Golden years

Three adoptable dogs at the Venango County Humane Society in Seneca are looking to spent their golden years in a loving home.

Yogi Bear, Bittles and Pecan arrived at the shelter after their owner had passed away.

Shelter manager Heather Hacherl said the dogs would most likely do better in a quiet environment due to previously living with an elderly owner.

Yogi Bear and Bittles are two Chihuahua mixes and Pecan is a female Doberman Pinscher mix. Yogi is the oldest at 11, Bittles is 9 and Pecan is 5 years old. Bittles is the tiniest and Hacherl suggested that she may even be a tea cup Chihuahua.

Just as many older citizens, the pups have some minor health ailments. Yogi doesn’t have all his teeth and Pecan is blind in one eye.

Hacherl said the two Chihuahuas get along with each other and the Doberman misses them, but that one of the smaller pups likes to nip the Doberman’s face.

Pecan loves treats and knows basic commands. She does not like lawn mowers or bicycles. She will bark and chase them.

Yogi Bear does not like his feet touched but will tolerate just about anything else.

Bittles is a very sweet, very quiet Chihuahua. She loves to be held and cuddled. She would make someone a very good companion.

Hacherl said the shelter is currently at capacity for cats.

“If anyone wants to surrender a cat, they will have to wait,” she said.

She said the shelter has several cats with kittens that are still nursing. The kittens aren’t ready to go yet. It will be a month or more before they are ready to be adopted, she said.

The shelter is midway filled up with dogs. “But that could change in a heartbeat,” she added.

Hacherl said the shelter has developed a more in-depth application process. She wanted potential adopters to be aware that one of the things they will need to provide would be a vet reference.

The cost for adoptions is $40 for cats or kittens and $60 for dogs or puppies.

Those animals who are old enough are spayed or neutered and micro chipped. Spay and neuter agreements are issued for those animals who are not old enough for the surgeries.

Meanwhile, the shelter can always use supplies. One of the things most needed at the shelter is non-clumping cat litter, Hacherl said. Below is a list of supplies that is found on the humane society’s website. People can drop off any of the below items or cash contributions for supplies at the shelter:

• towels and blankets
• paper towels
  laundry detergent
• collars and leashes – all sizes
• treats
• toys (plastic so they can be disinfected)
• cat litter – non-clumping
• bleach
• tall kitchen and 33-gallon garbage bags
• copy paper
• postage stamps
• Wal-Mart gift cards (so the shelter can purchase items when needed most)
  other animal/shelter care related items

The humane society is open from noon to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. It is located at 286 S. Main St., Seneca.

More information on the humane society is available by calling (814) 677-4040 or online at venangocountyhumanesociety.org.

Friends ‘furrever’

Can you imagine life without your best friend?  Who would you have fun with?  Who would comfort you when you were scared?  Julie and Jade know because they have been together for the past seven years and are very deeply bonded.  They even hold each other while they sleep – what could be sweeter?

Tri-County Animal Rescue Center in Shippenville would love to see Jade and Julie adopted together because of their bond.  Interested persons can stop by soon and meet 10-year-old Siamese, Julie, and her best friend Jade, a gray 7-year-old long-hair.  Both are spayed, current on vaccinations, have no known health issues and their adoption fee has been reduced to $50 for the pair!

“Open your heart and invite these forever friends into your forever home!,” the center said.

Painful past

“Bobcat” Bobbi was named after the high school mascot of a local school where she was found severely injured.  According to Tri-County’s vet she was most likely kicked, but Bobbi fought for her life and has completely recovered from her injuries.

Bobbi is good with children, adults and other cats, is up-to-date on vaccinations and has been spayed.  Bobcat deserves someone special after living such a painful past.

“Drop by Tri-County and meet our sweet Bobcat today,” the center said.

Those wanting to meet the center’s darling Bobbi or forever friends Jade and Julie may contact Tri-County Animal Rescue Center on Facebook, by calling (814) 918-2032, or emailing contactus@Tricounty-arc.org.

Nominations needed

Meanwhile, there are only three months left until the center’s International Homeless Animals Day event and it is looking for more nominations for our Animal Advocate Award and our Lifetime Achievement Award.

Persons can nominate somebody who gives of their time and energy for homeless animals.

Submit nominations via e-mail, fax, mail or in person. Here are the nomination forms:
Animal Advocate Award and Lifetime Achievement Award.

Rescued horses case update

Bev Dee of Bright Futures Farm equine charity in Cochranton received correspondence that said the Clarion County sheriff would not be pursing any further action in a case where six horses were surrendered from a Clarion County farm.

Five horses where euthanized due to poor health and six were surrendered to Bright Futures. Three were left on the farm.

Dee said sadly one horse of the six rescued appears to have taken a turn for the worse health wise and she is working to determine how bad the damage is.

Dee said the rescue has received over 500 emails and letters expressing outrage over the minimum penalty being imposed.

“These animals were locked in a barn for, admittedly, three years at least. They were deprived of food and water more often than they were given it …  there was hay within 50 feet of the barn and running water on site. This is beyond cruel and this man only got a $50 fine per dead animal?” Dee said.

