Des Moines Fire Department Gets Expert Canine to Sniff Out Arson
The Des Moines Fire Department has now got a canine trained to sniff out accelerants commonly used in arson cases. Named Yahtzee, the handsome English black Lab is specially trained to detect traces of chemicals firebugs use when starting fires — whether for gain, revenge, or purely for kicks. Yahtzee underwent a month’s worth of training sessions with his handler, Capt. Eric Huntoon, before being cleared for takeoff with the Des Moines fire crew Huntoon is a part of. The gentle canine lives with Huntoon and happily accompanies...
Stray Cat Found Limping Around With Severe Leg Injury Needs Your Help
Life on the streets is tough. Numerous stray cats arrive at animal shelters with injuries that require immediate medical attention. A three-year-old ginger cat arrived at Cara’s House in Louisiana as a stray with a severe injury to his leg. The shelter told us, “The radius and ulna bones broke through the skin causing a nasty, open wound with exposed bone.” The poor fella was limping around and had to be in excruciating pain. Photo: Cara’s House The cat was named Pogo. He was examined by a vet who said due to the...
7 Canine Conditions You Can Address with a Balancing Diet
Eastern Food Therapy uses food to balance, heal, and treat the symptoms of many canine health and behavioral problems, including these seven common issues! Health, happiness, and long life are the main things any dog parent wants for their pooch. Unfortunately, many dogs will face some sort of health or behavioral problem in their life. The good news is you can manage several canine conditions with a balancing diet based on Eastern Food Therapy. If your dog is struggling with one of these conditions or something else, try a Warming, Neutral,...
The April Weekly Community Conversations grant giveaway winners are…
On Monday, Maddie’s Fund® gave four organizations a $2,500 grant for attending the April Weekly Community Conversations! A total of $10,000 in grants was given to four people chosen at random. In addition, the Maddie’s® Pet Forum winner of $3,000 was also announced! These four people won a grant for their organization from the Weekly Community Conversations Calls: Ginger Gaskins, Berkeley Animal Center (Moncks Corner, SC) Jim Keller, Homeward Pet Adoption Center (Woodinville, WA) Jessica Hendrickson, Kenai Animal Shelter...
Wealthy Australian Couple Seeking Full-Time Nanny for Cat
A wealthy family in Double Bay, New South Wales, Australia, is advertising for a full-time cat nanny to join their mansion in suburban Sydney. As much as we’d like to admit it, we are not making this up. The news is even more incredible when you consider many Australians are struggling right now to keep a roof over their heads due to the ongoing rental crisis there. Photo: Pixabay/woodsilver This isn’t meant as judgmental, but full-time employment to cat sit for people that are not out of town? The job posting, which appears on...
Hugo’s Law Could Change the Way Collisions with Cats are Handled in Scotland
Edinburgh’s “West End legend” Hugo the Cat may have a law passed due to his untimely death. Hugo was an Arabian Mau well-known to the residents of Edinburgh’s West End in Scotland. He was often seen wandering the capital’s streets and even had a presence on social media. In April, Hugo died after being struck by a car, and now citizens who cared about him are calling for a change to current laws about reporting vehicle strikes with animals. Moving forward, they’d like to see people required to report...
Compassionate Communication: Supporting People and Pets Through Human-Centered Language
[embedded content] Have you ever been scrolling through social media and read through a post calling someone a “horrible pet owner” or worse during a time of need or crisis? The answer is probably yes; we’ve all seen this, and perhaps we’ve even used harmful language ourselves not knowing the full story. The words we use have an impact and can push away the people who need support so we’d like to take the time to evaluate how we can have more compassionate communication. In this presentation, Shannon Glenn,...
Young Rescue Kitty Genya Has Had a Rough Start to Life but You Can Make it Better
Meet rescue kitty Genya, your new best friend! This beautiful, petite girl came to the Southern Arizona Cat Rescue from a not-so-ideal life outside. She lost all of her babies and had an injured eye that was likely bothering her for quite a while before losing it. That being said, 1-year-old Genya is very shy but sweet! In foster care, she has gradually learned that humans actually are great and so is indoor life. Chin rubs and rubs at the base of her tail are her favorite forms of physical attention ’cause they feel soooo good! So far,...
Why Feeding Fresh Should Be The New Norm
In recent years, there has been a growing awareness of the importance of nutrition in pets’ overall health. While traditional kibble has been the norm since it was first invented decades ago, it falls short when compared to fresh food for pets. Let’s take a closer look at why feeding fresh food for pets should be the new norm, and is the best dog food option out there. What’s wrong with kibble? When compared to fresh food for pets, kibble leaves a lot to be desired. While it may start with some fresh ingredients,...
People, Pets, and Purpose: Mark Castaneda Lived on the Street With His Dog
[embedded content] These days, Mark Castenada and his dog Jelly Bean share a home in California, where Mark is studying space sciences at the University of the Pacific. Mark has interned with NASA—yes that NASA—and also advocates for bringing healthcare services to communities in need, through his work with CommonSpirit Health. Mark brings a very personal passion, and understanding, to this part of his life. It was only a couple of years ago, that he and Jelly Bean were themselves unhoused, living on the street, and looking...
