Category: General

Puppy Mills in North Carolina

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This was forwarded to me on the AAMC mailing list.

 

This is a picture of a puppy currently residing in a puppy mill in North Carolina. Under present state law, because she has “food, water and shelter” she cannot be rescued. Only when she is dead will she probably get out of this cage.
We are hoping (probably against hope) that the legislature might take some time away from passing a fracking bill, to consider legislation that would define the requirements of “food, shelter and water” a bit better than is pictured here, as well as require exercise and veterinary care.

Puppy Mills in North Carolina

If you agree that this is cruel and inhumane treatment, please let your legislators know. In Moore County, your state representative is Jamie Boles ( jamie.boles@ncleg.net ) and your state senator is Harris Blake ( Harris.Blake@ncleg.net ). You might also address comments to the Senator Pro Tem Phil Berger ( Phil.Berger@ncleg.net ) and Speaker of the House Thom Tillis ( Thom.Tillis@ncleg.net ).

There are a lot of animals in North Carolina that would appreciate your speaking up for them.

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Piles of stuff to do

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UNC Hospitals Chapel Hill
UNC Hospitals Chapel Hill

This has been a busy week.  On Thursday, I took a friend to UNC in Chapel Hill for surgery and spent most of the day there. UNC is an impressive facility.  I used to spend a lot of time at UNC when that was my home base for treatment.  It’s not a terrible place to have to spend several hours.  On Friday, I was able to go back to pick her up to take her home.

This week I’ve been feeding some feral cats for someone who’s on vacation.  There are three small colonies in Southern Pines that rely on this person for daily food and water. Some have been trapped, spayed or neutered and released.  Tomorrow is my last day for doing that, I think.

I have a friend’s yard to mow this weekend.  I should be doing it now, before it gets too hot.  I have to do my own, too!

On top of that, I’m watching someone’s dog while their family takes a short trip before school starts. He’s an old timer, so he’s no extra bother.  He gets along well with my dog and the cats. He’s jumped into the pool before, so he does have to be supervised when he’s out in the yard.

On Tuesday, we went to the National Night Out Against Crime event at Memorial Park in Southern Pines.  Jacob had a lot of fun watching the canine unit demonstration.  I have some pictures of that I can post later.

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Planning For Your Pets/Animals in a Disaster

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On Saturday, August 22nd , beginning at 2pm, at the Owens Auditorium at the Sandhills Community College, the County Animal Response Team (CART) will be hosting an invaluable event for those owning or caring for pets and/or domesticated animals in Moore County. A free showing of the award-winning documentary, “Katrina Tails,” will be followed by a presentation and discussion about Moore County’s newly-revised Animal Response Plan to be executed during disasters. Call 910-947-2858 for more details.

More information:

GROUNDBREAKING DISASTER PLAN FOR MOORE COUNTY’S ANIMALS

On August 22nd, the County Animal Response Team (CART) will be hosting an invaluable event for those owning or caring for pets and domesticated animals in Moore County. A free showing of the 2008 Accolade Award-winning documentary, “Katrina Tails,” will be followed by a presentation and discussion about Moore County’s newly-revised Animal Response Plan. The event will take place at the Owens Auditorium at Sandhills Community College beginning at 2pm.

Doug Harris, a Katrina victim, remembers being asked to leave his pets behind: “We were informed that buses would be taking everyone to higher ground and we would not be able to take our pets with us,” he said. “The worst was being forced to walk away from my beloved dogs who loved and protected us for years and would never have done that to us for any reason.”

We are all haunted by the TV footage and photos of scared and hungry animals left behind in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Long after the flood receded, the heartbreak continued as people searched for their lost pets.

Back in 2006, President George W. Bush signed the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act into law.

This landmark legislation requires local and state disaster plans to include provisions for household pets and service animals in the event of a major disaster or emergency.

With more than 358 million pets in the country residing in 63 percent of American households, the PETS Act helps ensure that Americans never again are faced with the choice of abandoning their pet and finding their way to safety or staying with their pet and remaining in a hazardous and potentially life-threatening situation.

Moore County’s Animal Response Team is chaired by Scot Brooks, the County Emergency Manager and Deputy Director of Public Safety. It brings together representatives from the NC Department of Agriculture, the County Department of Animal Operations, the Fire Department, the NC Cooperative Extension Service, the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, the NC Veterinary Alliance, the American Red Cross, the Veterinary Medical Assistance Team, and Moore County’s Pet Responsibility Committee.

Over the past two years, the Team has met and worked on an Animal Response Plan which considers not only pets and service animals, but all domesticated animals in Moore County. It has also included provisions for wildlife.

Plans have been made with Southern Middle School in Aberdeen designating it as a “Co-Located Shelter,” that is, a shelter that accepts both people and their pets.

Meetings have been held with a group of local veterinarians and decisions are being finalized regarding locations for the care and treatment of sick and injured animals in a disaster or emergency.

Contact information for local, State and National animal rescue resources has been compiled for quick access. A plan for a database of local volunteers to help with the animals in an emergency is underway.

The event at the end of August is designed to help residents prepare, plan and stay informed regarding the safety of their pets and animals in a disaster.

