Detecting seizures in people before they happen. Sensing an impending earthquake. According to an AP/Petside survey, 43 percent of Americans believe their pet has a sixth sense, an awareness of a bad event about to happen.
South Florida-based executive and president of American Dog Rescue,B Arthur Benjamin, says his poodle Buddy throws a tantrum in order to predict seizures in others.
About a year after adopting Buddy from a shelter, Benjamin’s wife Gail was diagnosed with breast cancer. The disease brought on seizures in Gail. “Before Gail had a seizure, Buddy would make these jerking movements — like he was having a fit — and we realized he could sense the seizures coming on.”
Although Gail has since passed away, Arthur Benjamin and Buddy continue to honor her legacy. Through rescue work they’ve done together, they adopted a second Poodle, Holly, who happens to be epileptic.
“Now Buddy warns me of Holly’s seizures and takes me to her in time for me to give her a shot of Valium, which either lessens or prevents the attack,” Benjamin says.
Do you think your pet has a “special” sense? How has it manifested?
Unthinkable in Robeson County: Shirley at YesBiscuit‘s recent post is best read through latticed fingers. Allegations have been raised that pets being put down in a Robeson County, North Carolina shelter might not be dead when they’re tossed into a truck with dead animals.
Susan Barrett, a local animal activist, “says live animals have been found several times at the landfill”:
“One is too many. And it’s not just the one, not just the two, not just the three. This is happening way too often,” Barrett said.
The number of live pets Robeson has sent to the dump appears to be in dispute. Dr. Locklear puts the number at one:
[Dr. Locklear] confirmed that there was a recent instance in which a live puppy was transported to the landfill, but said he was unaware of any other similar incidents.
He said the animal had been sedated, but the second part of the process — a heartstick or IV injection — was not performed.
“It was just a mistake,” he said. “When it was discovered alive, the puppy was brought to my office, where it was euthanized properly.”
No word on whether the puppy had been medically hopeless and suffering prior to the unimaginable terror he experienced waking up among dead pets at the dump, but Robeson does kill healthy/treatable pets and I don’t know in which category this puppy belonged. In any case, if he was healthy/treatable, what kind of person would go back and finish the job, so to speak, after learning the puppy had been subjected to such horror? I guess what I’m asking is, what would it take to inspire Dr. Locklear to spare one puppy’s life?
This story isn’t over yet, I promise.
Housecat coat colors and patterns: Cat owners have got to check this out. Courtesy of catforum.com, a large graphic showing the wide range and groupings of housecat coat and eye colors and patterns. It’s quite a big chart (click on the image at the right to see it full size), so it may well take you a while to pore over, but I was utterly fascinated — and I don’t own a cat! Can I use the chart to design one?
A Swiss pet’s best friend: In last Thursday‘s news roundup I had a less-than-flattering piece about a Swiss town, so here’s an uplifting story from the land of chocolate, fine timepieces and banks. CBS News has a short video spotlighting Antoine Goetschel, who spends his time defending the rights of abused animals.
Where’s the next party? Laura B. at Embrace Pet Insurance has a story on her blog that was a first for me. How about having your child’s next birthday party at a shelter? The cost is minimal, your kids see the importance of pet adoption up close (you know everyone’s going home with a cat or dog, right?), and it sure won’t be like everyone else’s parties! Ok, I understand all the potential pitfalls, but you have to admit it’s different.
Snow pictures: We’ve dug out from last Wednesday’s storm, which dumped up to three feet of snow in some parts of Massachusetts — almost two feet of the stuff in our yard. Boston Globe readers sent in all kinds of fun snapshots of dogs enjoying the winter wonderland. There are 448 pages, so don’t feel you have to view all of them.
Flashmob for a cause: Australia’s proposed “Oscar’s Law” would abolish puppy mills and prohibit the online sales of animals. The campaign has taken on a decidedly grass roots flavor. Yesterday, supporters of Oscar’s Law gathered as a “freeze flashmob” in Melbourne’s Federation Square to raise awareness for the cause.
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I always like to hear from readers, especially if you have tips, and links for interesting stories. Give me a shout in the comments, or better yet, send me an e-mail.
Image credit: Hoover, Flickr Creative Commons (jaydavisconsulting). Cat chart, courtesy of catforum.com.
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