san diego pets magazine, may 2012

MAY 2012 | www.sandiegopetsmagazine.com2

www.sandiegopetsmagazine.com | MAY 2012 3

PUBLISHER/EDITORCasey Dean

COVER ART Tina Nomura

Lionsbrow Photography

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Kendra Hartmann

Martin Jones Westlin

GUEST WRITERSJohn Carlson

Daniel DeSousa

K.R. Johnson

Arden Moore

Judith Pierce

Stefanie Schwartz, DVM

Jason Sweitzer, DVM

CARTOONISTBarbara Fuscsick

Puppy Paws Productions

www.puppypawsproductions.com

ADVERTISINGCasey Dean (619) 573-5615

[email protected]

Marjorie “Kirby” (858) 775-4432

[email protected]

San Diego Pets Magazine is published by Dean Publishing,Inc. P.O. Box 601081, San Diego, Ca 92160-1081. No partof this publication may be duplicated or reprinted withoutexpress consent from the publisher. Editors reserve theright to edit all content. Submissions are welcome, andmay be edited for content and clarity. Please forward allunsolicited material to the editor. Views and opinionsexpressed herein are not necessarily those of the publisher.The publisher reserves the right to approve or acceptadvertising orders and content. All contents are copyrighted2012. All rights reserved.

San Diego Pets MagazineP.O. BOX 601081San Diego, Ca 92160-1081(619) 573-5615SANDIEGOPETSMAGAZINE.COM

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Afew years ago, Jude Artenstein had a terrible accident.It was the kind that left her unable to fend for herselffor several months, with both her right knee and right

wrist out of commission. She had always thought of herself asa caregiver, someone who was always willing and able to helpthose in need. She didn’t know how to be helpless.

Along with the shock of discovering just how feeble her in-juries made her, Artenstein made another surprising discovery– dogs, like humans, can sense and respond to distress. In par-ticular, she discovered that her dog, Scout, was responding withincredible alacrity to her precarious situation.

“When I came home from the hospital, I couldn’t do any-thing,” she said. “I couldn’t feed myself, I couldn’t move mybody. My life changed in an instant, and Scout, who was a bit

of a puppy then, turned instantly from a puppy to a caregiver.He never left the room I was in; he was always with me.”

As Artenstein slowly made progress, relearning how towalk and become mobile again, Scout was by her side con-stantly. The day she took her first unassisted step in her liv-ing room, Scout “did circles in the room.”

“He really celebrated,” she said. “Before this, I wasn’t oneof those people who talk about dogs in that way, but he wasreally excited.”

Scout’s remarkable response got Artenstein thinking. Afilmmaker by training, she was brainstorming her next proj-ect – and during her time of recovery, she had plenty of timeto contemplate it. She started reading about the history of dogrescue in America, with the intention of creating a documen-

B y K E N D R A H A RT M A N N | S A N D I E G O P E T S

A pet-inspired labor of loveOne local finds hope – and a new path in life –

in the unconditional love of her dog

Jude Artenstein is a San Diego basedFilmmaker and the Founder/Organizer of:www.doggiestreetfestival.org

Photo by Tina Nomura, Lionsbrow Photography

H BdD 5COVER STORY


tary focusing on individual stories of rescue and redemption.The nature of filmmaking being the slow process that it is, how-ever, made her restless. She needed something to do in themeantime, something that would allow her to channel her new-found appreciation for dogs and the way they contribute tohuman society. And that, in a nutshell, is how the Doggie StreetFestival was born.

“Doing films is a lot of organizing, so the Doggie Street Fes-tival was a bit of a natural outgrowth from that,” she said. “Ithought we could invite all the nonprofits, all the shelters, andget everyone together and get the public out there. The firstyear we got tons of press and media attention, and San Diegoas a whole was really supportive of the festival.”

Now in its fourth year, the festival doesn’t look like it will belosing any of that support any time soon. Each year, more than100 dogs find homes at the festival, though Artenstein said it’shard to quantify the number of dogs that benefit from it, sincemany people who attend the festival later go out and adopt adog from a local shelter.

“We hope it creates a ripple effect,” she said.One essential component to that ripple effect, Artenstein said,

is education. The festival is designed to be fun, but more impor-tantly, it aims to educate participants about every possible facetof being a pet owner. By bringing together about 35 rescuegroups, veterinarians and shelters, the festival is able to offer awell-rounded pet education. Booths on pet care, training, be-havior – even a booth walking new owners and their festival-adopted pet through the steps of becoming a new pet parent –are offered.

“We really hope the event getting people together will behand-in-hand with education,” she said. “People can get examsfor the dog they adopted right there, they can find out how totake care of them and they can learn any number of things. So,really, the festival would be serving a deeper purpose in thatway. We set out to create this event that has high visibility, that’svery inclusive and that brings together the community, wherewe have education and information, and people can learn freeof charge. It’s such a feel-good combination – the goal is to cre-ate an atmosphere where that would happen, and also dogswould go home.”

That deeper purpose may be taking effect, as the festival con-tinues to grow and, due to this year’s larger venue, starts towiden its berth – this year, the festival is accepting cats foradoption as well. Artenstein, however, is careful not to acceptany personal credit for its success, or for the hundreds of petsthat have been adopted as a result of it.

“After the first year, I realized how much those who are in-volved in this kind of work do every day,” she said. “It’s anendless task. The shelters continue to work all year round, andI give them credit on a daily basis. I see this as tapestry andeveryone that adds a paintbrush to it is being of service andhelping. It really is a collective effort.”

This year’s festival will hold special significance for Arten-stein. Scout, the dog companion whose friendship and servicewas the impetus for the first festival four years ago, passedaway this February. Artenstein, who gets teary as she talks

SEE ARTENSTEIN, Page 8

about her pet, is dedicating the event toScout. This year’s event, meanwhile, co-incides with another milestone. Thismonth, she will launch her televisionseries, “Pet Lounge,” also a project thatwould never have seen the light of dayhad it not been for Scout’s loyalty. Dur-ing the time Artenstein was recoveringfrom her accident and brainstormingher documentary, “Rescue Me,” she dis-covered she had so much material, shemight have to create a “Ken Burns-style20-part series.”

“The more I talked to people [aboutthe documentary], the more I startedunderstanding there was so much toknow, so many sides and aspects to petrescue,” she said. I thought it would begreat to do a TV show, where I coulddeal with a multitude of topics and dealwith them more rapidly. With a docu-mentary, you need to settle on a themeand totally investigate that theme. If

you cover the amount of topics we’regoing to cover in “Pet Lounge,” itwould never end.”

At the time, the show sounded like agreat idea, but, as Artenstein put it,“how many hours are there in the day?”The idea sat on the back burner – untilnow.

So what should viewers expect to seeon “Pet Lounge?”

“Everything. What’s great is that Ican tell the adoption stories, the ones Iwanted to tell in “Rescue Me,” but I canalso cover topics that I think are fasci-nating, like the history of dog-relatedtopics,” she said. “The possibilities arekind of endless. I want to do fun sub-jects, and I want to try to run the gamut.I’m going to cover not only dogs, butevery kind of companion animal youcan think of – rabbits, snakes, cats,everything. But I’ll try not to do stuffthat’s already being covered, or at leastto do it in a different way. The formatgives me the ability to go deeper into

ARTENSTEINCONTINUED FROM Page 7

DOGGIE STREET, WHEREDREAMS COME TRUE!!!Like many people, I was deeply affectedby the 2008/09 economic crises. Newsstories chronicled abandoned dogs andcats left behind in empty houses - fami-lies loosing jobs unable to keep their pets- shelters overflowing no longer accept-ing animals. Numerous heartbreakingconsequences seemed destined to affectmany innocent furry victims.

