Pet Rescue Center, Inc.

By

Miriam Wiegel, Publisher, Pet Companion Magazine

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October 18, 2016

If I were to mention The Pet Rescue Center to you, you’d probably ask “which one?” If I said, “The one in Coachella,” you’d probably say you’ve never heard of it. In spite of the rather generic name, fortunately, some people know about it, including actress Cindy Williams, and they have helped keep “The Pet Rescue Center, Inc.” in the business of sheltering dogs and cats through contributions or being volunteers for the past 19 years.

Sitting on a large property on the corner of Avenue 51 and Calhoun Street, The Pet Rescue Center, under the direction of Christine Madruga, houses up to 25 dogs at a time, from weeks old puppies to one old codger named Snoop Dog, who’s a permanent resident because he’s a grump. From the outside, one would think this place was just a nice house on a large lot (well, except for the sign out front…), but as you approach the door, you can see that this is a special place with a well-kept garden and a sign on the door asking you to keep your horse outside.

As we arrived, there was a woman sitting in one of the fenced yards with three dogs. She had brought her two dogs (one which she had already adopted from here) in order for them to get use to their new family member before taking him home. 10,336. Christine directed us over to another large enclosed tree-shaded lawn area that had been set up with an obstacle/agility course. Here I was introduced to Jim Turcott and his Papillion, Jax, as well as a couple of folks and their dogs who were there to demonstrate what they have learned under Jim’s agility course instruction.

The course was set up with several jumps, a hoop, a tunnel, an A-frame ramp, wave poles, a teeter totter and a start/end platform. According to Jim, this is the only outdoor obstacle course in the valley and is not only used for teaching purposes, but teams use it as well in order to get ready for competitions. As the dogs and owners demonstrated the course, Jim explained, “Agility training is a great way for an owner and a dog to bond in an activity that is fun, recreational and requires teamwork and mental discipline.” Agility exercises are good for dogs, especially those with high energy. It keeps them mentally stimulated and in good shape. Owners can get a bit of a workout as well. They must learn how to get the dogs to work the course by offering encouragement and rewarding successes.

Jim is a volunteer who teaches 6-week “agility camps” throughout the year. The course is only $100 and all proceeds are donated to The Pet Rescue Center. Jim will also be conducting puppy socialization classes, which are six-week courses at Venus de Fido starting in September. Jim is not the only volunteer here, but Christine could always use a few more to help her out.

After the agility demonstration, Christine brought us into the house with wall-to-wall kennels, each decked out with clean blankets and each animal’s name on every door. “When we bring them in at night, we’ve already placed a small piece of hot dog in each kennel. They all line up at their respective ‘houses’ and can’t wait to jump in for bed time,” says Christine. When new animals arrive, they are put into a “receiving area” with other new arrivals. As they acclimate and learn to socialize, they are added to the main population in the larger fenced off area with a large patio, lawn and shaded area. Everything is well kept and clean, which is an ominous task with around 25 dogs to care for at any given time. At the time of our visit, almost all the dogs were smaller Chihuahua and terrier mixes, all wanting attention and someone to pick them and take them home.

Back inside, I found my friend, Theo, on the floor, smitten with a huge Alaskan Malamute named Charr, who belongs to Christine’s “right hand guy,” Cole. Near the kitchen was a small enclosure on the floor with six adorable Chihuahua puppies that had been abandoned with no mother to be found. Under the care of Christine and her volunteers, these pups are healthy and starting on solid food.

As we were leaving, I opened the front door to find a woman and her two daughters just about to ring the doorbell. They were there to finalize the adoption of Chewy, a Maltese who does resemble Chewbacca of Star Wars fame in a miniature way. 10,337.

