GR Police Department K-9 Unit to be honored at K-9 Cabaret

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When the staff at the Humane Society of West Michigan was brainstorming to develop a new fundraiser, the conversation turned to dogs in the community who have helped make a difference.

The result is Thursday’s K-9 Cabaret, a first-time event at Centennial Country Club that will honor the Grand Rapids Police Department‘s K-9 Unit. K-9 Cabaret is from 6-9 p.m. and features food, a cash bar, a silent auction and a Chinese auction (raffle tickets are drawn for the various prizes). Auction items include autographed sports memorabilia, a Coach purse, a Brinkman 4-burner grill, U-M football tickets and “Be a Reporter for a Day” at Fox 17.

Grand Rapids Police Department K-9 handlers, and an on-duty dog from the K-9 unit, will be on hand at Thursday's K-9 Cabaret event. (Courtesy photo)

In addition, Daredevil Circus Co. will perform on the venue’s back patio overlooking the golf course. Adoptable dogs from HSWM also will be in attendance for those looking to add a furry family member.

Tickets for the event can be purchased for $40 in advance or $50 at the door. Those purchasing tickets online can enter the code “HSWM” and receive an additional $10 off. For more information, contact Nicole Cook, marketing and events coordinator at HSWM, at 616-791-8089 or by email at NCook@hswestmich.org. As of Tuesday, 270 tickets had been sold. The venue holds 400, Cook said.

The GRPD K-9 Unit will be on hand for the event and will receive an award from HSWM as well as a proclamation from Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell for its service to the community. An on-duty officer and dog also will attend.

GRPD currently has six K-9 teams, with duties ranging from explosives and drug detection to missing persons to suspect apprehension.

“The definitely will be present and, depending on the time — because they are on duty — they may give a demonstration,” said Cook. “I was with one of the teams yesterday and they were pretty busy throughout the day.”

Cook said HSWM plans to honor a different dog from West Michigan each year, whether it’s from a K-9 unit, the military or a therapy dog.

“It might even be just a regular dog in the community that did a great thing,” she said. “It’s great that our dogs are pets, but they’re also doing some amazing things and we want to honor that.”

 

When it comes to pit bulls, Baltimore Sun columnist goes on the attack

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I could hardly believe my eyes when a Facebook friend posted a column from a Baltimore Sun writer titled: “Pit bulls: Own them at your own risk.” Surely, the writer is making some sort of joke. His pit bull must have done something incredibly cute, like eat his kid’s birthday cake or something, right?

According to a Baltimore Sun columnist, pit bulls are "four-legged time bombs." Try telling that to this sweetie, Kaia Shanks. (Photo/Sarah Shanks)

I was stunned to find out the author, Dan Rodricks, was being serious.

His column talked about a pet costume contest he was judging and the fact that having pit bulls present “made it weird.”

He sounded as if he was waiting for one of the pit bulls to break loose and attack everyone at any minute.

In his column, which semi-focused on Maryland’s recent court decision declaring pit bulls inherently dangerous, Rodricks says:

The evidence shows clearly that such attacks are disproportionate to the number of pit bulls in society, that they inflict far more damage than other dogs, and that their attacks are associated with a higher risk of death. Pit bull jaws are three times stronger than those of a German Shepard.

Really, Dan? First, if you’re going to write about dogs and try to establish any credibility, spell the name of the breed correctly: It’s German shepherd dog. Citing where you discovered your “facts” might also have helped. If the attacks are disproportionate to the number of pit bulls in society, what are those figures? And the legitimate sources I found all say a pit bull’s jaws are no stronger than any other large breed.

Dr. Brady Barr of National Geographic conducted a test for a “Dangerous Encounters: Bite Force” television show a few years back. He tested the pressure per square inch of various animals, including man (120 pounds), snapping turtles (1,000 pounds), lions (600) and domestic dogs (320).  For the domestic dog testing, Barr used a pit bull, Rottweiler and German shepherd dog. The pit bull (235 pounds) had the lowest of the three. The German shepherd was 238 while the Rottweiler was 328 pounds.

