No Scaredy Cats This Halloween: Top 5 Safety Tips for Pet Parents

Attention, animal lovers, the ASPCA recommends taking some common sense precautions this Halloween to keep you and your pet(s) safe.

1)  No tricks, no treats:  That bowl of candy is for trick-or-treaters, not for Scruffy and Fluffy.  Chocolate in all forms — especially dark or baking chocolate — can be very dangerous for dogs and cats.  If you do suspect your pet has ingested something toxic, please call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435.

2)  Dress-up can be a big mess-up for some pets.  Please don’t put your dog or cat in a costume unless you know he or she doesn’t mind.  For pets who prefer their “birthday suits”, wearing a costume may cause undue stress.

3)  A carved pumpking certainly is festive, but do exercise caution if you choose to add a candle.  Pets can easily knock a lit pumpkin over and cause a fire.  Curious kittens especially run the risk of getting burned or singed by candle flames.

4)  When opening the door for trick-or-treaters, take care that your cat or dog doesn’t dart outside; best to lock them in a bedroom or bathroom for safe keeping on Halloween night.

 5) IDs, please!!  Always make sure your dog or cat has proper identification.  If for any reason, your pet escapes and becomes lost, a collar and/or microchip can be a lifesaver, increasing the chances that he or she be returned to you.

HaPpY HaLlOwEeN from our house, and pets, to yours!!!

It’ll be a day at the races for dog lovers in the Inland Empire as Sunny Oasis Rescue presents Wienerfest: Wieners-n-Wheels 2011!

Not only will you see Dachshund races which begin at 11 am, there will also be a custom car show, musical entertainment, canine costume contest, fabulous food booths, and a variety of vendors. 

Dogs will be available for adoption — click here to see some of their smiling faces and wagging tails!

Where:  Fairmount Park
When:    Saturday, May 7, 2011 
                 10 am to 3 pm

Make sure you bring your love of dogs and your hands, for some petting.  Sunny Oasis Rescue is an all-volunteer canine rescue organization that admits it has a soft spot for Dachshunds.  More information can be obtained by calling (951) 233-2413 or (951) 780-6718.

See you at the races….

Now in its 19th year, the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center’s “Walk With The Animals” will take place at Fairmount Park near the band shell area from 8:00 a.m. to noon.  The event is free and open to the public.  

Walk participants are encouraged to collect pledges to sponsor their effort.  There are categories for individuals, groups, adults, and youth.  To register as a pledge walker, call (951) 688-4340 ext. 307 or go to www.petsadoption.com. 

If you can’t walk, or don’t have a dog to walk, yet want to be part of the event, then register as a “Cat Napper.”  On event day, while you sleep in with your kitty, you’ll know that you contributed to helping care for the Pet Adoption Center’s homeless cats and dogs. If you decide to attend the event instead of sleeping in, we’ll see you there!  Free water and first aid will be available for both pets and people. 

Before the walk, participants can take part in a jazzercise warm-up; other events include a pancake breakfast, Urban Search and Rescue demonstration, exhibits, boutique and bake sale for pets and people, raffle prizes, low-cost vaccinations and microchips.  Participation in the pledge walk is not required to attend this event.

The Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center (PAC), is the largest no-kill pet adoption organization in Riverside County, and is a non-profit, public benefit charitable organization serving communities in Riverside County and beyond.  Don’t forget to visit www.petsadoption.com for more information, or to adopt a “forever friend.”

 We’ve already donated and plan on attending with our dogs, so we’ll see you there!

The 1st Annual Spay-ghetti Dinner

Animal lovers and “foodies” alike are invited to a scrumptious spaghetti dinner for a great cause!  The Mary S. Roberts’ LIFELINE Spay/Neuter Subsidy Program provides low income pet owners the opportunity to get their cats and dogs spayed or neutered at a very low cost.  The more pets that are serviced through this program will lessen the overwhelming number of homeless pets in our community!  Help with this problem by becoming a part of the solution!

For a $10 donation, you will receive dinner and a raffle ticket to win a great prize!

When:  Sunday, October 24, 2010

Where:  Elks Lodge 643, 6166 Brockton Avenue

Time:  5:00 – 8:00 p.m.
                5 pm, 6 pm or 7 pm seatings

To purchase tickets or for more info, contact Leslie at 951-688-4340 ext. 315 or visit www.petsadoption.org.

Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center (formerly the Riverside Humane Society) is a non-profit 501(c)3.  Your donation is tax deductible.

Come on down and support the animals of Riverside County at the Park ‘N Bark Classic Car Show on Saturday, July 17, 2010 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the new Western Riverside Animal Shelter (6851 Van Buren Boulevard).  Special pet adoption rates for everyone!

Sign-up your pre-1974 cars to win cash awards.  The first 50 cars to register will receive dash plaques for their vehicles.  Pre-registration is $10, and registration on July 17th from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. is $15.  No motorcycles. 

There will be food, entertainment, raffles, special pet adoption rates, activities for kids, and a silent auction.  Sponsored in part by Inland Empire Classic Mustang Club, Firestone, ASK Foundation, and Lucas Oil Products, Inc.

What better way to support the animals of Riverside County!  Adopt a pet — they will love you forever!!!

The Humane Society of the United States reminds people that pets can become distressed by the additional noise and commotion involved with the Independence Day holiday.

In fact, animal shelters across the country are accustomed to receiving “July 4th” dogs — dogs who run off during fireworks celebrations and are rescued by animal control officers or good samaritans who take them to the safety of a local shelter.

Fortunately, preventing pet problems on Independence Day is possible by simply planning ahead and taking some basic precautions:

Leave them at home
First, resist the urge to take your pet to fireworks displays.

Don’t leave your pet in the car
With only hot air to breathe inside a car, your pet can suffer serious health effects — even death — in a few short minutes.  Partially opened windows do not provide sufficient air, but they do provide an opportunity for your pet to be stolen.

Gimmie shelter
Keep your pets indoors at home in a sheltered, quiet area.  Some animals can become destructive when frightened, so be sure that you’ve removed any items that your pet could destroy or that would be harmful to your pet if chewed.  We’ve even heard of dogs jumping through a glass window!  Leave a television or radio playing at normal volume to keep them company while you’re attending 4th of July picnics, parades and other celebrations.

Keep it quiet
If you know that your pet is seriously distressed by loud noises like thunder, consult with your veterinarian before July 4th for ways to help alleviate the fear and anxiety he or she will experience during fireworks displays. 

Pay attention
Never leave pets outside unattended, even in a fenced yard or on a chain.  In their fear, pets who normally wouldn’t leave the yard may escape and become lost, or become entangled in their chain, risking injury or death.

Tag it
Make sure your pets are wearing identification tags (or microchips) so that if they do become lost, they can be returned promptly.  Animals found running at-large should be taken to the local animal shelter, where they will have the best chance of being reunited with their owners.

You are invited to attend the Grand Opening event on Saturday, May 8, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  With more than 67,000 square feet of structures and kennels on a 12-acre site, the Western Riverside County/City Animal Shelter is now one of the biggest in Southern California.

All dogs that are adopted that day will receive a complimentary grooming before they go home, thanks for Four Paws Inn of Banning.  Everyone will be looking snazzy!  Pass this information on to your family and friends.  Most importantly, there are more than 700 animals ready for adoption into lifelong, loving homes! 

There will be a trolley (from 10 am to 2 pm) to transport people between the Wiener Fest at Fairmount Park and the Western Riverside Animal Shelter Grand Opening at 6851 Van Buren Blvd, Riverside 92503. 

There will also be live entertainment, free BBQ, on-site pet adoptions, face painting and bouncers for the kids, live music, free vendors galore, and Paul Mitchell haircuts by his certified stylists for only $15.00 each (haircuts for people, not the dogs).

Special appearances by:

Kermit Alexander, former NFL 49er
Darrell Thomas, former L.A. Dodger
Armando Muniz, former Professional Boxer

For more information on the Animal Shelter grand opening, call 951-955-0578.  For more information on the Wiener Fest, call 951-233-2413.

We have included a LOST AND FOUND page under the COMMUNITY tab on our website.  We will continue to remind people in our newsletter (The Chit Chat) that we will post any lost or found item so a happy reunion can be arranged with the proper owner, whether the item be a pet, a baseball glove, a bicycle, or a wallet!

