Saturday, April 12, 2014
Time out for this...
NOJO recording what I hope will be the next Grammy! Derek doing mad work at :11. I love my baby brother.
Friday, April 11, 2014
Just something to consider...
Why Retractable Leashes Are Dangerous
April 9, 2014 by Dr. Debora Lichtenberg, VMD
Retractable leashes cause more problems than traditional leads. They can be dangerous. I don’t think most people realize how many injuries they have caused.
In one camp, you have the satisfied retractable leash dog walkers, happy they can give their dogs the extra 30 feet of freedom. Folks in the other camp think these leashes are handheld havoc machines, poised to wreak pain and destruction on pets and humans alike.
These anti-leash folks have no forgiveness for the flexi-mutt folks. They believe a dog at the end of 30 feet of retractable weaponry is an accident waiting to happen. The retractable leash proponents feel you can’t criticize or ban a product just because of human stupidity. When used correctly, they advocate, these leashes are fine.
Common sense and vigilance is what is needed to walk a dog on a retractable leash properly. These leashes are not safe in all situations, and the pros and cons of retractable leashes can create quite the argument between dog lovers.
Pros
When retractable leashes are used properly, well-trained dogs can travel 20 to 30 feet away from their walker, happily snuffling amid burgeoning odors and picking up things to eat, free from the continual control of their human.
Without subjecting their dog to the extreme hazards encountered by dogs who run free, proponents of retractable leashes believe these inventions give their dogs wonderful freedom without danger.
Cons
All the cons of retractable leashes have to do with human error. This includes human frailty, human stupidity and lack of judgment. Simply stated, no matter how well or poorly trained your pooch is, the problems with these leashes are caused by people’s ignorance and lack of attentiveness, not the dog at the end of the leash!
They are not recommended for urban, high-density or confined spaces:
City Streets: How can you control your dog from 30 feet away in heavy pedestrian traffic? On the narrow sidewalks of Greenwich Village, in New York City, on a busy weekend, an umbrella can take your eye out, or a Juicy Couture bag can knock you into the bike lane. Give careless pedestrians like these a playful Lab at the end of a retractable lead and head underground. No retractable leashes in the subway!
Confined Spaces: This means the vet’s office. Many of us have had bad retractable leash accidents in our offices. Just recently, a woman was at my front desk looking over her products and discharge instructions. She let her aggressive dog on a retractable leash scoot around the reception desk and stare down my receptionist. Already not paying attention to her dog or her leash, the woman then tried to gather her wits (and her dog) in a panic. When she jerked her dog back, it startled him, making him snarl and growl. This was scary.
•Don’t Miss: When a Dog Barks on a Leash at Other Dogs
•Don’t Miss: When a Dog Barks on a Leash at Other Dogs
Worrisome veterinary stories like this could fill a book. The veterinarian is responsible for any injury that happens under her roof. I can understand why certain vet’s offices and pet stores exhibit a friendly “No Retractable Leashes, Please” sign. Safety first and no lawsuits!
Trauma to People
Retractable leashes can be dangerous for people. By: Jinx!
Retractable leashes can be dangerous for people. By: Jinx!
Retractable leashes can be dangerous for people. By: Jinx!
There is a warning right on the handle to take caution with your fingers. Fingers have been amputated when entangled in these leashes. Humans have suffered serious rope burns and deep gashes as well.
Not only can the person holding the leash get injured, but also people in the path of the long cord can get badly hurt or knocked over. Dog fights are also more likely, and owners trying to break up a fight is dangerous enough without a retractable leash cord involved.
We have all met another dog on a leash while walking our dog and done the funny figure-eight-untangle-our-pooches game. This becomes much more nefarious when a retractable leash is involved.
Trauma to Dogs
Retractable leashes can wrap around a dog’s leg and cause much more serious injury than a traditional leash. If the owner tries to retract the leash, the leash naturally becomes tighter around the victim.
•Don’t Miss: Best Dog Collars for Pulling on a Leash
•Don’t Miss: Best Dog Collars for Pulling on a Leash
Clearly, with less control over your dog at a 30-foot distance, dogs have been known to wander into the street and get hit. But there’s another problem with these leashes. If your dog is running or heading toward danger, you naturally try to retract that leash as quickly as possible. Jerking your dog back forcefully to avoid a traffic accident can also cause severe injury to the dog’s neck or back.
Recently, a dog’s trachea was ripped open — not by the vehicle that hit it, but by the intense jolt of the retractable leash when the owner tried to pull the dog back from the street.
Behavioral Problems
Many behaviorists believe retractable leashes encourage pulling and not listening to commands, the antithesis of what leash training is all about.
If an owner loses total control and drops the leash, the dog can get spooked as if it’s being chased by something. The dragging handle thumps behind the dog causing fear or panic. A dog ran up the stairs of an apartment building with the leash trailing behind it, through an open door to the roof, and plummeted off the roof
.
Walk the Walk
These leashes present a unique problem to me. Many people don’t seem to have total control of their dog when using one. “The button. The button. Use the button,” I hear myself saying in my waiting room. There is a learning curve with this product. It’s as if you should be licensed before operating! Practice using it in a safe, unpopulated area.
Folks who think it’s ridiculous to consider regulating or warning people about these leashes are just not owning up to how easily distracted people can get in this modern world of ours. When you are multitasking, and one of those tasks is holding your husky on a retractable leash, the odds go up on the mayhem-may-happen meter.
•Don’t Miss: Make the Most Out of Walking Your Dog
Picture this: Your dog and your kids pile out of your car in a parking lot at the same time, and White Fang runs the extra 20 or 30 feet on his retractable leash because he thought that piece of blowing trash was a cat. Then your cell phone rings while you’re trying to lock your leash, but White Fang has already entangled himself around a shopping cart.