At least Rodricks didn’t try to tell his readers that pit bulls have a special “locking jaw.” According to Dr. I. Lerh Brisbin of the University of Georgia, “There is absolutely not evidence for the existence of any kind of ’locking mechanism’ unique to the structure of the jaw and/or teeth of the American Pit Bull Terrier.”

Had Rodrick checked with the National Canine Research Council, he would have found plenty of information about attacks, particularly fatal dog attacks. The NCRC each year publishes a full report on fatal dog attacks in America, and prefaces each with the many facts that should be considered whenever a rare fatal attack occurs. In fact, the NCRC investigates the attacks so thoroughly, it takes a full year for them to publish their annual reports.

The NCRC currently has a post of its report on the 2010 fatal dog attacks in America (still investigating 2011, which will be published in 2013). In many of the 33 fatal attacks in 2010 (considering a dog population estimated at 78 million, the deaths are extremely rare), the breed of dog involved either was indeterminate (in 19 cases) or the dog could not be found 3 cases). Of the 11 cases in which the breed of dog was identified, eight different breeds were named. Yes,  American pit bull terrier was among them. Also listed: Siberian husky, Rottweiler, boxer, American bulldog and a German shepherd dog.

In many cases, dogs were reported by witnesses, and especially by the media, to be pit bulls. Yet DNA and photographic evidence found either the dogs were a different breed or an indeterminate mixed breed. In some cases through the years, the media reported dogs to be pit bulls that were later determined to be another breed. The media failed to write corrections to clarify the breed.

Perhaps more telling than the breed of dog involved is the circumstances around the attacks. Of the 33 deaths related to dog attacks in 2010, the NCRC reports that 21 of those attacks involved resident dogs, not family pets. NCRC defines residents dogs as “those whose owners isolate the dogs from regular, positive human interactions. Owners often keep resident dogs isolated on chains, in junkyards, or allow their dogs to roam unattended. Owners of resident dogs often fail to provide basic humane care for their dogs resulting in animals that suffer from malnutrition or chronic disease or illness.”

Many of the cases involved unsupervised children left with a dog or wandering into a dog’s yard. Some involved the dog’s owners participating in other criminal activity. Some were in packs, others were caused by a single dog.

The point is, dog attacks on humans are rare. Bite statistics are difficult to track, since many attacks by smaller dogs don’t require hospitalization and often are not reported. As far as fatalities, there were 308 million people and 78 million dogs in the U.S. in 2010. There were 33 dog-related fatalities. Just for good measure, the number of murders in the U.S. in 2010 was 14,748.

I am not a pit bull owner, but I am a responsible pet owner. I don’t discriminate against any breed, and I certainly wouldn’t label one a “four-legged time bomb,” as Rodricks did.  Rodricks is entitled to his opinion. I just wish he had the facts to back it up. Judging by the tone of many of the 670-and-counting comments on his column, a few others agree.

 

All Things Considered, story of missing corgi Andy deserved a few minutes of time on NPR

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It’s likely NPR‘s wonderful afternoon program “All Things Considered” will receive some negative feedback regarding Thursday’s story on the search for Andy, the corgi who went missing in Connecticut on New Year’s eve.

Andy, who ran off New Year's eve, is still missing in Connecticut.

Before the story from WSHU in Fairfield, Conn., was broadcast, NPR’s website posted a written preview, and a few of the comments took shots, questioning why the respected public radio program would do a story about a missing dog when there are so many other things in the world we should be concerned about. Some blamed Andy’s owners for not having him on a leash as they sat by a bonfire with friends. (Andy and his owners, from Massachusetts, were visiting friends in Connecticut when a neighbor shot off fireworks, which sent Andy running). Others questioned why missing people don’t get as much exposure.

I, for one, love the fact that NPR did the story. I know many of my Facebook friends, most of whom I’ve never met, are glad, too. And many of us support public radio through their spring and fall pledge drives.

