User Posts : The Southwest Voice

Dear Daphne: When a pet goes missing

For people who are very attached to their pets, there’s nothing worse than when one of them turns up missing.

Whether it’s an indoor cat who found a way outside or a dog slipping through an open gate, a missing pet strikes panic in the heart of a pet owner. If you find yourself in this position, there are some steps you can take to maximize your chances of having your pet returned to you.

Always get in touch with your local paper to place a “lost” ad. These are usually free, for at least the first three days. If your budget allows, pay to keep it running, on the weekends, if nothing else, for at least a month. People finding lost pets (including yours truly) first look in the local paper’s “lost” section to see if they can facilitate a quick return.

Next, make sure you have an updated, clear photo of your pet. It’s actually best to have at least two, one good headshot and one whole-body profile. This is also a handy excuse to take new pics of your critter, and I, for one, am always looking for an excuse.

Put together a “lost dog” poster, giving the information that is most relevant for your pet’s return –– age, breed, sex, whether it’s altered or not; whether it has a collar or not; and the date and area where they went missing.

I’d shy away from listing things like your pet’s name or the color of the collar, if they are wearing one. Why? Because those details can be used as further identifiers if someone calls claiming to have your pet. Plus, you want to keep the poster simple and clean. Most people are only going to see it for a few seconds while sitting at a stop sign or streetlight. You want what you write to make a maximum impact.

Once you have a poster, make sure you distribute it far and wide. In addition to posting it on light poles, make sure you’ve covered veterinary offices, groomers and pet supply stores that are in the area. Also check grocery stores and markets and see if you can leave copies there. And no matter how far away from your neighborhood you think you’ve covered, go farther. Animals can travel farther than you think and faster than you think, especially when frightened and disoriented. I once spent 15 minutes on the phone trying to convince a dog owner that I found his pet because he refused to believe his dog could travel that far (about 10 miles away from his home).

After the posters are out, use the power of the Internet and community Web sites (like ours) to further your search. These sites can reach people who might not otherwise see your poster, and oftentimes will allow you to post a lost pet announcement at no charge. Plus, you have the added benefit of then being able to e-mail the link of your Internet ad to friends and co-workers, further expanding your search circle.

With notifications out, now is the time to start making the rounds at the local shelters, rescue groups and animal control facilities. It’s not enough to just call, as all of these agencies have far too many animals coming in and out of the door to be able to tell you with any assurance whether or not your pet is there. You must physically go there, at a minimum of once every three or four days. Make sure you tell the people at the front counter that you are searching for a lost pet, as recent arrivals are kept in a separate part of the facilities, away from the general public, than pets up for adoption. You need to talk to the front office people to make sure you’re looking in the right area.

Finally, don’t give up hope after a week or two. I personally have been involved in two different scenarios where pets got back to their owners after more than a month had passed. Cats, especially, can lurk around the edges of society for a long time before finally deciding to try their luck with people. You may find your patience pays off with a reunion.

Here’s hoping we never need to take my advice.

Bow-wow for now,

Daphne

Dear Daphne: Hot fun in the summertime

It’s hot. Not just any kind of hot, but the kind of hot that makes you weary just thinking about having to go outside. If you’re lucky enough to be a dog owner during the dog days of summer, you’re bound to be outside for some part of the day.

The problem with hot days like these are twofold. First, it’s way too hot during most of the day (defined as nearly every moment when there is light in the sky) to take your dog for a walk, let alone a good romp. The nearby dog park looks like a grassy ghost town these days, even at 7:30 a.m. But, if you have a young, energetic dog they still need to be worked out, regardless of the temperature. What’s a dog parent to do?

First, try and get them outside before the sun gets too warm. My guideline for dogs out in the sun is simple: If it’s too hot to stand in the full sun barefoot and in pajamas, then it’s too hot for the dog to spend much time there, too. So get them out early and try to get a little physical activity. Once they’ve covered the basics, move them indoors for game time.

