ANIMALS MUSTN'T BE LEFT DUMPED

Cheltenham Animal Shelter is furious pet owners are treating animals like objects after record numbers were dumped at its doors last year.More than 1,000 dogs and cats were left in 2007 and it has 65 unwanted pets at the moment.Manager Tony Bell fears the number will increase as people get rid of unwanted Christmas presents.From January to November 2007, 752 dogs and 217 cats were left at the shelter. This is up from 649 and 116 in 2006. The number of dogs dumped has now risen to 820 and as space runs out Tony said the shelter will have to make tough decisions about putting animals down.

He said: "You get a lot of old pets dumped before Christmas as people plan to get new animals, and then after Christmas when people get animals they don't want."The next peak is when people go back to school and work and realise how much work is involved in looking after a pet. Then, in April andMay, when the animals reach adolescence and become more of a handful we receive a lot."People treat animals as disposable. Like a toaster or ironing board, when it's no longer what they want they throw it away and buy a new one."Tony said people are open about their reasons for dumping their pets, and rarely have a good excuse."One person said they had their house redecorated and the dog no longer matched, I couldn't believe it. As animal lovers we just can't understand this selfish, heartless mentality," he said"It's got to the point we sometimes refuse to take the animals and make the owner take responsibility."People need to seriously consider years of care and vets' bills."Once an animal's more than three years old it's hard to rehome, and after six, almost impossible."Cheltenham Animal Shelter is a charity. Its annual running cost is £500,000.n Anyone wanting to take on a pet that needs rehousing should call the centre on 01242 523521.

Have dog, will travel (but safely)

Debbie Lustig suggests ways to prevent a driving holiday from going to the dogs.
During the holiday season, dogs will journey to the furthest corners of the country on trips with their human owners and it's up to us to ensure they travel and arrive safely.
Restraint
There are no laws about restraining dogs in cars in Victoria, although they must be tethered when in utes and trailers.
Vet Shaun Wynne from the Whitehorse Veterinary Hospital recalls a man and woman who had been in an accident several years ago: "They had glass injuries on the forearms and head, and brought their dog in before they took themselves to hospital. The dog sustained a back injury. It hadn't been restrained."
And Kim, a vet nurse from Mount Waverley Animal Emergency Centre, says: "We see dogs jumping out the window that's wound down too far, getting injured by jumping from a moving car. It happens every couple of months, depending on the season."
Dr Wynne thinks the safety message is getting through. "One of the things we're finding is that there is generally less trauma to dogs because people are looking after them better," he says. "We sell a lot of harnesses."
Harnesses are also available at pet shops and vet clinics.
Dehydration and heat stress
These are serious problems for dogs, which are less effective at controlling their body temperature than us. A dog pants to cool down, but if it doesn't drink enough water, it will begin to dehydrate.
Dogs can also become heat stressed, which is simply high body temperature. Generally dehydration comes with it, but it doesn't have to.
If left in a hot car, a dog can suffer heat stress in as little as 15 minutes.
"Your dog can be dead by the time you find it if it's there for long enough," a vet warns. That's regardless of the dog's size. "It's all about ambient temperature, so if it's 40 outside, it's 60 in the car."
Affected dogs pant quickly and are lethargic. If heat-stressed, they need to be seen by a vet immediately. Breeds with pushed-in snouts (boxers, pugs, bulldogs, etc) are at higher risk of heat stress.
Provide your dog with plenty of water, especially during summer - they should drink 60-100 millilitres of water per kilogram of their bodyweight per day.
Lightweight canvas bowls are ideal for travelling dogs, and there's an ingenious bottle available that inverts into a pan and, when squeezed, decants water.

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