What are those two numbers about? In the time that we were there, The Pet Rescue Center, as of this writing, has saved 10,337 dogs (as well as over 8,000 cats). Chewy was number 10,337. If you are interested in adopting, their fee is nominal and includes all vaccinations, spay or neuter, a clean bill of health from a vet and micro-chipping. If you would like to volunteer a little time or donate to help keep this vital center open on the east side of the valley, I’m sure Christine would be thrilled to hear from you. Come by for a visit. Adoption hours are from 9 – 3 M-F and 10 – 2 on Saturday. They are located at 83-496 Avenue 51, Coachella, CA 92236. For more information on the dog agility program, contact Christine at (760) 398-7722 or talk to Jim directly at (206) 380-7776. If you would like to see some of the dogs that are available, as well as get some great general dog-care information, visit their website at coachellapetrescuecenter.org.

Pet Platter

By

Miriam Wiegel, Publisher, Pet Companion Magazine

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October 18, 2016

The Original Mine ™ Pet Platter sent us a great interactive feeding dish to share with our readers.

Halloween Costumes — Win One!

By

Miriam Wiegel, Publisher, Pet Companion Magazine

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October 11, 2016

If you enjoy Halloween and dressing up your furry companions, we are giving away one of each of these: AKC Troll dog costume, a snazzy ghost bowtie and a colorful smoochie and a pizza slice. We only have one of each to give away, so we’re going to randomly choose from four of the people who comment on our Facebook site and tell us…

Which costume would your pet like to wear?

Visit www.facebook.com/petcompanionmagazine

Please, only one entry per household. Sorry, contest is for US residents only, see rules for complete details.

The Nose Knows

By

Miriam Wiegel, Publisher, Pet Companion Magazine

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October 6, 2016

Scent. Every individual has their own unique scent that is as different from person to person as fingerprints. Humans can’t distinguish individual scents. We are aware of odors, good and bad, from dirt and sweat to too much perfume or cologne. But dogs, particularly hounds, know you by your scent well before they recognize you by sight. Bloodhounds are the best at scent detection and are usually the ones we see on TV participating in rescue or missing person operations.

An eighth of a dog’s brain is dedicated to smell, with an olfactory bulb that weighs about 6 grams as opposed to a human’s, which weighs about 1.5 grams. We have 50 million scent cells per square inch in our nose, which seems like a lot, but your dog has more than 220 million per square inch! Our entire olfactory area is ½ square inch, whereas a bloodhound’s is almost 20 square inches.

The Find Me Foundation is a non-profit organization who’s mission is to help families or organizations collect scents from at-risk individuals and store it in their home to be used later for a dog to track their missing or lost love one should that ever occur.

Who is at risk?

Children with Autism or Aspergers. According to the National Autism Association, nearly half of children with autism engage in wandering or bolting behavior. Other children may live in “at-risk” neighborhoods where child abductions can happen. Abductions can happen anywhere and a child goes missing every forty seconds!

Senior Citizens with Alzheimers or Dementia. Whether at home or in a senior living facility, six in ten people will dementia will wander away from their environment. A person with Alzheimer’s may not remember his or her name or address and become disoriented—even in familiar places.

Hikers and Backpackers. In our valley, we have news almost weekly about lost or even deceased hikers on our local mountain trails. Because of severe weather, dangerous topography and rattlesnakes, those engaging in these activities are also at risk.

The Find Me Foundation was started by two police officers, Dr. Coby Webb and Travis Shows. Coby has an extensive background of raising and training bloodhounds for search and rescue missions and is on the first call list for the FBI to provide tracking dogs. In their years of experience they come across the same problem—finding a specific item with that persons’ individual scent.

“It’s just like a snowflake or a fingerprint—there’s no two alike,” said Shows. “If you don’t have a good item to give the dog you can’t get that good start, and without a good start you’re not going to have success.” “I do the laundry in my house. My scent is on everything,” adds Webb. “So, if one of my children went missing, the dog wouldn’t know who to track and that would be the error.”

When a person disappears, there’s no time for error. The first three hours of the search are the most crucial. “We don’t have time as handlers to get the call, realize that somebody’s missing, go to the potential house or wherever that person’s missing from and then try to rule out what item we could possibly use for that dog team to get started,” said Shows.

So the pair came up with a way to avoid wasting that valuable time. They created the Find’em Scent Kit. It takes about five minutes to complete the kit and collect your scent. It then goes in the freezer, where it stays good for up to one year. In the event that one of your loved ones goes missing, your registered Find’em Scent Kit will provide a K9 team with a pure, uncontaminated article that will help them locate that loved one quickly.