We started following Andy’s story the day it happened. Our corgi, Truman, is in a Facebook fraternity of sorts, which dubs itself “Corgi Nation.” Thousands of corgi owners across the country — the world, actually, since friends are in Canada, Russia, Australia, England, New Zealand, etc. — are part of this group.

My partner, Truman’s alter ego, spotted the post about Andy’s disappearance and immediately got involved. Soon, hundreds, then thousands, were following the posts by Andy’s owners. The posts became a page, “Bring Andy Home.”

Weeks went by with daily updates. Andy’s owners, Jordina and Michael Ghiggeri, were not about to give up searching for their little lost dog. They printed fliers, took out newspaper ads, went door-to-door. People they never met volunteered to help in the search. Night-vision cameras were purchased, a pet detective was brought in.

And Corgi Nation, without any solicitation from Jordina or Michael, stepped up to help. Online auctions, where people donated artwork, services, dog items, books, anything of value, fetched enough money to help bring in the pet detective from out of state and to purchase more cameras.

Andy has been sighted on these cameras, and the pet detective’s dogs have picked up his scent. He’s hanging around a particular area, but he has been on the loose so long that he is frightened of people (and probably many other things) and has been incredibly elusive. But Jordina and Michael have not given up hope. Nor have the thousands of followers — friends — on Facebook.

While Corgi Nation has been aware of this story for quite some time, NPR helped bring it to the masses. We only wish it had the power to Bring Andy Home.

 

Facebook contest fetches name for Allegan Co. puppy mill dog adopted by owner of The Haunt

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Many former Grand Rapids Press employees who were not offered positions with the new MLive Media Group when it launched in February have moved on, using their unique talents in a variety of ways.

I started Press Unleashed. Former Press music critic John Sinkevics developed Local Spins and continues writing about music news in West Michigan. Many former colleagues now are working in  public relations, either as freelance writers or for specific companies.

One friend and former co-worker, Terri Finch Hamilton, has multiple positions that utilize her wonderful writing ability. Terri had written hundreds of feature stories, profiles, news stories — you get the picture — for the Press. When she sent me a pet-related press release this morning, I opted to publish it as-is rather than try to re-write it.

It’s a great little bright about one of the dogs rescued from the Allegan County puppy mill. It was adopted by Jim Burns, owner of The Haunt, who decided to raise a little money to benefit other animals while trying to find the perfect name for his new dog.

Here’s the scoop from Terri:

GRAND RAPIDS, MI. — Jim Burns’ new puppy is a cute little guy, but the perfect name just wasn’t coming to him.

 

This little guy, one of the dogs rescued from the Allegan County puppy mill, was adopted by Jim Burns, owner of The Haunt, and named by fans in a Facebook contest. (Courtesy photo)

So Burns, owner of the popular Walker haunted attraction, The Haunt, turned to Facebook to get a few ideas from The Haunt’s fans.

“Within 15 minutes we had 75 names,” Burns says. And they kept coming.

The 13-week-old puppy, a fluffy Shih Tzu -Pomeranian mix, was one of close to 400 filthy, feces-encrusted dogs rescued earlier this month from a Cheshire Township home, where a couple bred dogs for profit.

The Allegan County Animal Shelter rescued the dogs, then needed massive help to clean them up and get them ready for adoption.

Burns’ family veterinarian, Kelley’s Animal Clinic in Walker, took in some of the dogs, and when Burns saw the pups, he melted.

“I knew I was in trouble,” he says with a smile.

He, wife, Amy and their 13-year-old daughter, MaKayla, picked out a fluffy black and white pup to take home.

“We started rattling off a bunch of names, then I thought, ‘Why don’t we do a contest?” Burns says. Winner gets two tickets to The Haunt.

He posted the “name our puppy” contest on The Haunt’s Facebook page, and netted 150 ideas the first day.

Cute names: Fluffy, Snickers, Boo Boo. Spooky names: Creature, Creeper, Haunter.