During that time I was recovering from aserious accident that shattered my rightknee – I couldn’t walk for about sixmonths and my golden retriever Scoutwas my constant companion. As myhealth improved I was eager to do some-thing for Scout and his four-leggedfriends.

That’s when the idea to create DoggieStreet Festival was born - it was repay-ment to Scout for his loyalty and friend-ship to me in the worst of my times.

Three years have passed since that dayand we are approaching the 4th AnnualDoggie Street Festival on Sunday June 10,2012 at Robb Field in San Diego and ex-panding the event to Los Angeles on Sun-day June 24, 2012.

DSF has brought together the rescuecommunity with adoptable doggies, vet-erinarians, pet professionals, trainers,health & nutrition experts and the publicby the many thousands - alongside ourinvaluable Sponsors, Vendors and MediaPartners, (without whose support thiswould be impossible) together we havemade a tangible difference.

This year my sweet inspiration Scout diedfrom Cancer on Valentines Eve. So I willcelebrate him and dedicate Doggie StreetFestival 2012 to his memory.

Jude Artenstein is a San Diego basedFilmmaker and the Founder/Organizerwww.doggiestreetfestival.org


Jeff Krapf, host of the new TV series, Pet Lounge. Photo by Tina Nomura, Lionsbrow Photography

H BdD 5COVER STORY


D

certain topics, so I’m hoping to pick asingle topic and cover it in depth onsome episodes, and on others do amultitude of topics.”

The possibilities, indeed, are seem-ingly endless. And Artenstein is carefulnot to forget the path that brought herhere.

“It’s funny how life is. If I hadn’t in-jured my knee, I wouldn’t have doneDoggie Street Festival, and if I hadn’tdone that, I would in no way beequipped to do “Pet Lounge,” she said.“What I can bring to the show is the somany things I have learned doing thefestival. “Pet Lounge” is really the ben-eficiary of four years in the field. Theseanimals are able to give us this connec-tion to nature, and it always amazes me,the endless list of ways they help us andsave us, and still they’re waiting on usto save them. It’s a pretty tragic situa-tion, but having said that, we also knowso many people who are trying to rec-tify the situation and help out. That’sthe goal of “Pet Lounge” – to empowerpeople to make a difference. Empower-ment is the key to success, so if we doan episode on adoption, it will be aboutshowing the problem but also showingthe people who are helping to solve theproblem. Hopefully it will give theviewer an insight into what you can doin your community.”

“Pet Lounge” will air on Cox Cableand Time Warner on Channel 4 begin-ning May 19 at 1 p.m. and again at 5:30

p.m. Check your local TV listings formore information. The fourth annualDoggie Street Festival will take placeJune 10 at Robb Field in Ocean Beachfrom 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. This year will alsomark the first annual Los Angeles Dog-gie Street Festival, taking place on June24 at Westfield Century City Mall from11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information,visit www.doggiestreetfestival.org.

Best in show!I am one of those people referred to as a“dog person.” Truth be told, I enjoy theircompany, I’m reassured by their infiniteoptimism, comforted by their intuitivepowers, and inspired by their non-judg-mental view of the world.

The more I know about dogs, the more Irealize there is so much further to dis-cover about our companion animals.That was exactly my inspiration in creat-ing “Pet Lounge” a Television Series thatbrings to light real stories, unforgettablepets, and extraordinary people.

The “Pet Lounge” TV Show premieresMay 19 on Cox Cable and Time Warnerchannel 4. Episodes cover a range oftopics and a variety of pets that never failto surprise, amaze or educate. The showhighlights new discoveries in behavior,nutrition, health and science, uncovershistory and folklore, reveals the human-animal bond and delights in the fun andjoy of memorable encounters with ourpets.

We already know that companion ani-mals enrich our lives and supply a vitalconnection to the natural world. Clearly,the more we learn, the better we’re ableto understand and care for them. Myhope is that “Pet Lounge” will illuminateand inspire with beneficial insights andthought-provoking whimsy, all wrappedin a fun and engaging television series forall ages.

It’s magic when the opportunity to useyour chosen profession (for me, filmmak-ing) connects with your passion (furryvalentines). We’re having a lot of funhosting human and animal guests at “thelounge” while our roving reporters covereverything pet-related and amazing.

The stories are amusing, and at othertimes practical: which pet-friendly hotelsdo you want to stay in the next time youhit the road with Fido? I hope everyonetunes into “Pet Lounge” airing on CoxChannel 4, beginning in May 19, 2012.Check your local TV listings for times.

Jude Artenstein is a San Diego basedFilmmaker and the Founder/Organizerwww.doggiestreetfestival.org

Bogart on the set of Pet Lounge.Photo by Tina Nomura, Lionsbrow Photography


What inspired you to start The Honest Kitchen?

I’ve always had a strong interest inthe link between food and health.When I was a child in England, wegrew a lot of our own produce in ourfamily garden, and have always eatena real-food diet, not one that containedlots of processed foods. When I got myfirst puppy years later, I was very keento do a natural, real-food diet for himtoo, because it just seemed common-sense to me. I started off making hismeals from scratch using raw ingredi-ents; I loved the results but found it tobe very time consuming and messy. SoI began thinking of a way to continuefeeding whole foods, but in a formatthat was a little simpler to prepare. Theidea for dehydration came from justwanting to remove the moisture fromthe ingredients while leaving all the de-licious flavor, color and nutrition intact.

What’s the typical feedbackfrom a new customer who recently started to feed The Honest Kitchen?

Some people take a little time to actu-ally become customers, because theyhave to get used to the idea of feedingsomething that looks and smells so dif-ferent from the conventional, processedpet food pellets they’re used to feeding.Many of our customers are amazed athow fast their pets gobble up the food,lick the bowl clean and beg for seconds!In addition, there are a lot of health ben-efits our customers see after just a fewshort weeks.

What are some of the benefitsof feeding a whole food diet?

After a couple of weeks, they usuallystart to see the visual benefits too – weget dozens of emails, calls and Face-book posts each week from people whocan’t believe how shiny their dogs’coats have become, the eyes arebrighter, they just have a general sense

of better wellbeing, better digestion,and many chronic ailments like itchyskin and ear infections (which are oftenrelated to diet) clear up. I think a goodanalogy for how pets feel on our food,is the light, energized feeling we getafter eating a bowl of salad or a freshlymade smoothie, compared with themildly queasy, heavy feeling of eatinghighly processed, greasy foods with lotsof MSG and other artificial components– fast food or a TV dinner, say.

Many of our customers report they’vebeen able to reduce or even eliminatesome of their pets’ medications forvarious chronic health problems, afterthey start to feed The Honest Kitchen’shealthier dehydrated whole foods.

What do you love most about San Diego?

