By Scott Craven The Arizona Republic PHOENIX (AP) — This is what Tonya Bunce remembers from the funeral, the details still clear though months have passed: a peaceful Roxy - front legs wrapped around a Teddy bear with ears frayed from chewing - surrounded by loved ones, friends and much of the staff from the veterinarian's office. After the chaplain's comforting words, others shared their favorite memories of Roxy as they said goodbye to the little Yorkie cut down in her prime. For Bunce, who had no idea just weeks earlier that such a service was possible, it was a fitting tribute to a dog who had so touched her life in the 3 1/2 years Roxy had lived before being hit by a car. On that Sunday afternoon in a quiet, candlelit room at Fairwinds Pet Memorial Services, Bunce felt closure for the first time. "It was a blessing," Bunce said. "It was everything I needed." A growing number of people are finding solace in services, ceremonies and memorials dedicated to recently deceased pets. Veterinarians once were...

His pudgy nose, tiny paws and sloppy, wet kisses melted your heart in an instant. But after giving in to desire and surprising the family with a new furry friend, you found that caring for a new puppy was not exactly what you expected. Adopting a pet can be rewarding, but certain steps must be made before both you and your pet can be ready for the transition. “It’s important to avoid impulse adopting,” emphasizes Dr. Snowden, an associate professor at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. “Pets are a life-long commitment. Dogs and cats can live ten to fifteen years, while parrots and turtles will live much longer.” So, how do you know if you are ready to adopt a pet? Snowden believes the first step of the process is to evaluate your needs and lifestyle. “Before adopting a pet, a potential owner needs to consider the amount of space in the home available to accommodate the pet,” says Snowden. “Evaluating the amount of time and care that can be spent with the animal,...

NAMPA — Anyone seeking a new or a lost pet should call the Pet Haven Shelter at 466-1298 for information, or visit the shelter at 333 Orchard Ave.
Pet Haven’s shelter is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, Saturday noon to 4 p.m. and closed Sunday and most holidays.
It costs $50 to adopt a cat. These charges include spaying or neutering the pet, deworming it, vaccination and a leukemia test.
Remember the low-cost spay and neuter clinic at the shelter. Call for times and dates.
All cats ready for adoption are spayed or neutered.
Find out more online at www.pethavenonline.org.
The Thrift Store at 619 Main St., Caldwell, helps fund the operating expenses of Pet Haven. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 10-4:30 Saturday. The store is closed today for Thanksgiving and will open Friday at 8 a.m. A storewide half price sale is both Friday and Saturday. Items are needed for a silent auction that begins Dec. 2. Reading material for all ages is needed. Also, if you have large items to donate, call and they...

By MIKE BAIRD
Corpus Christi Caller-Times


CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) — A Vietnam veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder received an unconventional prescription in July.

"John McGahey needs a service pet," his physician wrote. "He plans on using a cat. This pet is allowed to travel with Mr. McGahey anywhere."

The last part of the prescription has been the toughest to fill. The 53-year-old former medical corpsman has been denied access to some public places with Patch, his 6-month-old white male service cat.

"It's not like I'm trying to take an alligator with me," McGahey said. "I just want people to know service animals can be other than dogs."

McGahey was first diagnosed in the late 1970s after treatment in Philadelphia Naval Hospital. "I have a lot of flashbacks," he said. "I get paranoid in public, and petting Patch helps keep me calm. When I'm ripping the bed apart at night he licks me."

Stress disorder such as McGahey's develops in some people after an event that caused or threatened serious harm or death,...

NAMPA — Anyone seeking a new or a lost pet should call the Pet Haven Shelter at 466-1298 for information, or visit the shelter at 333 Orchard Ave.
Pet Haven’s shelter is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, Saturday noon to 4 p.m. and closed Sunday and most holidays.
It costs $50 to adopt a cat. These charges include spaying or neutering the pet, deworming it, vaccination and a leukemia test.
Remember the low-cost spay and neuter clinic at the shelter. Call for times and dates.
All cats ready for adoption are spayed or neutered.
Find out more online at www.pethavenonline.org.
The Thrift Store at 619 Main St., Caldwell, helps fund the operating expenses of Pet Haven. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 10-4:30 Saturday. For more information call 455-1303.
CALDWELL — The Canyon County Animal Shelter is at 5801 Graye Lane, behind the Larry Miller Auto Mall. For information about lost pets or adopting a companion animal, call 455-5920.
All dogs cost $65 for males or females, for neuter or spay, first...