In all, 204 people suggested 308 names.

“There was such an overwhelming response,” Burns says. “Everybody was touched by this dog story when they saw it in the media. It was so heartwarming to see how many people stepped up to help. Vets, animal shelters. Groomers came in to bathe them. People showed up with blankets and toys.

“I thought, ‘Why not take it one step further and involve people even after a dog has a home?” he says. “They can stay connected to those dogs that touched their heart when they saw them on TV.”

Burns decided to donate 50 cents in the name of each fan who contributed a puppy name — $102 in all — to Kelley’s Heart-to-Heart Pet Adoption Center.

He’s having a giant presentation check made that will include the printed name of each person who contributed a name.

“You took the time to look at the picture of my dog, to make a connection,” Burns says. “So let’s take it a little further and make a difference.”

And the winning name? Not too scary. It’s Oliver.

 

A lesson learned, the hard way, about restraint when it comes to traveling with pets

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I debated for a good week on whether or not to write about this. What convinced me? A couple of things:

1. A good friend told the Facebook world of a pretty silly thing she had done — basically trying to get into a car after stopping traffic and realizing it wasn’t her husband who had come to pick her up but a complete stranger. If she’ll admit to nearly carjacking someone by mistake, how bad can my little incident be?

2. This morning, one of the many websites regarding pets to which I subscribe took on the topic of travel and restraining your pets (dogs) in the car. It’s a rather long blog post on Life With Dogs by Dr. Jason Nicholas, but well worth reading.

Stuart's days of roaming unrestrained in the car are over (but I had to shoot his picture to prove a point).

After checking out the blog post, I figured it’s as good a time as any to share my rather embarrassing episode.

We do not often travel with our pets, except to the vet or perhaps to my dad’s land in Montague, where they can exhaust themselves in his 10 acres of woods. On the rare occasions the dogs do travel with us, we have not used restraints.

Such was the case last week, when I was taking our Jack Russell terrier, Stuart, to a photo shoot at Kendra Stanley-Mills‘ studio. She was photographing some products for an upcoming publication, and Stuart was going to model one of the items.

You must understand that, in our household, getting one dog into the car is a bit tricky when the others want to come along. This day, I lured the dogs into the garage and opened the car door. Stuart hopped in and I shut the door. I was then able to lure the others back into our “mud room” connecting the garage to the house, rather easily, I might add. In fact, I commented out loud to myself, “Wow. That was easier than I thought.”

Lo and behold, when I returned to the garage to get in the car, Stuart, unrestrained, had hit the automatic locks on the car doors. With the keys in the car. I panicked. I didn’t know where the extra set of keys were. But I did notice the driver’s side window was cracked a bit. My arm is skinny enough, I figured, so I squeezed it in, struggling at the elbow, and managed to reach down to the door handle. To my amazement, I was able to open the door.

Unfortunately, may maneuver triggered the car alarm, which sent Stuart bounding from the back seat to the front, against the windows and every which way. The blaring high-pitched alarm also sent the dogs waiting in the mud room into a tizzy. I panicked again.

To make matters worse, my arm was now stuck in the window and I couldn’t get to the keys. I struggled, dangling from outside the car, to free my arm. After about 30 seconds, which seemed like 30 minutes, I began to weigh my options. Cutting off my arm like the hiker in “127 Hours” wasn’t one of them. Nor was breaking the window, since I had only one arm free and couldn’t reach anything. Finally, I gritted my teeth and yanked my arm with all my might, freeing it from the window and door. I leaped into the car and grabbed my keys, hitting the button to silence the alarm.

My arm, not to mention my ego, sported a nice bruise after the incident.

Stuart jumped from the car and into the garage. Going for a “ride” suddenly didn’t seem like much fun to him. I managed to swoop him up and put him back in the car, and we were on our way. After the big adventure, Stuart sat perfectly still in the car and was well-behaved during the photo shoot, the first he’d ever done.