As I mentioned before, proper exercise should include working both the body and the mind, so for a good indoor starter game, try a round of “hide the treat.” Show your dog a treat that he likes and let him watch you place it under a chair or behind a pillow. Then give him the command “Find it!” and point in the direction of the hidden treat. Lavish praise when he locates the treat. Repeat this sequence a couple more times, until you think he’s got the gist of it. Then, move him to another room while you hide four or five treats in different areas of the room (or rooms, as the case may be). Bring him back into the room, give the “Find it!” command, along with finger pointing (if need be), and watch the wheels turn as he finds the hidden treasure.

If you want to involve your kids in dog game time, move up to a good game of hide-and-seek. Have each child get a dog treat and hide around the house. Then have them call your dog’s name while they are hiding. You can also use the command “Find them!” if you like, to help build the excitement. Each child will give the dog a treat after he’s found them. The best part of dog hide-and-seek is that the dog is always the one seeking and the kids are always hiding, which is their favorite part, anyway.

Another fun indoor game that can be played by you and your dog is “Ball Rally.” All you need are three or four balls and a hallway, or other long, open area. This game is best for dogs who are strongly ball or toy-driven by nature. The game starts with you holding all of the balls at one end of the hallway/room. Get your dog’s attention, and roll the first ball down the hall. Once they’ve grabbed it and are coming back to you, just as they get close, let the second ball go down the hall. The dog will drop the first ball to go after the second, the second for the third, etc. You can gather up ball one before he comes back with ball two, ball two while he’s chasing ball three, etc. so there’s a non-stop line of balls being rolled down the hall. Dogs love the perpetual motion of the game, and you’ll love the fact that the continual action supplied by this game wear out active dogs quickly.

Remember in this heat to make sure your dog always has a supply of fresh, cold water available, and plenty of cool places to lie down and relax once game time ends.

Bow-wow for now,

Daphne

If you have other favorite games you like to play when the weather gets hot, email them to daphne@swvoice.com

Dear Daphne: A few of my favorite things

I am in the fortunate position of occasionally having the opportunity to try out some of the specialty pet products in the marketplace. Over the last several months I’ve found a few items that I think are so terrific I’d like to make sure you know about them, too.

Yummy Chummies – Made with real Alaskan Salmon (and not that farm-raised stuff), Yummy Chummies are an incredible dog treat. I’ve always wondered why the dog treat companies didn’t do more with fish-flavored treats, since salmon night is the one time you can count on the cats and me running for the dinner table. Coming in both soft and crunchy versions, and flavored as well as “natural,” they are bite-sized bits of goodness. Your dog will wonder why he had to go so long without them! Primarily available online.

Chrome Bones Collars – There are a lot of frou-frou collars out there, but most of them are made for the itty-bitty dog set. Chrome Bones has collars that are fashionable and fit both the itty-bittys and the big dogs of the world. Made of high-quality leather, they come in a variety of styles, from subtle to WOW! Sure, they’re a little pricey, but it’s not like you have to send us to college. And the big-screen TV is always right where you left it when you come home at night, isn’t it? Splurge a little. Available online (and at a couple of select boutiques in town).

Kahuna Dog Toy – If you’re one of those dogs who have a penchant for destroying every toy you’ve ever met, then you need to meet Kahuna. Made of heavy-duty materials and available in two sizes, these are the toughest soft toys I’ve found in the marketplace. They’re shaped like gingerbread men and come in red or blue tropical designs. What’s not to love? Bamboo, the manufacturer of the Kahuna, even offers a “Battle-Tested” guarantee that these guys will outlast other soft-toys currently in the marketplace, or they’ll replace it for free. On a side note, they are aerodynamically designed for great indoor throwing (not that Kahuna endorses this, but let’s just say I have a little experience in this area). The Kahuna is one of the few toys I own that still has a squeaker and all of its original stuffing more than four weeks after its original purchase. Available online and in select pet stores.

For those of you looking to spoil you cat, look no further than Grandma Lucy’s freeze-dried tuna treats. These delectable treats are made of USDA Yellow Fin and Ahi tuna filets, and nothing more. The freeze-drying process might make it seem like you’re not getting much for your money, but you’d be wrong on that count. Cats go crazy for these bits of goodness, and you can easily re-hydrate them with a bit of warm water for older cats. These are one of the few treats that all of the cats in the house seemed to agree on. And much like salmon night, there frequently seemed to be a little dog conveniently in the area whenever the jar was open. Available online.