“They died from lack of care. There are six others that are fighting for their lives due to lack of care and there have yet to be any citations issued for those six.  The people demand six more citations and the maximum penalty allowed by law for each of those six counts of animal cruelty – that being either 90 days in jail, consecutive sentences or a $750 fine per horse,” she added.

“Laws were made to be enforced. There is a maximum penalty for a reason and this time the maximum penalty certainly fits the crime,” she said.

Those wishing to donate to the horses’ care can go to www.gofundme.com , via paypal at bdee@brightfuturesfarm.org or by mail at Bright Futures Farm, 238 Old Franklin Pike, Cochranton, PA 16314.

Food needed

Clarion P.A.W.S. could use dry food to feed some hungry cats. A Facebook post mentioned that several retailers have coupons for Purina Cat Chow – the blue bag of Purina Cat Chow Complete.
The shelters next spay and neuter clinic is Saturday, June 4.

Calico cutie

Abby appears to be an older adult cat. That doesn’t stop her from ruling her room at the PAWS house. This long haired calico girl is full of spunk and ready to share that spunk with her “furrever” friends and family. Interested persons should stop by the PAWS house and check out this awesome girl.

Clarion PAWS is located at 11348 Route 322, Shippenville, Clarion River Hill, between Scrap Happy and Clarion Electric.

The adoption center is open from 5 to 7 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturdays. The center is closed Fridays and Sundays.

More information is available online at www.clarionpaws.org, the group’s Facebook page or by calling (814) 229-1231.

Precious Paws urges people to ‘Spay It Forward’

With the arrival of spring Precious Paws is getting a lot of calls from people in high population areas – trailer parks, apartments and Oil City neighborhoods – asking for help for pregnant cats that are wandering around.

“People want to help but are quick to point out that the animals aren’t theirs, so they can’t afford or justify spending $65 on them. Last summer we did free feral spays but we didn’t get grant funding from that source this year, so we can’t do it this summer,” said Theresa Weldon of Precious Paws.

Donations can be made via Paypal at SNYPVenango@gmail.com or by mail at P.O. Box 784, Franklin, PA 16323.

Fly away

On Thursday, May 19, Skye’s Spirit Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Harrisville posted a video of a double bald eagle release at the Nebraska Bridge in Tionesta on its Facebook page.

“They both flew beautifully,” the post said.

Meanwhile, the shelter has been taking in animals left and right.

More information about the shelter is available by calling (814) 786-9677, online at www.skyes-spirit.com or on the shelter’s Facebook page.

How your family can celebrate National Pet Month in May

Now in its 27th year, National Pet Month is a celebration of the mutual benefits shared between people and their pets.

For rescue-animal advocate Cheryl Smith, who founded a non-profit that assists pets in need, the May observance is a time to recognize many of the things that really matter in life.

“How we treat the most vulnerable animals in our society says plenty about who we are as individuals,” says Smith, a public defender who has cared for rescue animals since childhood and believes they can help humanity as much as humans help them. “As a public defender who spends long hours entrenched in legal issues, loving and caring for my rescue dogs is personally rejuvenating. I think caring for pets helps us stay in touch with our humanity.”

Smith, who was inspired by her pack of rescue dogs to write the children’s books “Oliver’s Heroes: The Spider Adventure” (www.oliversheroes.com) and “Oliver’s Heroes: Two Paws Up,” says there are several ways people can make a difference during National Pet Month, such as:

• Consider adopting from an animal rescue shelter. Pets bring out our inner nurturers, and expressing TLC to an animal in need fosters warmth toward ourselves and others. More importantly, doing something good is good in itself.
• Discern which pet is appropriate for your family. Think carefully before getting a pet. Learn about its special requirements. There’s plenty of information out there to help you decide which dog or cat breed is appropriate for your home life, so a minimal amount of time researching will go a long way.
• Make sure your pet enjoys a nutritious and well-balanced diet. Perhaps you already have a pet. It’s important to know that not all pet-food products are of the same quality. Many attentive owners go to the extent of cooking meals themselves for their pets.
• Ask your vet which health issues your pet is prone to. Various breeds are prone to specific ailments. Male cats, for example, may experience urinary issues depending on their food. Be your pet’s advocate since they cannot speak for themselves.
• Prevent unwanted litters. Each year, about 2.7 million animals are euthanized after entering animal shelters – 1.2 million dogs and 1.4 million cats. You can prevent an enormous amount of suffering simply by spaying or neutering your pet.

“I can’t imagine not having my little stress relievers around when I come home,” Smith says. “The better you take care of them, the more you’ll feel good about yourself.”

(Editor’s note: Cheryl Smith is a public defender who started a non-profit, Just The Place Inc. She was inspired to write “Oliver’s Heroes: The Spider Adventure” after her courtroom deputy found Oliver, a dog who was alone, thin and scared on the street.)

(All About Animals is a weekly blog that appears on Venangoextra.com and Clarionextra.com. Interested persons or groups can submit information to bigdogs.thederrick@gmail.com. More information about the blog is available by contacting Anna Applegate at 814-677-8364.)