Me? My ego, and my arm, were bruised from my stupidity. As someone who writes about pets, I should know better.

I made a couple of notes to self: A. Do not ever put the dog into the car when the keys are in it and B. Get restraints to buckle the dogs in our vehicles and avoid the many mishaps, which could be far worse than my silly little alarm incident,  that can occur. I only hope others will take note of this as well.

Available Allegan County dogs, and several others, find new homes via HSWM ‘Spring Fling’

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Although the goal of having 70 animals adopted wasn’t reached, Saturday’s Meijer Spring Fling at the Humane Society of West Michigan certainly was a success.

Anthony Daniels, 6, of Kalamazoo had his face painted while he and his family waited to adopt a dog from HSWM on Saturday. (Photos/Mary Ullmer)

A crowd lined up as early as 7 a.m. for the 10 a.m. event, and hundreds had gathered by the time HSWM opened its doors. In all, 32 animals, including a couple of cats and a bunny,  were adopted on Saturday.

All 14 of the Shih Tzu-mix dogs transferred from the Allegan County Animal Shelter, rescued a couple of weeks ago from a puppy mill, that were available for adoption at HSWM found homes.

“People love to get dogs with a story, so there was an overwhelming response to the Allegan County dogs,” said Nicole Cook, marketing and events coordinator at HSWM. “People were lined up at 7 a.m. We tried to tell people that if they’re here for an Allegan  County dog, they should look at all the others here, too.

“All dogs have a story, some just didn’t make the news. We had dogs that were starved that came in, so that’s a form of cruelty. We had a family that had a devastating loss that couldn’t keep their dog. Every dog is unique and has a story, it just might not be a newsworthy story.”

It appeared that Credence, a black-and-tan coonhound, had found a home on Saturday. But the “meet-and-greet” session with the family’s other dogs that is required for adopting an animal from HSWM didn’t go well, Cook said.

Charlene Lovewell of Wyoming adopted one of the small-breed dogs transferred to HSWM from the Allegan County puppy mill. Lovewell said the dog's name will be Molly.

“We do have three families coming in on Tuesday to see him,” Cook said. “That’s why we love to have the education process to explain our mission. Yes, it’s to adopt out animals, but we want to get them in the right home. That’s why it’s important to have the behavior staff on our team to inform people. We had several people bring their dogs for meet and greet, and we made that clear ahead of time. We probably had 20 dog meetings happen on Saturday.

“The great thing is, a couple of our senior dogs found homes. They often get overlooked.”

Because the application process can be time-consuming, HSWM offered demonstrations and seminars at the event, which ran until 4 p.m. A hot dog stand parked out front surely did brisk business as people waited hours for their application to be processed before meeting their potential pet along with adoption counselors.

Milani (left) and Arabia Taylor meet with their new dog, Austin, who came from the Allegan County puppy mill raid.

“We were really diligent before we opened our doors that we have a process for adoption and we want to make sure the dogs, cats or bunnies find the perfect home,” Cook said. “We don’t want to see these animals come back to us.

“If you’re not willing to wait 45 minutes to an hour to get a consult, which is part of the process, then maybe you’re not ready for a pet. We encourage people that the animal is worth the wait because we have to make sure it’s a good fit.”

Charlene Lovewell of Wyoming was able to adopt one of the dogs from Allegan County. She had applied the previous week for the adoption and had been pre-approved to adopt Allison, whom she renamed, Molly.

“She’s doing great, you wouldn’t she know came from anywhere else,.” Lovewell said Monday. “We did a little training already. She goes to the door to go out, goes to the bathroom and comes back in. She hasn’t had any accidents in the house. She even has found an old blanket that she likes to cuddle up in to sleep.”

Lovewell has a 3-year-old Shih Tzu-Maltese mix, Maggie, to keep Molly company.

“Maggie tries to play with Molly but she doesn’t really understand it,” Lovewell said. “They do wander around together in our fenced in yard, though. Molly’s doing very well and seems happy and we’re just tickled that it worked out so well.”