Fiesta Island is a big favorite, as wellas the Dog Beach in Del Mar which justhas lovely energy, especially when thetide is low. I’m a foodie at heart too, andlove the local farmers markets for thefresh seasonal produce because I loveto cook. I really like the farmer’s mar-ket in La Jolla – there’s a great bike path

from Birdrock to La Jolla and it’s somuch fun to cycle there on Sundays forthe market. And there are so manygreat restaurants here too – Beaumont’sin Birdrock is a regular haunt, as wellas 926 on Turquoise, Sushi on the Rockin La Jolla and Bully’s in Del Mar.

Honest questions with localpet food CEO, Lucy Postins


Dr. Stefanie Schwartzis a board certified vet-erinary behavioristbased in Southern Cal-ifornia. She sees pa-tients at CaliforniaVeterinary Specialists inCarlsbad and at TheVeterinary NeurologyCenter in Tustin, CA. For

more information, please call (949) 342-6644or visit www.veterinarybehavior.org.

A recent survey of 1000 dog ownersin the UK reports that dog breeds mayreflect aspects of their guardians’ per-sonalities. Although this survey wasnot done scientifically, as it must be tomake any reliable conclusions, andthere are many overlapping categories,it is fun to think about.

Years ago, in my early years of smallanimal practice, I saw a sight that I willnever forget. There in the waiting roomwas a massive, rugged man wearing aleather vest with huge muscular tat-tooed arms. He wore leather pants andmotorcycle boots. His head was shavedsave for a handlebar moustache. And inhis beefy hands he cradled the tiniestwhite toy poodle with toenails paintedpink. Yes, really.

What did his dog say about him? Orare you, like I was, afraid to ask?

According to the UK survey, ownersof toy breeds are the most open to newexperiences. They are creative, intelli-gent, lovers of art. Fashion designerValentino has several Pugs; actress Na-talie Portman loves her Yorkies.

If you are a keeper of pastoral work-ing dogs (sheepdogs, collies, poodles)and utility breeds such as Schnauzersand others, then you are a true extro-vert, like to talk and be the center of at-tention, according to this survey. AdamSandler and Winston Churchill haveEnglish Bulldogs in common. TheQueen of England strolls the palacegrounds with her Pembroke WelshCorgis. If you carry your Chihuahuain a designer bag surely you must likeattention? Sir Isaac Newton had aPomeranian. Did Albert Einstein havea dog? He would have looked perfectwith an Old English Sheepdog.

Folks who have gundogs (spaniels,retrievers, pointers) and toy dogs(again) rated highest in agreeableness.These dog breeds apparently belong topeople who are easy to get along withand try to make other people feel at

ease. If I had asked my macho client“Why did you paint your dog’s nailspink and not red?” would he haveresponded “agreeably”?

People who are conscientious (duti-ful, disciplined, like schedules) haveworking dogs like Dalmatians, Bull-dogs, Chows and Boston Terriers.Helen Keller had a Boston Terrier; sodo I (my gorgeous BT Georgyannawas my ex-husband’s dog but I madea great trade).

Actually, I’m a sight hound person(my other two dogs are Salukis), whichaccording to the survey means that Iam extremely emotionally stable, freeof neurosis, calm and collected. I’m sorelieved to know this. But if you ask mykids, when I’m turning purple waitingfor them to clean their rooms, theymight not agree. Apparently, if you livewith Afghans, Rhodesian Ridgebacks,Foxhounds, Dachshunds, Beagles andbeyond, you are the calm at the centerof the storm. Just ask George Washing-ton, who had a foxhound, or Lyndon B.Johnson, who loved his Beagle.

Finally, if you love terriers in theirmany forms and sizes, you are in goodcompany. Here again, the survey de-scribes ambiguous categories. Terrierpeople also rank high in agreeablenessand openness, make you feel at ease,are open to new experiences and ap-preciate art. The same was found forpeople who have working dogs likeRotties, Danes, St. Bernards and Boxers.

The late Steve Irwin (the Australianconservationist) and actor Vin Dieselloved their Pitbulls (American Stafford-shire terriers); Jim Carey has a GreatDane.

So what does your dog’s breed sayabout you? Maybe it says that youchose a dog that makes you feel power-ful, or safe, or attractive. Maybe it saysthat you don’t care if there’s dog hair onyour sofa or business suit, or drool onthe walls. Maybe it says that you fell inlove with a divine mutt whose gazeentranced you at the shelter. Maybeyour healthy, happy, loving dog saysthat you are among the chosen to be soblessed. Be happy, you have a dog.

Or maybe you love cats (my threecats rule) or prefer unique pets likesnakes, spiders or rats? What doesGeorge Clooney’s Vietnamese potbel-lied pig say about him? Call me George;we can discuss it over a cappuccino inItaly.

Behavior Bytes

Stefanie Schwartz, DVM, MSc, DACVBVeterinary Behavior [email protected]

Have you ever wondered what your dog’s breed

says about you?


It’s 3 a.m. and a sleepy mom wakesand goes to the kitchen to warmsome bottles. Karen Kelley is no or-

dinary mom — she’s a San Diego Hu-mane Society “foster mom” to fourtiny puppies, who were found in aparking lot at just 8-days-old.

Sick and weak, this litter of puppieswas covered in dirt and their feet, tum-mies, and noses had sores and ulcers.When they arrived to the San DiegoHumane Society, the pups were im-mediately bathed, fed, examined by aveterinarian and were providedovernight care while awaiting an openfoster home the next day.

Kelley began fostering Jeff, Nick,Drew and Justin when they were 9-days-old. By 3-weeks-old, almost allof their sores had healed, and theywere steadily gaining weight. As a re-sult of around-the-clock care from theSDHS Foster Program, Jeff, Drew, Nickand Justin developed into healthypups with loving personalities, and itwasn’t long before they all found newhomes.

SDHS’s Foster Care Program is anurturing, rehabilitating and oftenlife-saving service for baby animals,mothers with litters, animals withminor medical needs or, those animalsin need of extra-special time and at-tention.

“The babies definitely take a lot ofwork,” says Kelley. “But it is all-the-

more rewarding when you care for ananimal from its very first days and getto watch them grow up.”

The Foster Care Program relies onvolunteers like Kelley to give specialanimals the special care they need. As“kitten season” draws near, even morefoster care volunteers are needed.“Many people assume they wouldn’tqualify to be a foster volunteer, and aresurprised when they hear that we pro-vide all necessary training and sup-plies,” said Kelley. “Anyone that hasthe time and a lot of love can be a fos-ter volunteer.”

Individuals in the foster program go

through an orientation as well as train-ing classes on the animals they will befostering. The San Diego Humane So-ciety provides foster volunteers withthe necessary training, supplies andsupport needed to care for their fosteranimals, including food, bowls, bed-ding, toys, litter, medication and anyveterinary services. Being a foster vol-unteer is a rewarding and fulfillingtask, requiring time, education andcommitment.

Karen said, “It’s such a joy to wit-ness their growth and see their differ-ent personalities emerge. My familyloves being a part of this –we all do.”

Fostering New BeginningsShort-Term Stays with Foster Parents Make a Long-Term Difference for Animals

H BdD 5FOSTER CARE


Snowflake, a 5-year old American Pit Bull Terrier, was aresident of the San Diego Humane Society for more thana year before claiming the hearts of a wonderful new fam-

ily. Snowflake’s new pet parents feel most grateful for findingthis gem of a doggie, and recently sent the San Diego HumaneSociety an update along with some photos of their cherishedfamily member...