Life happens while we’re thinking of something else. We are all only human. Be extra careful and mindful when using a retractable leash.
Facebook post from Tia
THE END OF ADOPTIONS FOR VILLALOBOS?
Rules are put forth for a reason. As a licensed animal shelter here in New Orleans, we follow the same protocol as other local facilities. Taking in strays and neglected dogs has become our priority and not just Pit Bulls...ALL DOGS. Dogs are brought in, the proper forms are filled out and signed by person(s) bringing in the dog. Dogs are scanned for a microchip, given vaccinations and ANY and ALL medical attention if necessary. Because we have more liberties than most shelters, we are not in a time crunch and do not have to euthanize a dog due to lack of space or in a certain amount of time. The owner has plenty of time to come and look for their dog. Most shelters give under a week. We do not have a set time. Most dogs are with us for at least 3-4 months because we heart worm treat EVERY DOG.
In January of 2013, we had a dog brought to us. The man said "He's a great dog, I wish I could keep him but my other dogs and him aren't getting along" He explained that he had gone to his local shelter and they informed him that the dog would be euthanized walking in the door as they had a "no Pit Bull adoption" policy. So we took the dog in and signed him in as an "owner turn in". He was a black male Pit Bull, no tags or collar or no microchip. He was pretty thin so it took us about 2-3 months go get him up to par, neutered, chipped, etc and ready for adoption. We got lucky and found this dog a home within 4 months or so.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago. A woman and a man (her son) came to our warehouse very irritated. They came at me pretty hard and said I had their "stolen" dog and that they saw him on TV. They showed me a photo and said it was the dog we called "Beaucoup" on one of our episodes I couldn't tell from the picture if it was the same dog but I began to explain Beaucoup's story and how we got him. The woman and her son were less than nice. I tried to calm them down and I kept saying "we don't even know if this is the same dog" and that "do you realize if it is, we saved him from being killed??" I tried to explain that I had done everything by protocol and within the proper legalities and they became more irrational. I told them that if this is indeed their dog, that I am very sorry and completely understand how upset they must be, but I had the dog for 4 months with no chip, no tag....how was I supposed to find them?? Despite them both being very angry with me (and despite me telling them I'm the one who kept this dog from dying), I still felt for them but also realizing that our adopters have had this dog for over a year now so they were attached too, but.....I would make contact with the adopters to see if they could at least bring Beaucoup by in order for us to identify him. Nothing was calming them down and eventually they would bring NOPD to our facility who also ended up telling them I was legally in the right. I even contacted the sheriff's dept where this "burglary/stolen dog" incident took place and they confirmed it was simply a case of a dog breaking out of the trailer and NOT a stolen dog. So at this point there was no longer a need to upset my adopters and drag them into this.
Now we've been threatened with a lawsuit. They have hired an attorney named Marta Alison Richards out of Baton Rouge who has come by the warehouse threatening to have me arrested, suing me for the "profit" I made from the "sale" of this dog ($200 adoption fee) and also whatever else I "profited" from by having this dog. She also threatened to basically smear my name over "other media outlets" and bring in other animal rights activists. But more importantly the concern is this. If this goes to court and a judge rules that the dog must be returned, what will this do to the shelter system overall? How will any public, county, city, parish animal shelter or rescue ever feel comfortable or safe taking in another dog? And what about adopters? Who will want to adopt a dog knowing that years could go by and suddenly an "owner" will come forward saying "you have my stolen dog". We have followed the rules to a tee. We work no different than any other public shelter. Just think, according to this attorney, every animal shelter is harboring "stolen property" and has the potential to be "trafficking stolen property". Just imagine those of you who run or work at an animal shelter....some attorney showing up at your gates threatening to have you arrested because her client says "that's my dog" (and again....no proof of ownership) and yanking it from its new home that it was legally adopted into.
Despite the personal ramifications this will have on Villalobos, imagine what it will do to every animal shelter. I guess no good deed goes unpunished
Thursday, April 10, 2014
HB 1091 - Bill will prohibit the unsafe transport of dogs in open vehicles...
From Jeff Dorson - Humane Society of Louisiana - prohibits un-safe transport of dogs in Louisiana. Please write in support. Emails can be copied and pasted. Easy to do. Thanks y'all.
Rep. Willmott's bill HB 1091, is scheduled to be heard before the House Transportation Committee on Monday, April 14th., beginning at 9:30 am. The bill will prohibit the unsafe transport of dogs in open vehicles in open vehicles on state or federal highways in our state.
Please send your emails in SUPPORT of this bill to the following committee members. As always, if one of them is your representative, make note of that in your email.
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House Transportation, Highways, & Public Works Committee (click link for member names)
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House Transportation, Highways, & Public Works Committee (click link for member names)
St. Germain, Karen Gaudet
Chairman
Chairman
guinnj@legis.la.gov
hilld@legis.la.gov
hodgesv@legis.la.gov
honored@legis.la.gov
howardf@legis.la.gov
iveyb@legis.la.gov
joness@legis.la.gov
lebasb@legis.la.gov
leopoldc@legis.la.gov
macks@legis.la.gov
nortonb@legis.la.gov
pylants@legis.la.gov
richardj@legis.la.gov
woodruffe@legis.la.gov
larep036@legis.la.gov
legerw@legis.la.gov
hilld@legis.la.gov
hodgesv@legis.la.gov
honored@legis.la.gov
howardf@legis.la.gov
iveyb@legis.la.gov
joness@legis.la.gov
lebasb@legis.la.gov
leopoldc@legis.la.gov
macks@legis.la.gov
nortonb@legis.la.gov
pylants@legis.la.gov
richardj@legis.la.gov
woodruffe@legis.la.gov
larep036@legis.la.gov
legerw@legis.la.gov
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
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