 

 

Allegan Co. dogs among those available for adoption at Humane Society WM’s ‘Spring Fling’

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The Humane Society of West Michigan is hosting a “Meijer Spring Fling” adoption and family fun event Saturday, and some of the small-breed dogs rescued from a recent Allegan County puppy mill raid will be among several animals up for adoption.

Layla is a 1-year-old retriever mix available for adoption at the Humane Society of West Michigan. She is a sweet dog who loves to be around people and who enjoys going on long walks. She would do best in a home with elementary-school age kids (or older). She had puppies but they have all been adopted -- now it is her turn to find a loving, forever home! (HSWM photo)

The open house is free to the public and runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at HSWM (3077 Wilson NW). In addition to the pet adoption drive, the event will feature seminars on dog bite prevention and obedience as well as demonstrations with Frisbee dogs and an appearance by Toula, an adopted dog from Plainwell who has appeared in movies and commercials.  Kids’ activities, like a balloon animal artist, face painting and crafts, also will be available.

Nicole Cook, marketing and events coordinator at HSWM, said at least five of the dogs rescued from Allegan County, and possibly more, will be eligible for adoption at Saturday’s event. The number of Shih Tzu mixes available on Saturday will depend on their progress in the evaluation process, Cook said.

HSWM took in 20 of the 350-plus dogs rescued by the Allegan County Animal Shelter. Many of the dogs required medical attention, vaccination and socialization, a process for which there is no set timetable.

“We’re figuring at least five will be ready, and we have the potential for a few more, but it will depend on how things go the next couple of days,” Cook said. “We’re excited because there will be a lot going on here Saturday and we hope a lot of people will be here not only to adopt the Shih Tzus, but the other dogs and cats we have who are waiting for new homes.”

Cook said the goal is to have 75 animals adopted at the event. She added that HSWM has held similar events in the past.

“But we really want a family focused festival,” she said. “We want to get more animals in homes, but we also want to educate. If people aren’t looking for a dog or cat, they can still come and enjoy the activities and learn from the different seminars we’re offering.”

Steve Mozer, owner of Ears and Tail K9 Solutions for Working Dogs, and his standard poodles, Suki and Syler, will be giving a Frisbee dog demonstration.

Also on hand for a demonstration will be Toula, a border collie adopted by Christine Mahaney who won PETCO’s “America’s Most Talented Pet”national contest in 2007 and appeared in the movie “Public Enemies,” starring Johnny Depp. Toula also appeared on “Live! with Regis and Kelly” during Top Dog Week in 2009 and currently has a spot alongside another of Mahaney’s dogs, Cole, in a Chevy Volt commercial, “Morning in Hamtramck.”

There will be two bite prevention seminars given by HSWM  education assistant Carlita Gonzalez.

“She’ll show examples of what you should and shouldn’t do it a dog approaches and other basic tips,” Cook said. “People are out and about with the warmer weather, and that means there are more dogs out and about, too.”

The schedule of events for Saturday:

  • 11 a.m.: Dog Bite Prevention Seminar by Carlita Gonzalez (HSWM Education Assistant)
  • 11:30 a.m.: Demonstration by Toula (celebrity dog from movies and TV)
  • 1 p.m.: Frisbee demonstration with Steve Mozer and his dogs Suki and Syler
  • 2 p.m.: Dog Bite Prevention Seminar by Carlita Gonzalez (HSWM Education Assistant)
  • 3 p.m.: Dog Obedience Seminar by Namiko Ota-Noveskey (HSWM Behavior Specialist)

For more information on the Spring Fling, including important details on how the adoption process works, click here. 

Kent County Animal Shelter gets out the vote, qualifies for ASPCA/Rachael Ray $100K Challenge

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The Kent County Animal Shelter cleared the first hurdle in the ASPCA/Rachael Ray $100K Challenge, finishing 27th in the event’s qualifying heat. KCAS needed to garner enough online votes to make the top 50 and have a shot at the contest’s several monetary rewards, including the $100,000 grand prize.

