By: Judy Hamontre, AVHS Vice Chair “Daisy, you’re pacing nonstop. Why? What is going on?” “Penelope, you’re hiding this morning. That is not normal for you. Are you ok?” “Scottie, you did not eat your breakfast. Is something wrong?” Many pet owners have asked similar questions of their cats and dogs when they exhibit behaviors that are not ordinary. We fear they might be sick or in pain and wish they could talk to us to tell us how they feel. According to Dr. Dana Varble, Chief Veterinary Officer of The North......

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By: Judy Hamontre, AVHS Vice Chair I often hear from my cat-loving friends when they believe I have been writing more articles about dogs than cats. They enjoy giving me a playful nudge to remind me that cats are “purrfect” pets. Granted, I have never owned a cat because all my dogs have needed to be the only pet in my home, but I have had the pleasure to cat-sit for several of my friends, delighting in their cats’ playful antics and being soothed by their purring when nestled on my lap.......

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By: Judy Lore, AVHS Volunteer Columnist Days are getting shorter with more time spent inside. It’s a great time to check out some wonderful books about dogs and cats. I’ve recently come across several that bear a serious reason to dwell within their pages. David Rosenfelt has a new book titled, Dog Day Afternoon that is another of his entertaining crime novels. This one surprised me with a crime of ingenuity and a storyline that I’d not read about before. Lawyer Andy Carpenter uses his golden retriever, Tara, as his sounding board......

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By: Judy Lore, AVHS Volunteer Columnist Separation anxiety is a frequent complaint from pet parents – usually concerning dogs. Some dogs, for various reasons, may become upset when left alone by their people/person. According to the ASPCA article Separation Anxiety, what to do about it can be relatively simple or more complex depending on the degree of anxiety. Very serious anxiety can result in destruction in the house and perhaps self-injury trying to escape. Some indicators may include urinating and defecating in the house, excessive howling, chewing and digging and destruction, escaping,......

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By: Judy Hamontre, AVHS Vice-chair Just as dog tails talk, so do cat tails. Alison Gerken, a veterinarian and behaviorist at the San Francisco SPCA, states in an article on PetMD “a cat’s tail provides great insight into what a cat is experiencing and feeling (along with their eyes, ears and body posture).” Veterinarian and Behavior Medicine Section head at The Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center, M. Leanne Lilly adds in an article on BeChewy, “A cat’s tail is a complex language all its own with each position and movement signaling......

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By: Judy Hamontre, AVHS Vice-chair My eight year-old boxador, Gracie, loves to go for walks. I say the word, “walk,” and her proper, upright C-curved tail begins to soften into the “Amazon Smile,” and rapidly wag, fully from one side of her body to the other. However, if thunder begins to rumble, that same tail curls up high into a tight “O,” and her hackles rise up on her rump and tail. Gracie’s tail talks. No matter the breed of dog nor type of tail, they all talk. One of the main......

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By: Judy Hamontre, AVHS Vice-chair They come in a variety of shapes, lengths, and coat coverings; they serve specific purposes; they look adorable and they make us smile when they happily wag to greet us. They are the tails of our dogs, and these tails have quite a story to tell. A dog’s tail is an extension of his spine made up of 5-23 vertebrae, bigger at the base and decreasing in size to the tip. They are separated by discs which provide cushioning and flexibility. Muscles, tendons and nerves work with......

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By: Judy Hamontre, AVHS Vice-chair Every time I attend an Ark-Valley Humane Society event, I am reminded how wonderful our community is to support our shelter. June 28, I joined 2 of our AVHS volunteers and James Bove, our Buena Vista High Country Bank representative for the bank’s annual food drive for the shelter. The Salida branch held their drive on June 21. Because of the generosity of you, our community, the two drives collected an incredible 1,283 pounds of pet food, which helped us meet our match from High Country Bank......

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By: Judy Lore, AVHS Volunteer Columnist We need to be aware of the temperatures when it’s too hot to walk our dogs on pavement or macadam. Also, we need to know how temperatures in a car heat up so quickly – much faster than we realize. If possible, leave your pet at home, but if not, know what temperature is forecasted and plan for it. It was an unusually hot June and July and August will undoubtedly continue in the high temperatures. Friends Don’t Leave Friends Inside Parked Cars. I copied this......

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By: Judy Hamontre, AVHS Vice-chair  Recently posted on the Ark-Valley Humane Society Facebook page is this exciting, Tail Waggin’ News: “After two years in the shelter’s care and several months in a wonderful foster home, King has been adopted!” “His foster mom decided to make it official and adopt King. This is the happiest news we could share. We couldn’t ask for a better ending to King’s journey as he now gets to spend the rest of his years in a home he truly loves.” This post has received over 305 likes......

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