NAMPA — Anyone seeking a new or a lost pet should call the Pet Haven Shelter at 466-1298 for information, or visit the shelter at 333 Orchard Ave.
Pet Haven’s shelter is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, Saturday noon to 4 p.m. and closed Sunday and most holidays.
It costs $50 to adopt a cat. These charges include spaying or neutering the pet, deworming it, vaccination and a leukemia test.
Remember the low-cost spay and neuter clinic at the shelter. Call for times and dates.
All cats ready for adoption are spayed or neutered.
Find out more online at www.pethavenonline.org.
The Thrift Store at 619 Main St., Caldwell, helps fund the operating expenses of Pet Haven. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 10-4:30 Saturday. For more information call 455-1303.

CALDWELL — The Canyon County Animal Shelter is at 5801 Graye Lane, behind the Larry Miller Auto Mall. For information about lost pets or adopting a companion animal, call 455-5920.
All dogs cost $65 for males or females, for neuter or spay, first...

By MARTHA RAFFAELE
Associated Press Writer
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Sammy, a Shetland sheepdog, wouldn't touch his food, retreating to a corner of the yard and devouring mouthfuls of dirt — behavioral oddities his owner later learned came from a lifetime of abuse as a "stud" in a large puppy mill.

The 10 years of caged confinement Sammy endured would have been illegal under a bill signed late Thursday by Gov. Ed Rendell. The governor, who owns two rescued golden retrievers, and other dog advocates hope the new law will help Pennsylvania shed its reputation as the puppy mill capital of the East.

The Humane Society of the United States has counted Pennsylvania among a handful of states where lucrative, largely unregulated puppy mills are concentrated.

The issue caught the attention of Oprah Winfrey after a suburban Philadelphia rescue organization put up a billboard in Chicago begging her to do a show on dog breeder abuse. The movement took on new momentum when, in August, operators of two eastern Pennsylvania kennels shot...

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP) _ A man whose dog rescued him from a house fire in Trinidad says the animal died after running back into the burning building.

Trinidad & Tobago Express newspaper quotes Anderson Marcano as saying that he woke up because the dog kept barking and tugging at his pants. Marcano says he smelled the smoke and was shocked to find his house on fire.

The story published Friday did not say why the dog ran back in. Marcano said no one else was inside the house at the time.

Marcano did not immediately return a call for comment.

He said firefighters on Wednesday found the body of his dog, "Rebel," as well as the remains of the family's pet parrot.

Hurricane season isn’t over yet. In the wake of Hurricane Ike’s
wrath, we are again reminded of the stress and chaos that can come from
evacuations. Though a difficult time for everyone, pet owners have the
added responsibility of making sure their furry (or scaly) friends are
safe.
First and foremost, do not leave your pets behind. If the situation is
not safe for you, it is not safe for them. There is no way of knowing
how long the evacuation will last, or what damage your home might
experience.
“Saving the Whole Family,” a brochure in the American Veterinary
Medical Association’s disaster preparedness series, recommends
planning ahead. Create a disaster kit that you can grab on your way out.
Of course making sure your pet has food and water is the most important
necessity for their survival, but there are a few very important, less
obvious things you need as well.
The American Veterinary Medical Association recommends having these
essentials in your disaster kit:
Identification- Make sure your pet has on ID. Whether it is...

NAMPA — Anyone seeking a new or a lost pet should call the Pet Haven Shelter at 466-1298 for information, or visit the shelter at 333 Orchard Ave.
Pet Haven’s shelter is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, Saturday noon to 4 p.m. and closed Sunday and most holidays.
It costs $50 to adopt a cat. These charges include spaying or neutering the pet, deworming it, vaccination and a leukemia test.
Remember the low-cost spay and neuter clinic at the shelter. Call for times and dates.
All cats ready for adoption are spayed or neutered.
Available this week at Pet Haven are several 4-5 month old kittens; two female Siamese mix, a tabby manx male and a orange tabby manx female.
Find out more online at www.pethavenonline.org.
The Thrift Store at 619 Main St., Caldwell, helps fund the operating expenses of Pet Haven. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 10-4:30 Saturday. For more information call 455-1303.

CALDWELL — The Canyon County Animal Shelter is at 5801 Graye Lane, behind the Larry Miller Auto Mall. For...

We want to see your PETS in Halloween Costumes!
To enter, post a photo of your furry little friend in a Halloween Costume by October 31, 2008 and enter to win a pair of Disney on Ice Tickets on Nov. 8th.
A panel of pet lovers will choose the best photo on Monday, November 3rd and notify the winner!

The Associated Press

WEYMOUTH, Mass. — The Pilgrim Congregational Church is going to the dogs, and that's just fine with the Rev. Rachel Bickford.

The church launched what Bickford hopes will be weekly "Woof 'n' Worship" services Sunday when parishioners can bring their pious pooches.

Bickford got the idea from reading the Bible. She came across a Psalm that talks about "letting all living things praise the Lord" while her own dogs were at her feet. She says dogs provide so much joy when people struggle with everyday life.

Sara Diem went to the service with her Bernese mountain dog, Chloe. "She's having a couple little health issues these days, so I just thought she could use the extra help," she said.