Pistol Pete, a 4-year-old Jack Russell terrier, is available for adoption at the Kent County Animal Shelter. Pistol Pete, who weighs almost 14 pounds, is a typical Jack Russell, full of energy and intelligence. Pete is a very active dog and will benefit from having an active owner that is willing to crate train and take him to training classes after the adoption. He'll do best in a home without cats. (KCAS photo)

The Grand Rapids-based shelter finished third in its North Central Division with 10,350 votes in the qualifying portion, which ran from April 5-16. The Humane Society of Central Washington, based in Yakima, Wash., was the overall leader with 33,989 online votes.

“I’ll take 27th out of 104 shelters any day,” said Carly Luttmann, program supervisor for KCAS. “It’s awesome. We’re thrilled.”

Now, the real work begins. To earn prize money in the Challenge, shelters must “save” 300 more dogs, puppies, cats and kittens from Aug. 1  to Oct. 31, than it did the previous year. A save, or live exit, according to contest rules, is defined as animals who leave a shelter through adoption (including on-site, mobile, satellite and event adoptions), alternative placements (transfers to other facilities or placements with programs such as law enforcement) and return-to-owner (RTO) from the shelter, including RTO by animal control officers in the field.

Only saved animals that represent an increase over the previous year for that month will count toward the Challenge goal. For KCAS to meet the Challenge goal, it will need to total at least 823 saved animals during the three-month contest, an increase of 300 over those same months last year.

“We’re into the Challenge and now we have to creatively brainstorm to find ways to save an additional 300 animals,” Luttmann said. “That’s a significant increase from 2011, so we have to get busy being creative. If anything, though, the qualifying votes have proven we can get the word out and get the community fired up. That’s great for us. We now have to find other ways to spread the word around.”

Those looking to adopt a pet should keep in mind that  August is quite a ways off, and there are plenty of pets in the shelter who need homes now.

Luttmann said it’s likely KCAS will offer adoption specials during the three-month period and possibly discounts on adoptions if her agency can find funding to support such an effort. Last fall, Vicky’s Pet Connection sponsored half the cost of feline adoptions, allowing KCAS to offer “$5 Feline Fridays,” for cat adoptions.

“We’ll do some brainstorming, and it will be a collaboration between the animal shelter staff, the health department administration and other organizations like Vicky’s,” Luttmann said. “We’re fired up to get their ideas. We figure the more creative energy we have and the more we think outside the box, the chances are we’ll come up with some awesome ideas.”

A simple way for the community to help in the effort, aside from adopting a dog or cat from KCAS during the contest period, is to help the shelter increase its return-to-owner count. Having your pet microchipped (KCAS offers $20 walk-in microchipping) so it can be returned if it gets lost would go a long way toward that goal. Likewise, making sure your dog is licensed, as required by law, can make a big difference.

“We need to get the word out about our microchipping program… that would help a lot with reclaims,” Luttmann said. “And with only 18 percent of our target audience complying as far as dog licenses, we have huge room for improvement there. If a dog is licensed, our animal control officers can get it right back to the owner without having to bring it into the shelter.

“We would much rather make contact with the owner than impound a dog at the shelter.”

 

Details on adoption process released for seized puppy mill dogs in Allegan County

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The Allegan Shelter Facebook page posted a message Friday afternoon with a link to a list  of additional shelters that have taken in dogs from a puppy mill/hoarding situation this week.

One of the small mixed breed dogs from the Allegan County seizure this week who soon will be available for adoption. (Allegan Shelter photo)

The link takes readers to an Allegan County Animal Shelter home page, which now is different from the shelter’s Petfinder page. Those seeking information on adopting one of the small breed dogs, or any other dog, from the Allegan shelter can fill out an online application and learn more about the process from the home page.