For more information, visit The Find Me Foundation website at thefindmefoundation.org.

Orange is the New Black: Genetics and Coat Color in Cats

By

Miriam Wiegel, Publisher, Pet Companion Magazine

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October 4, 2016

A curious feature of cat genetics involves the determination of orange and black colors. Geneticists describe black and its various shades (black, brown, blue) as the ancestral coat color, with orange shades (red, orange, cream) developing as a mutation that was further enhanced through breeding. In cats, the gene that determines these colors is linked to x chromosomes and each x chromosome can express only one color. As a result, male cats, who have only one x chromosome, can be either orange or black, but not both (or one color mixed with white*). Females, on the other hand, have two x chromosomes and can show both coat colors on the same individual, a trait described as tortoiseshell (or calico if mixed with white). The hair color expressed by each skin cell is determined randomly, as one of the x chromosomes becomes inactivated during embryological development. Tortoiseshell cats, therefore, show a unique and permanent mixed distribution of color. Because of these genetic influences, orange cats are about three times as likely to be male as female, and virtually all tortoiseshell cats are female. For a male cat to express both orange and black colors it must either have a rare genetic variation (two x chromosomes and one y chromosome), or represent an anomaly of embryologic development, like a chimera, which occurs when two separate embryos fuse together. Only about one in three thousand tortoiseshell cats is male.

*Piebaldism, showing patches of white, has a separate genetic influence.

VCA Rancho Mirage Animal Hospital located at 71-075 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage, CA. 760-346-6103. Visit www.vcaranchomirage.com

Win One!

By

Miriam Wiegel, Publisher, Pet Companion Magazine

-

October 4, 2016

Congratulations to the winner of the Hear Doggy! Flats Giraffe!

Watch for new giveaways in the future.

Hear Doggy! sent us a great toy to share with our readers. We only have one to give away, so we’re going to randomly choose from one of the people who comment on our Facebook site and tell us…

Why does your dog need a silent (to us!) squeaker toy?

Visit www.facebook.com/petcompanionmagazine

Three Keys to Having a Good Dog

By

Miriam Wiegel, Publisher, Pet Companion Magazine

-

October 3, 2016

Raising a good dog or rescuing a dog—it all starts on day one. It is important to set up the rules and boundaries right from the start. Many pet owners wait too long to put rules in place, and that makes them harder to enforce.

As a family, figure out what the rules will be for your dog ahead of time. Is your dog going to be allowed on the furniture? Where will the dog sleep? Do you have a certain area you would like your dog to do its business? Are you allowing the dog to jump up on you as a puppy but are not going to be happy when the pup jumps on you when he’s grown? These are the type of questions you should talk about before you bring the dog home.

Consistency is the first key to success. Dogs thrive on structure, so create structure and stick to it. Everyone who lives with the dog must stick to the rules to ensure this consistency is maintained. Everyone should be involved in the care of the dog, even if it’s just taking the dog on one walk a week. A good feeding schedule is a key element in housebreaking a puppy.

Daily structured walks help drain your pup’s energy in a productive way. Create a boundary at your front door, and teach the dog to stay behind that boundary when door is open.

If you practice this daily, your dog will never run out the door when people are coming and going. Teach your dog that calm behavior gets them attention, not excited behavior. Stay consistent, and your dog will approach you and your guests appropriately.

Exercise is another key element to training. Dogs need two kinds of exercise: structured and play. It is important to teach your dog to walk in a structured heel position, as this teaches a dog self-control. The dog is keeping himself in the proper position and, in doing so, is working his mind, which is far more draining than excited walks, where the dog is out front, crisscrossing in front of you and marking every tree it finds. People tend to feel bad if they don’t let their dogs, as they say, “be dogs.” A dog can smell all the scents it passes by without putting its nose to the actual scent, so don’t worry about your dog missing out on all those marvelous scents in the world. In fact, allowing the constant nose to the ground behavior causes the dog to stay in a very excited state of mind, which in turn distracts the dog from its connection with you. The best compromise is the sandwich technique: Always start your walks with structure. Then, find a halfway point or a special place the dog likes and release the dog from its heel position. Allow the dog to smell, potty, roll around … whatever the dog enjoys doing, as long as it does not pull on the leash. A dog should always respect the end of the leash for your safety and its own. After playtime is over, go back to structure for the walk back home.