All breeds are welcome, Bickford said — as long as they are leashed.

By LINDSEY TANNER
AP Medical Writer

CHICAGO — Warning: young children should not keep hedgehogs as pets — or hamsters, baby chicks, lizards and turtles, for that matter — because of risks for disease.

That's according to the nation's leading pediatricians' group in a new report about dangers from exotic animals.

Besides evidence that they can carry dangerous and sometimes potentially deadly germs, exotic pets may be more prone than cats and dogs to bite, scratch or claw — putting children younger than 5 particularly at risk, the report says.

Young children are vulnerable because of developing immune systems plus they often put their hands in their mouths.

That means families with children younger than 5 should avoid owning "nontraditional" pets. Also, kids that young should avoid contact with these animals in petting zoos or other public places, according to the report from the American Academy of Pediatrics. The report appears in the October edition of the group's medical journal, Pediatrics.

"Many parents clearly...

BOISE — Annually the Idaho Horse Board awards grants to projects which benefit the Idaho hose industry in areas of education, research and promotion. Grant requests are now being accepted and must be received by Dec. 1.
Some of the grants have gone to improve public horse facilities, educational programs, to promote the Horse Expo, college research and teaching projects and assisting in funding public television horse productions.
All grant requested must be typed or computer generated. Call (208) 788-7111 for an application or mail your request to the Idaho Horse Board, 803 Canyon Road, Hailey ID 83333 or hymas@cox.net. The application can also be accessed at the Web site: www.idahohorseboard.com

NAMPA — Anyone seeking a new or a lost pet should call the Pet Haven Shelter at 466-1298 for information, or visit the shelter at 333 Orchard Ave.
Pet Haven’s shelter is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, Saturday noon to 4 p.m. and closed Sunday and most holidays.
It costs $50 to adopt a cat. These charges include spaying or neutering the pet, deworming it, vaccination and a leukemia test.
Remember the low-cost spay and neuter clinic at the shelter. Call for times and dates.
All cats ready for adoption are spayed or neutered.
Find out more online at www.pethavenonline.org.
The Thrift Store at 619 Main St., Caldwell, helps fund the operating expenses of Pet Haven. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 10-4:30 Saturday. However, the store is closed Friday through Monday this week. Next week is the bagged book sale and clothing sale. Also, volunteers are needed through the busy holiday season. Check out the Web site, pethaventhriftstore.net For more information call 455-1303.

CALDWELL — The Canyon...

By MATTHEW D. LaPLANTE
The Salt Lake Tribune

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — She was born 27 years ago in the wilds of Africa.

By the time she was a year old, she had been ripped from her family.

Penned, chained and shipped to a noisy new world, her California keepers allowed her to roam only a few paces this way and a few paces that.

She was bullied and dominated. She lost a baby. She was poked, prodded, cut and left in pain.

Misha the elephant died Sept. 9 on the concrete floor of a cinderblock building in a lot behind her most recent home at Utah's Hogle Zoo, some 10,000 miles from where she was born.

No one is certain yet what caused her death, at what could be described as middle age for an elephant. But one of Misha's former trainers has a strong suspicion: "She lost her will."

Out of Africa. It was the early 1980s in South Africa. Apartheid was law. Nelson Mandela was in prison. And the nation's population of elephants, which had fallen to less than 200 earlier in the century, had steadily climbed to more than 8,000, pushing...

COLLEGE STATION, Sept. 18, 2008 – It’s probably happened to you: You’re walking down the sidewalk, you hear a faint chirping sound, and you look down to see a plump baby bird staring up at you and you think that a cute new pet has fallen right into your lap.
But wildlife experts have three words of advice: leave it alone.
“Take pictures, enjoy them, admire them, but don’t mess with them,” says Teresa Shisk-Saling, a veterinary technician at the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M University. “The absolute worst thing you can do is pick it up, take it home and try to make it a pet.”
Touching a bird is a bad idea for several reasons. Parasites, salmonella and other bacterial diseases can all be picked up from wildlife, and although birds are not typically known for biting, they can do some damage with their beaks.
In addition, a well-intentioned animal lover may only do more harm than good by moving the bird. The most common reason a young bird ventures out of the nest is because it is...

Feline punishment is the application of a stimulus that decreases the chance that a behavior will be repeated. It must coincide with the undesirable behavior, and must be unpleasant enough to deter the cat from repeating that behavior. Keep in mind that you are punishing the behavior, not the cat. Punishment should never be considered unless the pet has the means to satisfy its nature and its needs. For example, the scratching cat should be provided with an appropriate scratching post, before any attempt to punish undesirable scratching is initiated.
One of the most frequently utilized and least successful forms of punishment is where the owner uses a direct swat or hit. Hitting a cat can lead to hand-shyness, fear of the owner and potential injury for both the owner and the cat. The cat will continue to perform the undesirable behavior in your absence since it learns that it can perform the behavior without punishment when you are out of sight. Physical punishment is, therefore, ineffective, potentially dangerous...