“Roxie (formerly Snowflake) has been getting used to hernew home. She is such a sweet girl and we both love her dearly.She has the run of the house and has had no accidents (YAYRoxie)! She has met a number of our friends over the past 4months and loves to have visitors. They look at her size andher breed and you can tell they think she is going to be quite thehandful. She always amazes them with how sweet and gentleshe is. She has learned a few tricks and we are planning on tak-ing her to her first obedience training soon. She loves the sun-shine for a dog that is prone to sunburn LOL. We picked upsome new sun block that she seems to not mind. Now she cango out and enjoy the new hammock bed she has in the back-yard without getting sunburned.

She continues to love her treats, her belly rubs and lots of at-tention. This has been a wonderful situation for all of us. Shehas a loving home with two owners who think she is amazingand sweet. She seems to love us back and enjoys her new homeand especially her backyard.”

HAPPILYEVERADOPTEDSTORIES

Benefits of Foster CareCertain animals may have difficulty adapting to life in a shelter and cangreatly benefit from spending time in a home.

The foster experience is rewarding for both the animal and the volunteer.

Animals benefit from the comfort of a home environment, plus theyreceive much-needed socialization with both people and other pets.

Foster volunteers find the experience very fulfilling and take great joyin watching a young animal grow up or helping to nurse a sick animalback to health.

While San Diego Humane Society Foster Volunteers contribute thou-sands of hours of service per month, there is always more that needs tobe done. To discover the amazing reward of witnessing the “thank you”in the eyes of countless baby and recovering animals first-hand, pleasevisit www.sdhumane.org or email [email protected].


When it comes to San DiegoCounty, it is not a question of“if” a disaster will strike, but

rather “when”. While our two mostlikely disasters would be yet anotherfirestorm or a major earthquake, wealso could be faced with flooding, a nu-clear accident, tsunami, terrorist activ-ity or a pandemic disease. And whocan forget the 2011 blackout when all ofSan Diego County went dark and ournormal lives came screeching to a halt?The big question is, when a disasterdoes strike, will you be prepared?

The Department of Animal Servicesencourages everyone to be prepared forthe next disaster. That means not onlyhaving a disaster plan for your family,but your pets as well. As an animalowner, you are responsible for the evac-

uation and sheltering of your animals.After all, aren’t Fido, Fluffy, Tweetie,and Speedy part of your family as well?

If in doubt, get outMost importantly, if you are told to

evacuate, do so immediately and takeyour animals with you. You should al-ways have two predetermined evacua-tion routes and meeting areas in case ofa disaster. Why two? Because you cannever know if an evacuation route maybe closed due to the disaster. We alsostrongly encourage you to practice yourevacuation plan as it will probably takelonger than you think to gather all yourbelongings and pets and evacuate. Inaddition, check with your neighbors tosee if they can help to evacuate yourpets if you are not at home when a dis-aster strikes.

In the time of a voluntary evacuation,it falls upon you as the animal owner tofind a place to take your family andpets. We recommend that you checkwith local hotels, veterinary clinics andboarding facilities in advance to see ifthey can accommodate your pets. Youshould also check with friends andfamily that live out of the area to see ifthey could provide a safe place for youand your pets to stay.

In a mandatory evacuation, the FireDepartment and law enforcementcannot make you leave. But, rest as-sured, it is in your best interest to doso. Staying behind puts not onlyyour life at risk but also those of thefirst responders that are respondingto the disaster. You must be preparedto take everything with you in onetrip because you will not be allowedback into the disaster area once theroadblocks have gone up.

Making a lis t and checking it twice

The Department of Animal Servicesrecommends that you prepare, prac-tice, and update a disaster plan withyour family, and assemble emergencysupplies ahead of time. As a part ofan overall plan to protect your familymembers, the following recom-mendations can help you preparefor a disaster and keep you andyour animals safe:• Make sure that all of your animals havesome form of identification on them atall times. While you are required to have adog license tag on your dogs, we alsostrongly encourage you to microchip yourdogs, cats and other pets and have thosemicrochip numbers registered with yourcurrent information not only with the De-partment of Animal Services but also themicrochip company as well.

PET DISASTER PREPAREDNESSB y D A N I E L D E S O U S A | C O U N T Y O F S A N D I E G O D E PA RT M E N T O F A N I M A L S E RV I C E S

SEE SDDAC, Page 21


Idon’t own a lawnmower. No desire.I did the “big yard, riding lawnmower” experience back a decade

ago when I lived in a little town calledEmmaus, Penn. Each week, I prayedmy mower would cooperate so I couldgive my five acres a buzz cut. Moreoften than not, a mechanical snafuwould make the weekly task even moretasking.

Happily, I am sans lawnmower atmy house in Oceanside. I’m big onbeing a lazy yard keeper. No grass forme. Just low-maintenance shrubs, col-ored rock and artificial turf for myfenced backyard.

But like many of you, I have a hairyroto-tiller – a four-legger who answersto the name Chipper. Until I had the ar-tificial turf installed, this 60-poundGolden Retriever/Husky mix tookgreat delight in dashing out the doggydoor into the backyard to bury her lat-est prize. Sometimes it was a brandnew squeaky toy. Other times, shegrabbed a tennis ball. She selected thecorner of my backyard and started dig-ging – with the frenzy that would makea school of gophers gulp in envy. Shedug deep and then plunked her toy ortreat into the hole and proceeded to re-fill it by nosing the pyramid of dirt.Then she tried to get past me like a foot-ball fullback to scurry into the houseand adorn my white tile with hermuddy paws. Oh joy.

Far too many dogs put the “d” in dig.Understanding this canine motivationis the first step in protecting yourprized roses, your herb garden andyour lawn. Thousands of years ago,dogs did not know where their nextmeal would come from, so after a kill,they would bury any uneaten food to

hide it from scavengers. They returnedto this “canine pantry” when they werehungry again. The dirt also helped tokeep their food fresher longer by pro-tecting it from sunlight. The moderndog is just following that ancestral urge– doesn’t matter that you feed your dogevery day. It’s hard to take that “muststash food for a hungry day” mentalityout of your dog.

Another reason dogs dig is to burnoff energy and relieve boredom. Theseare signs that your dog needs to be ex-ercised more often – and more vigor-ously. Take long walks in the morningand evening and vary the routes.

You can’t take the “dig” out of thedog, but you can re-direct this innatedesire and save a few petunias in theprocess. Fortunately, we have a mastergardener (and pet lover) in our ownbackyard. Judy Macomber, of Vista, isalso publisher of Pet Lovers Publica-tions (www.petloverspubications.com)and occasionally offers classes onachieving pet-gardening harmony.

SHE OFFERS THESE CREATIVE, COMPROMISINGWAYS TO TAME YOUR DIG-MINDED DOG ANDMAINTAIN A BEAUTIFUL BACKYARD:• Create a mini “doggyland” by devotinga portion of your backyard to your dog.Buy an inexpensive plastic kiddy pool, fillit with dirt and hide a few dog treats andtoys for your dog to discover. Or putabout one foot of water and create an in-stant doggy pool. Encourage your dog tobob for balls and replace the water eachday to keep it fresh.

• Treat your dog to his own made-in-the-shade spot in the backyard by taking an

old picnic table, sawing the legs in half tomake it lower in height. This gives your dogthe option of lounging under the picnictable for shade or sitting on top for sun.

• Stash your delicate flowers and herbs inhanging pots out of paw’s reach.Desig-nate a small section in your backyard togrow greens like alfalfa, barley or wheat-grass if your dog likes to nibble on grass.