Even when you play with your dog, add some structure. During a game of fetch, have your dog sit and stay, throw the toy, tell the dog to fetch, and then have your dog bring the toy to you and drop it. That is how you add structure to a game of fetch—and it’s still fun!

It’s the same with tug of war. Allow your dog to tug until its behavior escalates to a too-excited state. Then ask the dog to drop it. This teaches your dog to not escalate its behavior past a certain point and to listen to your command when it does. There are no bad games to play with your dog, as long as you include structure in them.

Socialization is the third key to a well-behaved dog, so put your puppy in a well-structured puppy play class. Puppies need to play with others to learn proper social behavior, very much like children do in preschool.

But socialization isn’t just for the puppy stage—it’s for life. A social pup can turn antisocial if it does not get out of the house or yard to play with others as an adult. Dogs are social creatures that were bred to perform certain behaviors, which means that some dogs need more socialization than others. It’s never too late to socialize a dog. If you rescued an adult dog who exhibits antisocial or shy behavior, contact a reputable trainer who has a lot of experience with this particular problem before attempting to socialize your dog yourself. Walk your dog in different areas, exposing them to different sights, sounds and smells, as well as different types of people. The more things you expose your dog to, the more balanced he will be.

If you follow these three keys you will have a social, well-behaved and balanced dog that you can take everywhere, one that people will not be bothered by, and one you can be proud to have with you. And that means you and your dog will have a fuller life together!

Valerie Masi, owner of Best Paw Forward, can be reached at 760-885-9450 or visit www.bestpawforwarddogtraining.com.

Pigment Changes in Dogs and Cats

By

Miriam Wiegel, Publisher, Pet Companion Magazine

-

October 2, 2016

Are you seeing spots on your dog? Is your cat’s nose turning white? You may not be imagining it. Cats’ and dogs’ skin color can change, and it may get lighter or darker. Is it a problem? Fortunately, it usually isn’t. With luck, this discussion will shed some light on the subject, but first, we should start with a clarification of terms.

There are several terms that describe the loss or gain of pigment (see sidebar, page 50 ). We use the terms vitiligo and lentigo to define syndromes that are associated with pigment change. In terms of color, they are opposite, and many of us have heard of them, but have trouble remembering which is which. For the record, vitiligo describes a condition where pigment is lost (white or pink patches), and lentigo describes a condition where pigment is gained (black spots). Both cats and dogs can have either, but their origin and presentation differ slightly between species.

Vitiligo

In both dogs and cats vitiligo results when the skin’s melanocytes (pigment-producing cells) are damaged. The precise mechanism isn’t completely understood, but we believe most of the time it results from the immune system targeting and destroying them. Interestingly, although the impact may be immune-mediated, it is not inflammatory, painful, or itchy. In both species it is likely an inherited genetic anomaly that becomes first apparent in young adulthood. In dogs (especially Belgian Tervurens, Rottweilers, and Dobermans), and some cats (most often Siamese) depigmentation begins around the eyes and nose, then expands over several months to cover much of the face and sometimes other parts of the body. Other symptoms are unlikely, but the cosmetic changes rarely go away. A less common, more diffuse form of vitiligo sometimes appears in cats that creates variable patterns over the body of leukotrichia (white hair). An internet search can reveal photos of some of these unusual looking cats.

Another curious form of vitiligo can develop in dogs, where pigment disappears from skin that has been traumatized. Weeks after recovering from a skin injury, for instance, people may notice that their dog’s hair has grown back white in patches. Some researchers have speculated that damage to nerves or nerve endings plays a role in decreasing the function of melanocytes in these cases, but the exact cause of the change remains unknown. Again, the effect is only cosmetic, but unfortunately is often permanent.