Kitty Hooch is a relatively new player in the catnip toy market, but if taking their time is what produced this superior catnip, I’m glad they waited. You know you’re dealing with high-quality catnip when the cats are on the table, chewing on the unopened package that was holding the Kitty Hooch toys. My biggest recommendation for this product line? If you have multiple cats, buy multiple toys. The cats in my house actually had a couple of scuffles trying to claim ownership of the single mouse that arrived in the mail…although one of them did make peace with snorting the padded envelope until it was her turn to play. Available online.

So, if you’re in the mood to get a little something for one of your four-footed kids, take a peek at a few of these items and see if something catches your fancy.

Bow-wow for now,

Daphne

Dear Daphne: Anyone for a wristband? A ribbon? How about a pin?

I’ve been walking around this town long enough to know that there are about three kinds of people who make up my version of Bakersfield.

There are the people who (gasp!) don’t own pets and are happy to be pet-free. Then there are people who own pets and maybe they dig their own little quadrupeds well enough, but they aren’t in any big hurry to surf the Internet for new toys or treats, or to explore the nuances of pets and pet ownership in modern society.

Finally, there’s that last group, otherwise known as “my people.” We’re the ones who can not only see the fun and beauty of our pets, but enjoy other people’s pets, as well. We’re the ones who cast many, many ballots on kittenwar.com and know that the Puppy Bowl is bound to be worth more laughs than most of the overpriced commercials during the Super Bowl. We’re the people we’d most like to spend time with. The unapologetic fur-baby junkies.

Trouble is, we can be a little tough to find. Sure, I can continue to stalk pet stores, hoping you brought your fur-kid along so I, a total stranger, can walk up and simultaneously coo over your dog and engage in critter small talk with you.

But that only goes so far. And there’s only so much time I can wander up and down the aisles of the pet store before security is assessing my general mental fitness. Plus, that only works in pet stores, since our pets aren’t allowed almost anywhere else.

Hence, my brilliant idea. It’s time for us, the certified-over-the-top-and-proud-of-it pet lovers, to have a way to identify ourselves to each other. All we need to decide now is what type of identifier we’d like to have.

We could go for one of those wristbands that got hyper-popular not too long ago, once everyone saw the “Livestrong” effort take off.

Or, we could get ourselves a ribbon, like any number of good causes have done in the last decade or so.

Heck, I’ll even settle for a pin.It can be something simple, like a black paw print on a white background, easily worn on a collar, lapel or tacked onto a handbag or baseball cap.

Our design only has to have two rules: it has to be easily identifiable, and it has to be unisex in design so anyone can wear it. No pink, no flowers and no lace.

For pet lovers, this symbol can be the beginning of a revolution. Imagine standing in any number of places where you’d rather not be waiting in line. There you are at the bank on the Friday afternoon before a three-day weekend. Or maybe you’re at the post office on a day where there are four windows, but only one clerk on duty. It’s obvious you’re going to be there a while.

But as you look around in a vain attempt to distract yourself, something catches your eye. It’s a pin! And not just any pin, but a white pin with a black paw print in the center. You say hi, flashing your matching pin. The next thing you know, you’re knee-deep in conversation about your favorite things --- your pets. The tension of having to sit in line has abated. You’re grinning and laughing as you share anecdotes with your new friend.

And this happens over and over again, at the dentist’s office, at the car dealership while you’re waiting for your car to have its oil changed, while you’re waiting in line at the deli counter inside Albertsons, maybe even at work. You continue to meet other furry-friend junkies, your lives intersecting in strange and fascinating ways.

The world grows just a tiny bit smaller with each meeting as we are able to reach out and be willingly reached by others who are like-minded in our devotion to our pets.

So, what’s it going to be folks … wristband, ribbon or pin?

Bow-wow for now,

Daphne

E-mail Daphne at: daphne@swvoice.com