• Spritz your garden with what she calls“pepper pooch.”Mix two tablespoons ofcayenne pepper and 6 drops of dishwash-ing soap in a gallon of water. Place this so-lution in a spray bottle and apply it toyour plants. Schedule this spraying whenyour dog is not around. Wait at least 10minutes for it to dry before you allow yourdog in the backyard.

• Fill in the holes where you dog has dugand place heavy rocks on top of thesespots. Dogs usually prefer soft dirt to carryout their excavations.

I offer this bonus tip: Give your dog a less-destructive indoor alternative by showinghim how to can bury his favorite bone or toyunder a blanket or behind the sofa. This tac-tic worked like a charm on Chipper.

Founder of Four LeggedLife.com and creator ofNational Dog Party Day,Arden Moore is an ani-mal behavior consultant,best-selling author, pro-fessional speaker andcertified pet first aid in-structor. Tune into her

OhBehave! ShowonPet Life Radio andenroll inher pet first aid classes. For more information,please visitwww.fourleggedlife.com,www.pet-firstaid4u.com andwww.petliferadio.com.

Arden Moore, ACCBC, ADCBCPet trend, behavior and safety [email protected]

TAMEYOURDIG-

MINDEDDOG

On Oct. 17, 1989, at exactly 5:04 p.m.,the Loma Prieta earthquake hit the SanFrancisco Bay area. It lasted 10 to 15seconds, but it felt like a lot longerthan that.

I know. I was there.I rushed home from the pool where I

was teaching swimming lessons, usingback streets to avoid the lock-ups intraffic. Luckily, I lived in the mostly res-idential Sunset District, an area close tomy work. I flew into the house, callingfor my cats, expecting them to greet meat the door as usual.

They were nowhere to be found.There was, however, a great deal of

glass on the floor, and I was barefootand wearing a wet bathing suit.

Fear clutched my heart. Where weremy babies?

I tiptoed through the glass, calling,looking under furniture. I finally got tomy bedroom, and there they were, twosets of wide-open eyes in the darknessof the closet, peeking out at me.

They were as happy to see me as Iwas to see them.

However, they would not come outof the closet.

I thought they just needed to calmdown, so I changed into dry clothes,put on my shoes and began to clean up

the glass.And then the shaking started again.

I stood in the doorway of my bedroom,bracing myself, and saw my kittiesduck deeper into the closet. After twomore aftershocks, they finally emergedto greet me, unscathed and more wor-ried about me than I was about them.

I decided the worst was over, sinceFelix perched on his favorite win-dowsill perch for a bath and Luckyhelped me clean up the rest of the glass.

So here are my tips forsurviving an earthquakewith your furry friend:1. Leave a closet door openwhen you arenot at home. My cats were able to take coverwhen they needed to, and at the very least itsaved them from being hurt by broken glass.It likely gave them some comfort, too.

2. Do not give your pets tap water after aquake. It may be contaminated. Be sure tokeep a stock of bottled water for you andfor them.

3. Keep a supply of pet food as well.Wedid not have access to grocery shopping fortwo to three days, and I was glad I wasstocked up.

4. Throw out any pet food or water thatwas sitting out during the quake. Theremight be shards of glass in there. Thor-oughly wash the bowls before refilling them.

5. If your pet requires medications, keepa supply of those as well.

6. Reassure your pets with lots of loveand attention. They may not verbalize itlike humans, but they feel stress and anxietytoo. Plus, you get the benefit of theircomforting presence!

7. Above all, pay attention to your pets.They definitely have a sixth sense aboutoncoming earthquakes, and you can getyourself and them into a safer place if youare forewarned.

KR Johnson is an award-winningspeaker, longtime educator and advocate forkids and improvisational theater performer.She is the author of The Eleventh Sense, thehilarious journey of Simon, who must findhis mother’s killer with the help of the mostunusual, and annoying, bunch of friendsever, available on amazon.com.


How to quake-proof your house for catsB y K R J O H N S O N | S A N D I E G O P E T S


What’s more fun than a barrel of mon-keys? 100 dogs on a bay cruise.

On board Hornblower’s M/V Adven-ture, dogs are the stars of the show forthe annual Pet Day on the Bay.

Normally Hornblower’s passenger listconsists of tourists, vacationers, familiesand people wanting to enjoy the pictur-esque vistas and warm sunny weatheron the bay. Pet Day on the Bay will hostdogs of all breeds and their owners onthree one-hour tours of the bay. Every-thing from Chihuahuas to Collies, Bea-gles to Bassets, Shelties to Shepherds andRetrievers to Ridgebacks will be walkingthe gently rolling decks in the warm SanDiego sunshine. The furry swabbies willgive the dog lovers on board a lot to talkabout. The dogs will have fun, doingwhat dogs do when they meet one an-other, scampering about on leash, lyingdown in the warm sun and making newfriends.

“It requires a little forethought,” Horn-blower’s Marketing Director RebeccaMilkey said with a smile. “We know a lotof dogs will be on board so we have vol-unteers to work the cruise. It alwaysworks out well and it’s lots of fun.”

When asked about some of the delicateissues which occur when a pack of dogsare allowed to walk the decks of a 165-foot excursion boat, Milkey laughed.“We have a company called Easy Turf,which manufactures a grass substitute.They provide a large square of it for the‘Poop Deck,’ where the dogs can relievethemselves. Volunteers are there to pickup. We also have a Vet Tech on board incase any dogs are bitten, but nothing se-rious has ever happened,” she said withpride.

“The crew is terrific.”Vendors selling doggy treats will be on

board for the day.All the proceeds from the cruise will

benefit Helen Woodward Animal Center,an organization in north county which

has for 30 years believed people help an-imals through trust, unconditional love,and respect, and works to create a legacyof caring. The Center inspires andteaches, locally and globally, the impor-tance of the animal-human bond. Manynursing homes and hospitals host HelenWoodward animals to foster love andhealing with their animals.

“We’ve had a great relationship withHelen Woodward for several years,” saidMilkey. “It’s such a good way to raisemoney for a wonderful organizationand really brings dogs and animal loverstogether.”

The Public Relations spokesperson forHelen Woodward said of Hornblower’scruises, “It is wonderful. Everybody de-serves a lot of praise for what they do.”

For all San Diego dog owners and an-imal lovers, this is a great and fun eventfor the whole family. Bring the dog(s)and come on board to enjoy the sun,warm breezes and the wagging tails.

For more information on Helen Wood-ward Animal Center, go to their website

at: www.animalcenter.org http://www.animalcenter.org/about_

hwac/To contact Hornblower, go to:http://www.hornblower.com

Shaggy Swabbies Treated to aPet Day on the Bay

B y M A R K C A R L S O N | S A N D I E G O P E T S

MARK CARLSON, 51 lives in San Diegowith his wife Jane and his Guide dog Mus-ket. A docent at the San Diego Air & Space

Museum and aviation histo-rian, Mark writes for severalnational aviation maga-zines. He is a featuredspeaker for many localadult education pro-grams. His first book,‘Confessions of aGuide Dog – TheBlonde Leading theBlind’ is a humorousmemoir about the

adventures of life with Musket.It is available in through Amazon.com,

Barnesandnoble.com and iUniverse.com.You can reach Mark and Musket throughwww.musketmania.com.