Lentigo

Lentigo is the form of pigment change more of us are likely to encounter. Unlike vitiligo, it does not seem to involve any type of immune activity or trauma. In dogs, lentigo probably has some genetic basis, since some breeds (e.g., Dachshunds) seem more prone to it, but the origin is not fully understood. Regardless of the breed, it tends to develop after maturity, in clusters or as individual black spots (lentigines) in the skin, often on the abdomen, but potentially anywhere. Vizslas and Weimeraners have a tendency to develop them around the nose. The spots are likely to remain indefinitely, but are not likely to grow, although other spots may appear nearby. As with vitiligo, the effect is only cosmetic.

Cats have a particularly interesting form of lentigo that appears only in individuals with orange coat color (see Sidebar). Orange cat lentigines begin to form in early adulthood in the skin of the lips and eyelids, and occasionally on the ears or foot pads—essentially anywhere haired skin joins non-haired skin. At first they appear to be tiny freckles that then grow and increase in number over the life of the cat. As an example, I once knew a 26 year-old orange tabby named Ross who had so many lentigines that his lips and eyelids were nearly completely black. It was a dramatic look.

No one knows for sure why this happens, but it is the only form of lentigo we see in cats, and it only occurs in orange ones, or in the orange haired areas of tortoiseshell or calico cats. One interesting theory suggests that the skin cells of the affected areas are prone to a mutation that causes a reversion back to the ancestral black color. It was mutation of the same gene that created the orange coat color in the first place. Because the change occurs at a cellular level, lentigines start microscopically small and only grow as the altered cell replicates itself. Fortunately, the change has no medical consequences, and it provides a helpful indicator when estimating the age of orange cats.

Summary

It’s natural for pet owners to become concerned about spots (light or dark) developing on the skin, since many of us have familiarity with melanoma and other types of skin cancer. It is important to remember that vitiligo and lentigo reflect only changes in skin color. The tissue structure and appearance are otherwise the same; therefore, any evidence of thickening, bleeding, or crusting may signal another condition that warrants investigation. Check with a veterinarian if you are uncertain. A biopsy of the skin is usually the simplest way to learn if an underlying problem exists.

VCA Rancho Mirage Animal Hospital located at 71-075 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage, CA. 760-346-6103. Visit www.vcaranchomirage.com

KATRIS Lynks

By

Miriam Wiegel, Publisher, Pet Companion Magazine

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September 25, 2016

KATRIS Lynks cat scratchers are only slightly bigger than most regular cat scratchers, but more powerful in durability, shred-resistant material, and functionality. They are made from heavy-duty paper with stronger flutes and liners (which make up the cardboard structure) than any other cat scratcher brand on the market. In tests, KATRIS Lynks were able to withstand more weight (easily holding over 200 pounds), more “scratching-force,” and produced significantly less amounts of shredding, which will help keep pet owners’ homes cleaner.

KATRIS Lynks are modular, so they can be placed and rearranged in many different combinations and builds – either on their own, or in combination with other KATRIS blocks, which increases options for play and fun for cats and their owners (or vice versa). KATRIS Lynks’ superior material and craftsmanship allows them to last longer than other cat scratchers, thereby eliminating pet owners’ needs to purchase a multitude of replacement pads. KATRIS Lynks come equipped with real Teak wood covers on their sides, making them look stylish in homes, as well as protecting the pads from wear and tear. Visit www.katriscat.com.

AutoDogMug

By

Miriam Wiegel, Publisher, Pet Companion Magazine

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September 24, 2016

Easy-to-use squeezable water dispenser for dogs on the go. Fill it with water and bring it along in the car or on hikes. It is made to fit in the car holder; has a non-spill top; and can be squeezed with one hand. The extra water drains back into the mug. It is leak tight and patented, food safe, BPA free, includes strap for bikes and hikes. It’s made in California, too! www.highwave.com/AutoDogMug-p/a1600.htm

Which costume would your pet like to wear?

Please, only one entry per household. Sorry, contest is for US residents only, see rules for complete details.

Who is at risk?

Congratulations to the winner of the Hear Doggy! Flats Giraffe!

Watch for new giveaways in the future.

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