NAMPA — Anyone seeking a new or a lost pet should call the Pet Haven Shelter at 466-1298 for information, or visit the shelter at 333 Orchard Ave.
Pet Haven’s shelter is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, Saturday noon to 4 p.m. and closed Sunday and most holidays.
It costs $50 to adopt a cat. These charges include spaying or neutering the pet, deworming it, vaccination and a leukemia test.
Remember the low-cost spay and neuter clinic at the shelter. Call for times and dates.
All cats ready for adoption are spayed or neutered.
Find out more online at www.pethavenonline.org.
The Thrift Store at 619 Main St., Caldwell, helps fund the operating expenses of Pet Haven. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. A book sale begins today and runs through Saturday. Books are $2 per bag. For more information call 455-1303.

CALDWELL — The Canyon County Animal Shelter is at 5801 Graye Lane, behind the Larry Miller Auto Mall. For information about lost pets or adopting a companion animal, call 455-5920.
All dogs...

By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press Writer

LONDON (AP) _ A BBC documentary claiming that decades of inbreeding has led to serious health problems in some pedigree dogs prompted a riposte Wednesday from the organizer of Britain's biggest dog show, which complained to television regulators.

The program "Pedigree Dogs Exposed" claimed a breeding process that focused on beauty rather than health had resulted in high levels of deformity and genetic illnesses. The show prompted two major animal charities to withdraw their support for the Crufts dog show.

The Kennel Club, which runs Crufts, insisted animal welfare was its top concern, and said it might cut ties with the BBC over what it called the network's unfair reporting.

Kennel Club spokeswoman Caroline Kisko said the program "was highly biased against us."

"The program did not give The Kennel Club's work anything like the profile it gave to the counter view," she said. "It maintained that pedigree dogs are riddled with ill health, which is clearly untrue."

The BBC show,...

STURGIS, S.D. (AP) _ Sturgis officials have given preliminary approval to an ordinance that would regulate the owners of pit bulls.
Several people lined up to testify in favor and against the measure.

If enacted by city officials, the ordinance will force pit bull owners to carry liability insurance. They also will have to register their dogs and keep them restrained at all times.

Sturgis Animal Control Officer Curt Nulle says there has been an increase in local pit bull attacks and complaints about them.

Melissa Foxworth of the Humane Society of the Black Hills says other dogs also can be aggressive, adding that owners should be held responsible — no matter what the breed.

By CYNTHIA HUBERT

Sacramento Bee
On many an afternoon in Citrus Heights, Calif., Muffin Wichert lounges on the patio at a restaurant, resplendent in one of her favorite outfits. Weekends find her wandering the aisles of Capital Nursery, trotting through the neighborhood Lowe's or visiting the video store.
"If it wasn't illegal, I'd take her everywhere," Sally Wichert says. After all, she says, Muffin the Maltese is a model of good behavior.
The same cannot be said of every beloved dog or, for that matter, their human companions.
When people and their pets leave the house, certain rules of etiquette apply.
Or "petiquette," if you prefer.
"Your dog's behavior affects everyone around you," says Charlotte Reed, who has been called the Emily Post of the pet set. Reed, who trains and shows dogs, has written the bible of canine etiquette, "Miss Fido Manners" (Adams Media, 224 pages).
As the owner of a pet-care business in New York City, Reed grew tired of hearing about disastrous interactions between dogs and people.
"What...

For all of you dog lovers out there, I found a great site that has about every topic imaginable for your friendly canine. It also has online shopping available with everything from leashes and collars to dog houses and outdoor kennels. Some of the cool things that I have enjoyed are:
* Dog Encyclopedia
* Dog Nutrition
* Dog Obedience & Training Manual
* Caring for Old Dogs
* Dog Health Guide
* Dog Food Recipes

I urge all of you to check it out. It's a pretty cool site.

http://www.seefido.com/

Wow! I cannot believe the stuff they have for pets now. I was recently at the Boise Farmers Market and saw a little Yorkie with sunglasses! How adorable... come to find out they are pretty popular and called Doggles. There are 2 really great specialty stores in the Treasure Valley where you can spoil your furry little friends. One is on 8th in Downtown Boise called World of Charleys. They carry clothing, collars, leads and more from designer lines such as Kate Spade and Juicy Couture! Northwest Pets in Eagle also has an array of accessories for your babys but they also carry a great selection of food & treats, not to mention the gourmet stuff!
For all of you animal lovers and haven't visited these stores, I suggest you take a little trip and spoil your pets!

http://www.worldofcharley.com
http://www.northwestpets.com