News Alert: April 15, 2011

1. Dirty Dog? Dr. Z Helps You Clean Him Up!

While some dogs light up at the mention of bath time, many others would rather do just about anything than receive a good scrubbing—and plenty of pet parents put off bathing their dogs because they think the process is more complicated than it really is.

If canine cleansing is a source of stress in your household, you’ll want to read the “7-Minute Solution” column in this Sunday’s Parade magazine: It’s a concise how-to on bathing your dog penned by ASPCA Science Advisor Dr. Stephen Zawistowski (we just call him Dr. Z, and you can too!).

Here’s a sneak peek at tips one and three:

• Do a Trial Run: It’s a good idea to “practice” a few times first: Put your dog in a tub without water, give her a treat, and then take her out. This will get her comfortable with the process.
  
  
• Brush Up: Do a quick brushing [before bathing] to remove as much loose hair as possible.

Look for the article in the April 17 edition of Parade, or visit the magazine’s website to read the entire piece online. And if your pooch is particularly terrified of the tub, visit the ASPCA’s Virtual Pet Behaviorist for more specific bath-time advice.

2. ASPCA Pets of the Week: Sister Act

Pacifica and Paloma are a pair of sweet-natured, heart-meltingly cute sisters who celebrated their fourth birthday this month, and they more than prove that two kitties can be way better than one. These charming ladies are a package deal—they’re the best of friends and very much bonded—and they’re ready to share the love with one (super-lucky) forever family.

“Pacifica and Paloma are very easygoing cats and would be great for a less-experienced cat adopter,” says ASPCA Senior Feline Behavior Counselor Katie Watts. “Paloma is definitely the shyer one and would most likely hide for a few days in her new home. Pacifica's a bit more outgoing, but they're both very affectionate and love people.”

Got another kitty friend at home? No problem. “They don't mind other cats,” adds Watts, “although they mainly enjoy cuddling with each other.” (Is it just us, or is that image almost too cute to handle—who wouldn’t want to come home to find these two mini-tigresses enjoying a good snuggle?)

If you’ve fallen in love with Pacifica and Paloma like we have, and you’re interested in adopting them, please contact our Animal Placement department in New York City at (212) 876-7700, ext. 4120. To see other animals looking for homes, visit our Adoption Center Online.

****Got Facebook? Won’t you please donate your status to Pacifica and Paloma today? Just copy and paste the following message onto your profile status to help spread the word that these sweet and loving kitties need a home!

[Name] is donating my status to http://www.aspca.org/Pacifica and http://www.aspca.org/Paloma, two kitties at the ASPCA who need a new home.

3. ASPCA Happy Tails: The Life of Riley

This week’s Happy Tail comes from Ellen Hada in Brooklyn, who adopted a Pit mix at the ASPCA in 2010:

January 11, 2011, marked the one-year adoption anniversary of Riley, a "goofball" who is scared of all umbrellas (including pink princess parasols).

Riley and I had our first kiss during the one-on-one introduction at the ASPCA. Victoria [Wells, ASPCA Senior Behavior and Training Manager] warned us he was a very nervous, shy, "cruelty kid" who had been abandoned after being abused for quite some time. "Don't kiss him or touch him too soon," Victoria advised. But it was too late. As I knelt to my knees to say hi to Riley (then called Bear), his tongue had already found its way to my entire face, and possibly two or three of my front teeth. I was sold!

In the beginning, Riley had only two modes on walks: Run for Your Life or Super-Slow Bowling Ball. Walks would go like this: Sniff. Trot. RUNNNNNNN—Umbrella!? RUN FASTER! Oh, not umbrella—Phew! Bowling Ball! Pee. Still peeing. Please stop trying to pull me away—can you not see that the stream is still going!? PAWS ON MOMMY—RUN EVEN FASTER—BOWLING BALL! ...Why are you crying, Mommy?

Over a year later, with Riley 15 pounds heavier, our walks have greatly improved. We go running together and he is fabulous at keeping pace. He runs around umbrellas and umbrella-like objects with minimal disturbance. Riley has come such a long way. I don't even care to imagine what his life was like before coming to our home in Brooklyn.

But here is what I know now: Riley is loved. By doting grandparents, uncles and not one but two daddies (my boyfriend and my best friend), Riley is chocolate-covered, whipped-cream-with-a-cherry-on-top loved. And so even though we are only celebrating his first year with us, I am celebrating a lifetime with him because my life didn't really begin until it was with him.

For more stories of furry fate, visit the Happy Tails Archive.

4. Virtual-Pet Games for iPhone Put Spotlight on ASPCA

We love finding new ways to raise awareness of our cause, and we think this one is pretty darn cool: The ASPCA has joined forces with game-maker ngmoco to spread the word about our work through two popular virtual-pet games for iPhone and iPad! Now, players of ngmco’s Touch Pets Dogs 2 and Touch Pets Cats can choose to donate to the ASPCA to receive collectible in-game items—giving lovers of virtual pets a chance to help real-life animals in need.

Touch Pets games allow users to “adopt” a virtual puppy or kitty and then customize a play area for their new friend. Virtual dog parents can also play fetch and other games with their touch-screen Fido, and then teach him tricks like balancing on an agility ball. Meanwhile, Touch Pets Cats users can adopt up to six kittens, decorate their feline play paradise and buy their kitty pals yarn, toy mice and more.

If we’ve piqued your interest in checking out these cute and colorful games, visit the App Store and download Touch Pets Dogs 2 and Touch Pets Cats. Happy gaming!

5. Missouri Legislature Guts Prop B, Rolls Back Puppy Mill Protections

In an outrageous affront to the democratic process, on Wednesday, April 13, the Missouri House of Representatives voted 85-71 to reject the will of the state’s voters and eliminate all of the newly established humane improvements outlined in the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act (PMCPA). The PMCPA, which is scheduled to go into effect in November, was passed five months ago by popular vote as “Proposition B” to more tightly regulate conditions at the state’s thousands of commercial dog breeding facilities.

Missouri is the number-one puppy-producing state in the county, supplying pet stores from coast to coast with hundreds of thousands of dogs annually, and is notorious for its lax animal-care standards and proliferation of unlicensed breeders. Unless it is vetoed by Governor Jay Nixon, the bill the House just passed (SB 113) will not only supersede the PMCPA—which includes such humane provisions as increased cage size, prohibition on the use of wire flooring and restrictions on breeding frequency—it will make parts of the state’s commercial breeding law even weaker than they are now.

“In spite of decades of urging by the animal welfare community, the Missouri General Assembly remained silent on the issue of puppy mills until after the voters spoke. The failure of the General Assembly to address the problem is why we finally took this straight to the people,” says Cori Menkin, ASPCA Senior Director of Legislative Initiatives. “And as evidenced by the passage of Proposition B, Missourians care deeply about puppy mill reform. That state legislators are discarding Prop B and ignoring the will of the people they are supposed to represent is appalling, insulting and disrespectful.”

If the legislature succeeds in blocking implementation of the PMCPA, it could have consequences far beyond Missouri. States as close as Oklahoma, Texas and Nebraska and as distant as Hawaii are currently considering puppy mill-related measures of their own. Unfortunately, lawmakers in these states are regarding these developments in the Puppy Mill Capital of America as a bellwether of reform. If the PMCPA is gutted in Missouri, your state’s puppy mill law might be next.

The fate of millions of dogs now hangs on the decision of one man. The ASPCA implores all of our supporters to contact everyone you know in Missouri; ask them to call Governor Nixon to urge him to veto SB 113 (please do not call the governor if you live outside Missouri). You can also help by spreading the word about this injustice—please share this article via Facebook and Twitter.