Members of the CART will be on hand at the event to answer questions and a number of booths will distribute related information. The Moore County CAMET (Companion Animal Mobile Equipment Trailer), a vehicle designed to quickly enable the setup of an emergency pet shelter will also be on display for the public to see, as will an equine ambulance designed to transport injured horses. Residents may also talk to a CART representative about signing up to be a member of the disaster volunteer pool.

In these uncertain times, there is one thing we can unfortunately be sure of: there will be emergencies and disasters. Animals and humans are profoundly impacted by these unexpected and many times unpredictable events. However, with advance preparation by individuals and government agencies working together within a community, the better everyone is able to effectively respond to the crisis.

For more information regarding the event, please call Animal Services at 910-947-2858.

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Kittenocity

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Cute kittyKittens are the cutest things on the planet, there’s no doubt.  I could watch them for hours.  There are times when their kittenish antics make me laugh out loud. The kittens’ mothers are getting a little tired of their offspring though.  They want to be let out of their room to roam the house, and it’s harder to get them to go back in there than it was a couple of days ago.

I’d like to encourage those seeking companion animals to look for a local animal rescue group from which to adopt. They usually vet the animals and make sure they’re suitable for a particular situation.  In my case, I now know that the mother cats are completely accepting of other cats and dogs, and are not at all aggressive. They like children, too. None of the cats flinched when I turned on the vacuum cleaner!

Animal Advocates of Moore County is going to be having an adoption fair soon:

Where: Local Armory on Morganton Road

When:  July 11th 2009

Time:  Noon to 6 PM

Rabies Shots Given by Frank Ringleberg of Animal Control….$5.00
Nail Trim by famous groomer Karen Richardson……$5.00

Nail Painting by Karen Richardson……………………$5.00

The Lunch Box will be selling Hot Dogs and Drinks

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Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe – No Eggs – No Cooking

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I copied a friend’s recipe to spread around for people who’re making ice cream for the 4th of July.

Deb’s House Concerts

This is the easiest recipe I found. It uses no eggs. It requires no cooking. It’s super-easy! :) That’s what I like for my “Cooking for the Motivationally Challenged” posts. :) And, that’s what I like for myself, too! ;)

Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe for a 1.5 Quart Ice Cream Maker

Stir the following together and chill in the refrigerator for several hours, or overnight, before pouring into your ice cream maker. (The only variation I made is that my freezer wants only 4 cups of the recipe, and it expands to 6 cups while it freezes. I mixed the recipe below, then poured in 4 cups and saved the rest for the next batch.)

No-Cook Homemade Ice Cream
Southern Living , Aug 2004 by Dosier, Susan

1 cup sweetened condensed milk

1 cup evaporated milk

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons vanilla

2 cups whole milk

That’s all. That’s it. It’s that easy.

Just be sure your freezer tub insert has been in the freezer long enough to freeze liquid on contact. And, chill your ingredients long enough to have it really cold before adding it to the freezer. And, after the ice cream is ready, put it into an airtight container and put it into your freezer (if you don’t eat it all in one sitting!). :)

Two Recipes of Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

I made two batches today. Actually, I mixed up the recipe last night, and made the first run this morning. Then, I thought the freezer can was still cold enough, so I mixed more and poured it in. (I did not follow the instructions to chill the ingredients before freezing or to add them to the freezer can straight from the freezer.) The second time it didn’t work. So, at this point, the recipe ingredients are cooling in the refrigerator and the freezer can is in the freezer. Maybe I’ll freeze the second batch tomorrow.

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Cancer survival rates impact type of Web communities used by patients

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By Corrie Feldkamp
UMHS Public Relations

Online support communities for high survival rate cancers contain a greater amount of emotional support content than online support communities for cancers with low survival rates, according to a new study from the U-M Health System (UMHS) and the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System.

The researchers also found that support communities for low survival rate cancers contain a greater amount of informational support content than online support communities for high survival rate cancers.

“Online communities have become an important resource for individuals seeking emotional and informational social support related to cancer,” says senior author Dr. Caroline Richardson, assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine at UMHS.

The study — led by Lorraine Buis, a postdoctoral research fellow at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System — assessed differences in emotional and informational social support content in online communities for cancers with high and low survival rates.

The researchers also found that, overall, emotional support was more prevalent than informational support across all communities and all types of cancers.

Both emotional and informational support widely is available within online communities for cancer, but not all of these sites are created equally, Buis says.

“When primary care providers refer individuals to online communities for support, they should be aware that there might be differing amounts of support based on the survival rare of a particular cancer,” she says. Buis also explains that not only are such online communities for patients, “but they help family and friends cope with the struggles that cancer presents.”

Until Richardson’s and Buis’s most recent study, there had been no previous research on the influence of patients’ cancer survival rates on social support content within online support communities for cancer.

Participants in this study all were reviewed under the same time period, were online community members who participated in online support communities for four different types of cancer — lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, thyroid cancer and melanoma — and participated in eight different online communities in the investigation.

The study was presented last week at the annual meeting of the North American Primary Care Research Group. In addition to Buis and Richardson, Pamela Whitten of Michigan State University also was an author of the study.

http://www.ur.umich.edu/0809/Nov24_08/25.php?print

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