Hornblower’s Annual Cruise for the Helen Woodward Animal Center

Living in southern California wedon’t often think of dealing withdisasters but we have our own

versions; fire in the fall months andflooding in the spring. No matter thesource or type of crisis situation, youneed to have a plan for evacuatingyour pets – including your rabbitcompanions.

Be prepared. Make a plan. Make abackup plan in case you aren’t home soa friend or neighbor can help with youranimals. If you evacuate, do not leaveyour rabbits behind! Don’t worry aboutthem being overly stressed by themove; it doesn’t matter. This is a matterof life and death and evacuating themto safety is a must.

Keep these tips in mindand prepare your fire evacuation plan now: • Purchase a carrier for every rabbit orbunny pair. The best is the hard-sidedplastic carrier that will be sturdy enoughto contain them for some time if needed.If you do not have a carrier use these al-ternatives: laundry basket with a towel inthe bottom, empty box, a gym bag orbackpack, plastic storage tote or as a lastresort, a pillowcase from your bed. What-ever it takes - get your rabbits out of thehouse.

• At the first hint of problems in yourarea, assemble your rabbit’s carrier andhave it near your rabbit’s living area. Allyou do is load the bunny, grab and go.

• Keep frozen water bottles on hand totuck into your bunny’s carrier to keep himcool if needed. Extras can go into a coolerwith a small supply of veggies.

• Keep extra pellets in the freezer andgallon bottles of water in your car. This isthe minimum you need to feed your bunwhile evacuated.

• Make plans ahead of timewith friendsor family to evacuate to their home. Workout an alternative in case you can’t getthrough to the first location. Discuss in

advance, bringing along your rabbit com-panions and how you will house them.

• If you don’t have a place you can go,check out evacuation centers; schools,sports stadiums, fair grounds, etc. willcommonly house evacuees and their pets.In times of crisis, many hotels will relaxtheir ‘no pets’ policy.

Once evacuated:

Use these options to tem-porarily house your rabbit:• Place a large towel on the floor of thetub; add bunny’s litter box and a plasticbowl for water. Pull the curtain or slide theglass door closed. To keep air flowing,turn on the overhead vent.

• Put bunny and her litter box on thefloor of the shower stall.

• Take bunny’s x-pen and set up inkitchen or other area just out of traffic.You can double over pen walls to use lessroom.

If you find yourself in trouble dur-ing an evacuation, try contacting SanDiego House Rabbit Society [email protected] or telephone858-356-4286. We will know where toevacuate, vet hospitals offering freeboarding, sources of food or supplies,and volunteers willing to take in rab-bits on a temporary basis. If you loseyour home, many shelters and hu-mane societies have programs tohouse your pet for a period of time toallow you to get settled.

Plan ahead and be safe!

H BdD 5 RABBITS


Disaster Preparedness for Rabbit FamiliesB y J U D I T H P I E R C E | S A N D I E G O P E T S


H BdD 5PET DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

• At least seven days worth of food andwater for each pet and food and waterbowls. If you have canned food, make surethat you include a manually operated canopener & plastic can lid for the canned food.

• A copy of current veterinary records, in-cluding rabies & wellness vaccination certifi-cates, and at least a week’s worth of anyneeded medicines & supplies – in a water-proof container. Proof of current vaccinationsmay be required by boarding facilities.

• A pet first aid guide and supplies, includingwound cleaning, dressing, and bandagingmaterial.

• Several recent photographsof you and yourpet kept in a waterproof container just in caseyour animal gets lost.

• A crate or carrier for each pet large enoughfor your pet to stand and turn around in.

• A leash and collar or harness for youranimals, and a muzzle for any dog known tobe aggressive or defensive around people orother animals.

• Toys, treats and bedding for each pet.

• Supplies to collect and dispose of petwastes,e.g., plastic bags, scooper, cat litter, etc.

Special Considerations for Livestock

If you have horses or other livestock,you must have a horse or livestock trailer,and make sure that the animals knowhow to load. Horse owners should en-sure that a halter and lead line for eachhorse is kept on or near its enclosure gate.Attaching the owner’s identification tothe halter or lead will help to ensure theanimals are returned to their owner.

If you are unable to evacuate yourhorses or livestock, ensure that you havedefensible space around their corrals andbarns. Do not simply open the gates andlet them run loose as that puts the first re-sponders that are on the roads at risk ofbeing in an accident.

By following these helpful tips, it is thehope of the County of San Diego Depart-ment of Animal that you and your familymembers, both two-legged and four-legged, stay safe in the next disaster thatimpacts our community.

SDDACCONTINUED FROM Page 16


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B y K E N D R A H A RT M A N N | S A N D I E G O P E T S

In 2005, Barbara Fuscsick was work-ing in management for FedExKinko’s in San Diego when tragedy

struck her family – twice. When herfather passed away, Fuscsick foundherself traveling back and forth to her

East Coast home-town to settle herfamily’s affairs andhelp her mothersettle into a nursinghome – and worry-ing that she mightlose her job becauseof it. A week afterher mother movedinto the home, she,too, passed away,

just six months after Fuscsick’s father.It was enough to shake the strongestperson to the core.

“The aftermath of these two trau-matic back-to-back losses left me pro-foundly questioning the meaning of lifeand time,” she said. “It was then that Idecided that with the time left in myown life, I needed to pursue what mypurpose was.”

Fuscsick had always enjoyed draw-ing, and had even designed a logo to

use as a personal calling card – a dogwearing a beret, with a catchy, allitera-tive moniker: Puppy Paws Productions.Until that tragic year, she didn’t haveany real plans to turn the logo or herpassion for drawing into anything morethan a hobby. But when her parents’deaths prompted her to start asking thebig questions, she realized she neededto make a change.

“I had a deep need to find whatmade my life meaningful, to do whatmade me truly happy and to occupymy time engaged in the art of living,rather than merely making a living,”she said. “So I summoned every ounceof courage I had and made a terrifyingleap off the cliff and – Holy Batman! – Iquit my job.”

Hoping to turn her hobby into a lu-crative – or at least self-sustaining –business, Fuscsick went to the drawingboard – so to speak – and for a year anda half, “drew [her] heart out.”

“In that time, I finally knew what Iwanted to do when I grew up. I wantedto draw; to express and communicatevisually,” she said. “And I wanted tospend my day with my dog. ... The fearof transitioning to an entrepreneuriallife initially took my breath away. But

each new breath now comes from whatI feel is authentically inside me.”

Fuscsick had no formal training, onlythe drawings she had done for her ownamusement and the occasional card orsketch for a friend. It took some time,she said, to “practice and develop theskill and confidence” in her ability.

