and investigated it. Three columns and a follow-up have moved officials to reopen the case. If you have any information that might shed light on how Kari Winters died, please contact Detective Medrano at (505) 768-2300.

Due to pressure from Kari’s friends across the country, in Canada, and in the United Kingdom, Kari’s four surviving cats were removed from the housekeeper’s home and placed in a safe home far away. Profound thanks go to American Airlines, with special thanks to Susan Baker, Manager, in New Mexico, who took charge of the four cats and flew them to safety, the Albuquerque Animal Services Department and their magnificent team of veterinarians and a wonderful foster in New Mexico who kept and loved Kari’s cats until they could be flown out of the State to another treasured Foster. From there, they will be placed in loving homes to peacefully live out the rest of their lives. We would also like to thank the Rio Rancho Animal Shelter who kept the cats overnight until they could be turned over to Albuquerque Animal Services. Individual names, as well as their current residence, have been deliberately left out for the safety of the cats and the people who have been, and are currently involved in this tremendous act of love, caring and generosity. We are extremely grateful.

Please cross post this, post it on your blog, and let your friends know about it. We have reason to rejoice: Kari’s cats are safe. We have reason to mourn: she, one dog, and one cat are dead. We must continue to press for a full investigation of what happened to her.

The Albuquerque Journal articles can be viewed here:

http://www.abqjournal.com/upfront/05231069334upfront03-05-10.htm Part 1

http://www.abqjournal.com/upfront/080711989upfront03-08-10.htm Part 2

http://www.abqjournal.com/upfront/122252523086upfront03-12-10.htm part 3

http://www.abqjournal.com/cgi-bin/print_it.pl?page=/upfront/162338276262upfront04-16-10.htm Part 4

More on Kari Winters

Those of you who are regular readers will remember the untimely death of my friend, Kari Winters. You will recall that she was an amazing woman who rescued, rehabilitated and rehomed countless cats and dogs.

This past November she was honored, posthumously, by the Winn Feline Foundation with the Media Award, presented to the member of the press whose work has made a positive impact on cats and their health. It is a singular honor. Accepting the award for her from Dr. Susan Little was a bittersweet moment. It was so well-deserved but Kari should have been there to accept her own award.

There was more to her death than met the eye and so, with the help of our friend and colleague, Nancy Marano who publishes Petroglyphs in New Mexico, and Kari's oldest and best friend as well as business manager, Gary Rohde of Southern California, I was able to bring the story to a wonderful reporter, Joline Gutierrez Krueger at the Albuquerque Journal, the story has, in part, begun to emerge. It will appear in three parts. It is our hope that there will finally be justice for Kari.

Here is part one: http://www.abqjournal.com/upfront/05231069334upfront03-05-10.htm
You can scroll down the page and sign is as a guest. Part Two will run this Monday. There will be a third part later in the week.

Where, Oh, Where Did Those Little Dogs Come From?

It's hard to believe but a new report indicates that scientists have pinpointed the origins of small dogs. The scientists believe that little dogs can trace their roots to the Middle East 12000 years ago!

Toy and small dogs are my particular interest even though I love all dogs (and cats, etc.) but I had believed conventional wisdom which indicated that most small dogs were bred down from large dogs. The irony in this that while Miniature Pinschers look like tiny Doberman Pinschers, the Miniature Pinscher is the older of the two breeds.

A new article in BMC Biology indicates that one gene is responsible for the size of dogs. Now, where I take exception to this is where the report indicates that they probably go back to the Middle Eastern grey wolf, which was smaller than other wolves, that those wolves were domesticated. However, dogs aren't wolves and wolves aren't dogs so that part of the equation would seem to be off.

It's a version of the gene 1GF1 that they believe determines the small size of dogs. Indeed, dogs did start out larger. Belgiam, Russia and and Germany would seem to be where the large dogs originated. It was thousands of years later that the smaller dogs appeared in the Middle East.

Confused yet? I'll be thinking about this for awhile...