Allegan County’s page also refers potential adopters to the many shelters and rescue groups that took in dogs because of the limited capacity at Allegan. It also provides links to those groups. Nearly 320 dogs of mixed breeds, Shih Tzus mixed with Pomeranian, Papillon, Maltese and Yorkies, were transported to other temporary facilities.

The folks at Allegan County also cautioned people to be patient with the process:

Due to the limited capacity of the Allegan Animal Shelter, we have moved approximately 320 Shih Tzus to other shelters and private rescue groups both locally and through out Michigan. The following is a partial list of those organizations. At this time, you must contact them directly for information about adopting a Shih Tzu that was taken from our shelter. Please be patient. It is very likely that the majority of these organizations will impose a 10-day quarantine before adopting out these dogs to insure their health.

I’d love to hear from any Press Unleashed readers who happen to bring one of these dogs into a loving forever home. Feel free to check out my contact information and e-mail me.

Dark day turns to ‘Bark’ day for blogger whose dog was killed while on a walk

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When Rob Kirkbride’s dog, Aura, was hit and killed by a car while the two were walking in Grand Rapids in January, Kirkbride was understandably devastated.

But Kirkbride turned the tragedy of his dog’s death into a cause to help others, Saturday’s “Bark in the Park” at Riverside Park in Grand Rapids. Proceeds from the two-hour walking event, which runs from 10 a.m. to noon, benefit the Humane Society of West Michigan. Registration is $10 and participants are welcome to bring their dogs, or walk alone to honor a dog.

Rob Kirkbride's daughter, Gwen, snuggles with Aura. Aura was part of the Kirkbridge family for just a few months before being struck and killed by a car. (Rob Kirkbride photo)

Kirkbride had been walking Aura that day with a friend, Bridget Meyers, and her dog. Meyers is community outreach manager at Gazelle Sports, which sponsored Kirkbridge’s “Walk Two Hours” blog. Kirkbride’s goal was to walk two hours each day, then write about it on his blog, for an entire year. He completed his mission last month.

“Bridget and I were talking that day about what to do once the year was up,” Kirkbride said. “We talked about doing a community event that would include walking but would also raise money for charity.”

Meyers cut her walk short that day to go to work, leaving Kirkbride and Aura to finish the second half alone. It was during that stretch that Aura was killed.

“I didn’t know what to do,” Kirkbride said. “We had gotten our previous dog, Charlie, at the humane society and when we had to put her down after 14 years, we took her there. They were so kind and caring and understanding during that difficult time. I decided to take Aura there, too, and the same thing happened. It was devastating, but the people at the humane society obviously know what it’s like to lose a pet like that. They even sent a card offering their condolences.

“After a few days, I decided we needed to do something for the humane society.”

Those wishing to walk Saturday can can register online here or at Riverside Park beginning at 9:30 a.m. HSWM will have a registration tent set up where the walk will begin, at the Riverbend shelter. Those attending should take entrance No. 3, at the north boat launch.

Those who won’t be able to make it but still want to contribute to Bark in the Park can donate online by clicking here.

Nicole Cook, marketing and events coordinator at HSWM, said about $1,200 has been raised thus far.

Kirkbride said about 100 people have registered to walk, and he’s hoping for 150. He considers that a pretty good number, given it’s the first year of the event. No matter how many walk, or donate, Kirkbride said something wonderful has stemmed from his tragedy.

“There must have been five or six complete strangers who saw what happened that day,” Kirkbride said. “They literally stopped their cars, stopped what they were doing, got out and came over to help me. The consoled me and waited with me until my wife got there.

“It really makes you hopeful for humanity when things like that happen. That’s the power of what dogs bring into our lives. Everybody can relate to what happened. When I posted my blog that day about what happened, I had 8,000 hits. On a good day, I normally get a few hundred. The next day, there were 10,000. And there were comments from people all over the world.

“Pet owners have a common understanding of what bringing a pet into your family is all about. That’s the strength of Bark in the Park … people will come together for pets. They’re kind of like Harley (Harley-Davidson) people. They love to show off their dogs and talk about their dogs. It’s what binds us.”