Our most recent FOUND item was a Beagle dog.  Click here to see if you recognize him.  This is, unfortunately, one more cute and cuddly reason why it is so important to have an electronic ID microchip inserted into your pet(s).  The cost is about $15 per pet at most animal shelters or vet offices – a small fee in the scope of things.  You will also buy your pet time at the animal shelter if he/she is picked up — usually a pet with a microchip is held for a few days longer than the other animals.

So please contact us via phone (951-205-4429) or email (aprilglatzel@remax.net) should you need to post a LOST or FOUND item.  We look forward to helping out in any way that we can!

–Tara and April

Pets have become more than just guard dogs or mouse-chasers to most of society; they have become friends and companions. It’s no wonder that you can find more and more ways to accommodate, accessorize, and modify your home to be pet-friendly.

Here are a few basic rules if you want the essentials for interior decorating:

1. Nothing touching the floor should be white; even white leather can become stained or scratched.
2. Use black sparingly. Getting light colored fur off of black furnishings and pillows is never fun.
3. Bold or bright colors will show more hair than softer neutrals.
4. Absolutely no velvet anywhere! If your animal sheds, this might as well be a hair magnet.

As for tables, try to find some that are sturdy or weighted, you never know when something may get bumped or run into. Put any accessories up where they are safe (mantles or high shelves will work).

For flooring, it’s preferable to use a hard surface like sealed stone (no slate!), hard wood, or engineered flooring. If you must have carpet, be sure to purchase cut pile, not loop pile. If loop pile gets snagged, the carpet will unravel, and this will surely entertain your cat or dog for hours and cost you hundreds to replace.

In a space not often seen, remove the doors to a larger cabinet and put your animal’s cage in it to free up valuable floor space (something many of us “Wood Street” homeowners are familiar with). This is a great idea for utility rooms that double as pet care centers. For a nicer look, you can have someone build the cage into the cabinet, but this could be a bit pricey. If you are re-doing cabinets, consider a multi-drawer cabinet in which the bottom drawer pulls out and houses the food and water bowls. If company comes over, simply slide the drawer into the cabinet and hide the mess. Think also of food storage, and get one cabinet with a built-in trash can or two, and store pet food in the cabinet next to the bowls.

You can modify your house plans to accommodate one of your pet’s most basic needs — needing to be let outside or into a room where they have food or a litter box. Usually there’s a trusty doggy door (which is also used for cats), but what was once a standard model with a soft plastic flap has now become more advanced with transmitters and automation. A transmitter can be applied to the pet’s collar which opens when the pet nears the door.  There are pros and cons to the transmitter: pro is that only your pet will gain access, thereby leaving those pesky raccoons outside; con is that some transmitters are too large for smaller pets and if the transmitter fails, your pet may be barricaded on one side or the other of the pet door.

So if you’re renovating or building a home from scratch, consult a design professional for some ideas on how to make your home really pet accessible and get the most out of your budget. Good luck!

Microchipping your pets is easier, and cheaper, than you might think.  This is also a sure-fire way to have your pets returned to you should they become missing.  The cost is only $15 per pet. 

While walking through the Wood Streets a few weekends ago, Tara and I witnessed a beautiful white and gray cat unwittingly run across Bandini Avenue wherein he was instantly killed by a passing automobile.  I immediately called the Riverside City/County Animal Shelter at (951) 358-7387 (PETS) and waited for the Animal Control Officer.  The officer mentioned that the cat was probably not a stray because of its healthy appearance; however, since there was no collar, it would be difficult to locate the owner unless there was a microchip.  Every pet (dead or alive) that is picked up by Animal Control is scanned for a microchip.  Unfortunately, the officer stated that not enough pets are microchipped.

Locating an owner is important, but so is extending the life of a pet that is caught by Animal Control.  A pet that is captured with no collar and no microchip is held for only 4 days until a decision is made to adopt or euthanize.  A pet that is captured with a collar or a microchip is held for 10 days until a decision is made.  The microchip will offer your pet a 6 day reprieve! 

The microchip is inserted under the skin of the neck area of your pet.  The chip is very small and the insertion process is relatively painless.  Scanners are used by all animal shelters in Riverside County, and animals are scanned when they initially are brought in and at each step during handling, but especially prior to euthanasia.

Even indoor pets should be microchipped – sometimes they escape by accident through an open door, or  because they’re frightened by fireworks or thunder.  We’ve had all of our pets microchipped and feel confident they’ll be returned should they ever become lost!