Abandoned poodle left in cold on side of road prompts attention to animal care in bitter cold

UTICA - The Stevens Swan Humane Society took in a small dog this morning that was left out in the cold. Now the shelter is looking for its owner, or any information about the dog.

The staff at Stevens Swan says the small poodle was found stranded on the side of the road inside a hand bag. The dog now seems to be fine, but the shelter is looking for some answers.
A small poodle, possible poodle-mix was found in a hand bag on Whitesboro Street early Wednesday morning. The man who brought the dog in says he was driving and noticed the bag moving on the side of the road.
The staff says they aren't sure if the dog was meant to be abandoned or if it was an accident.
"If you do own the dog, we need to see proof of ownership of the dog, which means we need to see rabies vaccination tags, that kind of thing," said Kathy Contino-Turner of the Humane Society. "We will keep him for 5 days and if no one claims her she will be up for adoption."
Since tonight will be bitter cold, the Humane Society has offered some tips to help keep your pets safe:
*They say provide outdoor pets with a dry insulated pet house. In fact, bring them in tonight even if its just the garage.
*They want to remind everyone to clean up all the spills, especially in the driveway where anti-freeze could leak.
*Pets that are used to being indoors need to have their beds elevated off the floor.
*Finally, they say cats often nap on peoples engines. So before you start your car knock on your hood or honk your horn. Then wait a few minutes before starting the car.
As for the abandoned poodle, he saw the doctor on staff at the shelter, and seems to be in good health.
If you have any information you can call the Humane Society at 738-4357

'Pet pawties' help keep pets healthy (with photos)

Gone to the dogs. That's how a part of Linda Franzblau's life turned two years ago, and it seems she couldn't be happier.
The single mom -- of 6-year-old daughter Hannah and two rescued animals, King, a Yorkie terrier mix, and Gracie, a Boston terrier purebred -- uses her spare time to conduct "pet pawties." They are gatherings for people, but it is their pets that benefit.
Think Tupperware and Avon, but substitute pet toys, food, apparel and safety devices. Games, prizes and treats are a part of the party. Products are designed to enhance the health or stimulate the senses and intellect of a dog, cat or bird.
Intellect?
Franzblau believes pets get lazy and bored when they are not challenged mentally. So place a treat inside a ball, and a ball inside another toy, then let the animal have fun figuring out how to retrieve his reward.
Petlane is a 4-year-old California company. Petlane's founder, in 1978, started Discovery Toys, a line of fun and educational products for children.
Franzblau, who lives in Oconomowoc but conducts Petlane parties locally, also works in marketing for the books division of Kalmbach Publishing in Milwaukee. She contends the average pet store employee is not well informed about product safety, nutritional content and other product limitations.
Petlane's "core product," Franzblau says, is a pet seat belt, which doubles as a harness. It easily can be unhooked and attached to a leash. The cost is $54-$57, depending upon animal size.
The sound and feel of a human heartbeat pulsate inside of a soft pet bed, to help ease an animal's separation anxiety. Add uncooked rice to a pouch, and the surface warms slightly.
What else? A substance to melt ice on sidewalks has pet-friendly ingredients, so paws won't burn when walking on it. Treats -- dried liver "biscotti," freeze-dried meatballs and (Wisconsin) cheese nibbles -- are produced at an FDA-approved food plant.
Pet education is a part of the pet pawty because "a little education could save an animal" from harm or help extend its natural life, Franzblau says.
She is in search of prospective Petlane workers as well as party hosts. The company's products can be purchased online, without attending a party.

New Animal Cruelty Law Could Go To Trial

MOANALUA, Hawaii -- The Moanalua couple who said their dog was stolen, killed and possibly eaten by two golf course employees called on the prosecutor to go after the suspects with a tough new law that makes animal cruelty a felony.
Frank Manuma said his 8-month-old dog named Caddy was stolen and killed by employees at Moanalua Golf Club Sunday.
He and his wife said the two men should be prosecuted under an animal cruelty law that was toughened this year to animal cruelty a class C felony -- punishable by up to five years in prison.
"I think this is something that we have to really focus on and magnify the intensity of this law so that people can be punished for the things that they do to particular animals," Frank Manuma, the dog's owner.
Earlier this year, prosecutors said they unsuccessfully went after Joseph Calarruda for theft, instead of animal cruelty, alleging that he killed a pet pig named Porky in Mililani Mauka.
They said that they went after him on theft charges because animal cruelty had been a misdemeanor, with a maximum sentence of just one year.
Animal rights activists said that this case could be a clincher for the strengthened law.
"I urge the community to come out loud and strong so that the prosecutor's office will hear that this needs to be charged as a felony animal cruelty," said Pamela Burns, of the Hawaiian Humane Society.
Legislaters agreed that the case should qualify for the boosted penalty.
"If it doesn't meet the standard, according to the prosecutor, I'd sure like to know in what way the law needs to be strengthened. Because I don't think there's a clearer-cut case," said Sen. Clayton Hee.
The humane society is offering a $2,500 reward to anyone who can provide information that leads to an arrest and conviction of someone in the case.
The prosecutor's office said it would not comment other than to say that Caddy's case is pending and under investigation.