But develop it she did. Starting withgreeting cards and gift tags, she hassince added a growing repertoire toPuppy Paws Productions. She now of-fers handcrafted items, like photoframes, leash holders and Christmas or-naments, in addition to dog-inspiredproducts – Mighty Mutt Magnets,Pooch Memo Pads and ceramic com-memorative collars. In partnership with

Drawing on life’s challengesleads one artist to the doghouse

Barbara Fuscsick

H BdD 5PET BUSINESS


Iceland PureThe Clean Power of NatureUnscented pharmaceutical-gradesalmon oil for your pets.http://www.icelandpure.com

Leashes and LovePet Sitting and Dog Walking CompanyServing San Diego and surrounding areas(619) 296-4928www.leashesandlove.com

BUSINESS LISTINGSLu Meyer, Obedience AcademyK-9 Family Matters, Only the best will do!Trusted, Experienced, Award WinningObedience Training. (760) 436-3571www.EncinitasObedience.com

National Cat Protection SocietyA shelter whose mission is dedicatedto the protection and welfare of cats.9031 Birch St. • Spring Valley(619) 469-8771 • http://natcat.org

Leash Your FitnessFitness class for you and your DOG.Classes / events throughtout San Diego.619-822-3296http://www.LeashYourFitness.com

Project WildlifeWildlife rehabilitation and education887 1/2 Sherman Street, SD, CA 92110Wildlife Hotline 619-225-9453www.projectwildlife.org

Pet First Aid 4 UDog and cat 1st aid, CPR classesHands-on training. Earn certificate.Throughout S.D. • (760) 433-3480www.petfirstaid4u.com

Mission Animal & Bird Hospital655 Benet Road, Oceanside, CA. 92058 (760) 433-3763 Email: [email protected]

PoopPac Dog Walkers CaseBAG IT – PAC IT – TRASH IT!Enjoy your walk in styleNo Odor - No Mess - It Works!www.pooppac.com

Café Press, she has a line of T-shirts andother merchandise, including dogbowls, coffee mugs, and kids’ coloringcards that feature stalls at the GoldenHill Farmers Market, “so that the littleones can commemorate their experi-ence in a fun way.” She even producescustomized postage stamps.

“The impetus for the creation of newproducts is always inspired by what I,as a dog lover, would go crazy for if Iwere shopping,” she said.

As for a model mutt, Fuscsick relieson her second CEO, Carmelle (the firstCEO of Puppy Paws Productions,Pepper, reigned for several years, butsadly, passed away in January), andCarmelle’s pals. Fuscsick often ob-serves dogs and their owners, “tryingto guess what they are thinking orimagining what they might say if they

could speak.”“Luckily, my fascination with these

beings that somehow communicate sodeeply with us while never uttering aword has never left me dry for mate-rial,” she said. “They are the real sourceof my creativity as I suppose I have ayen to help interpret their world. Mybest friend is convinced that I was adog, myself, in a former life, and per-haps my Karma has led me to beingtheir snout piece.”

And how has her life changed, sincemaking such a drastic change thoseyears ago?

“The entrepreneurial life is a fun andsatisfying way to make my waythrough the world,” she said. “Puttingkibbles in Carmelle’s bowl is always achallenge, especially in these rougheconomic times and when digital com-

munication has taken center stage. But,I do what I love and I love what I do.What could be better than that?”

Catch Fuscsick’s cartoons in SanDiego Pets Magazine every month. Formore information, visit www.puppy-pawsproductions.com.

SHOP PUPPY PAWS PRODUCTIONSAT THE GOLDEN HILL CERTIFIED FARMERS MARKET EVERY SATURDAY RAIN OR SHINE, 9:30 AM - 1:30 PM — ON B STREET BETWEEN 27TH AND 28TH STREET

Emergency HospitalsBONITA/CHULA VISTAPet Emergency & SpecialtyCenter of South County (619) 591-4802885 Canarios Court, #108, Chula Vista, CA 91910 www.PESCSanDiego.com

CARLSBADCalifornia Veterinary Specialists(760) 431-2273 2310 Faraday Ave., Carlsbad, CA 92008, 7 days 24 hrs.www.CaliforniaVeterinarySpecialists.com

ENCINITASVCA North Coast Veterinary & Emergency (760) 632-1072 414 Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas, CA 92024, www.VCANorthCoast.com

ESCONDIDOAnimal Urgent Care of Escondido (760) 738-9600 2430-A S. Escondido Blvd., Escondido, CA 92025, 7Days 24 hrs. www.AUC.US.com

KEARNY MESA/CLAIREMONTAnimal ER of San Diego (858) 569-06005610 Kearny Mesa Road, San Diego, CA 92111 M-F 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. Sat. Sun. 24 hrs.

LA MESAPet Emergency & Specialty Center (619) 462-4800 5232 Jackson Drive #105, La Mesa, CA 91942, 7 Days 24 hrs.www.PESCSanDiego.com

MISSION VALLEYVCA Emergency Animal Hospital & Referral Center (619) 229-2400 2317 Hotel Circle South, San Diego, CA92108,7 Days 24 hrs.www.VCAEmergency.com

MURRIETACalifornia Veterinary Specialists(951) 600-9803 25100 Hancock Ave. #116, Murrieta, CA 92562, 7days 24 hrs.www.CaliforniaVeterinarySpecialists.com

POWAYAnimal Emergency Clinic (858) 748-738712775 Poway Road, Poway, CA 92064 M-F 6 p.m. to8 a.m. Sat. Sun. 24 hrs.www.AnimalEmergencySD.com

SAN MARCOSVeterinary Specialty Hospital(760) 466-0600 2055 Montiel Road, Suite 104, San Marcos, CA 92069www.vshsd.com

SORRENTO VALLEYVeterinary Specialty Hospital(858) 875-750010435 Sorrento Valley Road., San Diego, CA 92121 7Days 24 hrs.www.VSHSD.com

Animal Shelters & Humane SocietiesACCEPT STRAYS & HAVE ADOPTIONBAY PARK/MISSION VALLEYCounty Animal Services5480 Gaines St., CA 92110 (619) 767-2675www.sddac.com Hours: Tues-Sat 9:30am to 5:30pm

BONITACounty Animal Services5821 Sweetwater Road, CA 91902 (619) 767-2675www.sddac.com Hours: Tues-Sat 9:30am to 5:30pm

CAMP PENDLETONCamp Pendleton Animal Shelter4th St. Area 25 Bldg. 25132 CA 92054 (760) 725-8120

CARLSBADCounty Animal Services2481 Palomar Airport Road, CA 92011 (619) 767-2675www.sddac.com Hours: Tues-Sat 9:30am to 5:30pm

CHULA VISTACity of Chula Vista Animal Shelter 130 Beyer Way, CA 91911 (619) 691-5123Hours: M-F 10am to 5pm Sat. 10am to 4pm

CORONADOAnimal Control Facility700 Orange Ave, Coronado, CA 92118 (619) 522-7371 Hours: 7 days 8:30am to 4:30am

EL CAJONCity of El Cajon Animal Shelter 1275 N. Marshall Ave., CA 92020 (619) 441-1580Hours: Tues-Sat 10am to 5:30pm

ESCONDIDOEscondido Humane Society 3450 E. Valley Parkway, CA 92027 (760) 888-2275 www.EscondidoHumaneSociety.comHours: 7 days 10am to 5pm

OCEANSIDESan Diego Humane Society-North (For dogs)2905 San Luis Rey Road, CA 92058 (619) 299-7012www.SDHumane.org Hours: 7 days 10am-4pm

San Diego Humane Society-North (For cats )572 Airport Road, CA 92058 (619) 299-7012www.SDHumane.org Hours: 7 days 10am-4pm

ACCEPT OWNER RELINQUISHED ANIMALSBAY PARK/MISSION VALLEYSan Diego Humane Society-San Diego Campus5500 Gaines Street, CA 92110 (619) 299-7012 www.SDHumane.org Hours: Mon-Fri 11am-6pm Sat-Sun 11am-5pmEL CAJONFriends of Cats15587 Olde Highway 80, CA, 92021 (619) 561-0361www.FriendsofCats.org Hours: Tues-Sun 10am to 4pm

ENCINITASRancho Coastal Humane Society389 Requeza Street, CA 92024 (760) 753-6413 www.sdpets.orgHours: 11am -5pm every day except Tues. 11:30am-5pm

RANCHO SANTA FEHelen Woodward Animal Center 6461 El Apajo Road, CA 92067 (858) 756-4117 www.AnimalCenter.org Hours: 7 days 11am to 6pmSPRING VALLEYNational Cat Protection Society9031 Birch Street, CA 91977 (619) 469-8771www.NatCat.org Hours: Tue.-Sat. Noon to 5pm

H BdD 5 RESOURCE GUIDE

MAY 2012 | www.sandiegopetsmagazine.com

A Passion For Paws (Akita Rescue)(818) 925-4827www.AP assionForPaws.org

Baja Dog Rescue(619) 407-9372www.bajadogrescue.org

Bat Rescuewww.batrescue.org

Boxers N Birds (all breeds rescue and adoption)Like us on Facebook. 3308 Mission Ave.Oceanside, CA 92058. (760) 433-3763 x224www.petfinder.com/shelters/CA1647.html

Cat Adoption Service(760) 550-2287www.sdcats.org

Chihuahua Rescue of San Diegowww.ChihuahuaRescueofSanDiego.com

Forgotten Paws Animal Rescuewww.forgottenpaws.org

German Shorthaired Pointer Rescue(760) 726-4813www.GSP-Rescue.org

Greyhound Connectionwww.GreyhoundConnection.org

Independent Therapy Dogs, Inc.A non-profit therapy dog organization providingtherapy dog visits for anyone who would like one.e-mail: [email protected]://sites.google.com/site/idtdinc/

It’s The PitsSpecializing in the Bully Breeds(858) 484-0985

List Srv 4 Therapy Dog TeamsA listing service/electronic bulletin [email protected]

Operation Greyhound(619) 588-6611www.OperationGreyhound.com

Paws of Coronado(619) 522-7371www.PawsOfCoronado.org

Pit Bull Rescue of San Diego(858) 693-7331www.PitBullRescueSanDiego.com

Rescue House(760) 591-1211www.rescuehouse.org

San Diego House Rabbit Society(858) 356-4286www.SanDiegoRabbits.org

S.D. Turtle & Tortoise Society(619) 593-2123www.SDTurtle.org

Second Chance Dog Rescue(619) 721-DOGS (3647)http://secondchancedogrescue.org

Westie Rescue of California(619) 579-6395www.WestieRescueCA.com

Rescue, Adoption andService Organizations

24


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Silva’s Dog TrainingTraining Puppies and Adult Dogs“From the Moment They Arrive Home!”(760) 613-3175www.silvasdogtraining.com

Star Grooming on FifthProfessional Pet Stylist1845 Fifth Ave (Between Elm & Fir)(619) 571-1795 www.stargroomingonfifth.com

TouchNpaws & MakeNscentsComfort * Wellness * MobilityServing the North County area (Mira Mesa up)(619) 405-4144 • www.TouchNpaws.com

The Total Dog, Swim & Gym3060 Industry St., Ste. 108Oceanside, CA • 760-721-1DOG (1364)www.mytotaldog.com

TTouch for dogs, cats and rabbitsBy certified practitioner Mary E. Cannon858-361-8038www.crittertouch.com

BUSINESS LISTINGSList your Business, call (619) 573-5615 for rates.

Puptown Doggy Daycare205 16th Street.San Diego, CA 92101(619) 234-5278 www.puptown.net

San Diego Humane Society & SPCA(619) 299-7012www.sdhumane.org

SD House Rabbit Society(858) 356-4286www.SanDiegoRabbits.org

Shelter Dogs To Dream DogsLearning With Love Dog TrainingAnimal Behavioral Specialist(619) 813-1252, [email protected]

Whole Dog Sports CenterDog training agility sports. All levels.6,000 sq ft indoor field. Classes available.Located in Carlsbad • (760) 931-2600 www.WholeDogSports.com

Welcome to the Dr.'s Cor-ner. I am Dr. Jason Sweitzerand I am a veterinarian atMission Animal and BirdHospital in Oceanside witha specific interest in Emer-gency Medicine, Behavior,and Exotic Animals. Thiscolumn is your chance toask a vet your questions. I’llpick topics that are the mosttimely and useful to petowners but will try to re-spond to all e-mails. Pleasesubmit your questions [email protected].

Q: What can I do to makesure my pets are ready incase of a disaster?

A:This is a very importantquestion that many peopleoverlook. Being that May 8th

is disaster preparedness day, it is timefor me to update my disaster plan too.Disasters such as earthquakes, fire,floods, etc., can be very scary and maycome without any warning. If a firebreaks out in your home, you won'thave time to logically think througheverything and find all of the importantdetails, and want to already have a plan.

A good plan should include a safeescape plan and meet up place for yourfamily and your pets, all important

medications and records, and importantcontact information.

Emergency kits for any animal shouldinclude: a collapsable food and waterdish, several days worth of food, somebottled water, any medications, severaltoys and snacks for them, a copy of theirmedical records update in the past year,a current photo and description of them,and their microchip number.

Additionally dogs should have aleash and collar, and some doggiedoody bags. Cats should have a carrierwith a cat bed, small litter box filledwith some litter. Birds and many ro-dents and small reptiles should have atravel cage. Snakes should have a pillowcase to transport them in.

You should make sure your animalhas a microchip to help identify themif they should escape or get lost in theconfusion. Tags may get lost or torn offbut shelters and veterinary hospitals allhave microchip scanners to help iden-tify any stray animal. It is importantthat you keep the microchip registeredwith current contact information.Nothing is sadder than when I find amicrochipped animal and cannot returnthem because the owner moved andforgot to update their phone numberand address.

Lastly, try to have one animal firstaid kit: This should include betadineto clean wounds, bandage material,extra bottled water, and 2-3 days ofany critical medication for each animal.This kit can have the copy of the medicalrecords, the escape plan, importantphone numbers including your vet, thelocal emergency clinics, the local shel-ters and animal control agencies, yourclosest friends and relatives, and themicrochip number and registrationinformation.

Together we can make sure that in anemergency, you and your pets can makeit through this scary time safely and getback to normal as fast as possible.

Keep those questions coming. –Dr. Jason Sweitzer

MAY 2012 | www.sandiegopetsmagazine.com/events26

Meet The Vet NightWhole Dogs Sports Center www.wholedogsports.comFirst Friday of Every Month.

Pet Cancer AwarenessMay is Pet Cancer AwarenessMonth. petcancerawareness.org

Walk For The AnimalsCrown Point, May 5, 2012www.sdhumane.org

Animal DisasterPreparedness DayMay 8, 2012

Pet Day on the BayMay 12, 2012. 10:30am, 12pm & 1pmwww.hornblower.com, See page 19

Adoption A-FairRancho Coastal Humane SocietyMay 19 , 2012. 11 am - 2 pmwww.sdpets.org

JUNE EVENTS ONLINE

M ore events and details posted online:

www.SanDiegoPetsMagazine.com/events

CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

H BdD 5


MARKETPLACEBe Your Pet’s Health Ally!

760-433-3480www.petfirstaid4u.com

Pet First Aid/CPR classes

san diego pets magazine, may 2012

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