A WOMAN has been banned from keeping animals for 10 years after leaving her rottweiler with her teenage son for a month.

Rochdale were told the dog was put down after being found starved inside a garden littered with knives and broken glass.

Its owner, Jacqulyn Alexander, 43, had gone to Scotland and left the dog in the care of her 13-year-old son and ex-husband.

The dog, called Harry, was taken into RSPCA care last August after officers found it living in dilapidated kennels covered in urine and faeces at a house in Raneley Grove, Kirkholt.

Harry had been living in the back garden with an English bull terrier-type dog known as Shady.

The kennels were surrounded by broken glass, protruding nails and black bags.

Harry had been locked inside one of the runs and was severely malnourished, he was suffering from serious problems with his back legs, finding it difficult to stand.

Shady was allowed to run loose among the broken glass and faeces.

RSPCA officer Alison Wilkinson believed that because Shady was allowed to run free he had been able to keep himself alive by stealing from bins, while Harry’s confinement had caused severe deterioration.

Speaking outside court, Ms Wilkinson said: "The condition of the garden was shocking, it was in an appalling state.

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A blind German shepherd. A grateful cat. A woman whose life richly deepened. We asked Toronto Star readers for their stories about adopting shelter animals. A few sadly wrote about pets who didn’t work out, but the vast majority told tales of continuing love and new-found joy.

We got more than 150 responses from our readers about their experience with shelter adoptions. As part of the Pedigree Adoption Drive (mypedigree.ca), gift baskets are being given to the three top stories as determined by Star judges.

Those winners are: Victoria Martin of Toronto, Diane Devey of Markham and Sandra Kendall, Schomberg. Thank you to all those who participated.

As a rescue group, we often get calls from shelters about dogs with special needs. About three years ago, we took a shelter call concerning a senior bichon frise with a nasty form of cancer who probably didn't have much longer to live. The dog had a lovely personality and the shelter workers were trying to find her a caring space to finish her days. One of our members, Judy Keep, took Fuzzi home.

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With gas prices soaring, financial times are tight right now. Rising gas prices mean that everything costs more. From food at the grocery store to every day items, prices reflect the increased cost of shipping products. We have seen an increase in our overhead at our veterinary facility as manufacturers walk the line between providing inventory while maintaining reasonable margins for shipping and handling.

In times like these, people are looking for ways to save money where they can. My young children have a lesson at school centered on the difference between “wants” and “needs.” We may want to go on vacation this summer, buy a new outfit, or take a trip to that fancy new restaurant. However, we need to eat, drive to work and make our house payment. Choices like these cannot be taken lightly when people are pinching their pennies.

Financial obligations and the difference between wants and needs can leave our veterinary clients in unwanted dilemmas. If you are having a hard time paying your personal bills, you do not need that new puppy. It may sound odd to some of you that I would even suggest such a thing. However, it is a mistake that I see clients make all of the time. New pets are a huge responsibility. Each pet requires a commitment of time, TLC, and finances. If you are struggling to pay your family’s bills or that of your other multiple pets, please hold off on getting another animal.

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The strain of tightening household budgets has hit man's best friend, as more New Yorkers are seeking help including foster parents for their pets.

Many New York City pet rescue and foster care services say that in the last three to six months there has been a flood of requests from pet owners.

"We're getting a lot more people who have lost their jobs, become homeless or are evicted from apartments," said Joyce Friedman, co-coordinator of Safety Net, a city-sponsored program that helps financially struggling pet owners.

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Two consecutive mild winters and a moist spring might have helped bring out a blood-sucking, disease-ridden parasite sooner and in greater number than ever before.

Ticks started turning up last year on pets, particularly dogs, at an alarming rate, said Dr. Erica Vaughn, a veterinarian at the Animal Health Care Center in Waynesboro. Continued warm temperatures have made the pests even more prevalent this year, striking earlier in the season and posing more of a health risk, she said. About 70 percent of animals tested at her clinic for Lyme disease have been exposed to the bacteria, she said. That’s 30 percent more than in the last two years.
“We are seeing a huge influx and it is a concern and we should all be careful of it,” Vaughn said.
Lyme disease is transmitted to humans and pets by the blacklegged tick, also known as the deer tick, said Dr. David Gaines, a public health entomologist with the Virginia Department of Health. Although there have been no studies to document the increase, the species appears to have become more active in Virginia in recent years, he said.
What can be clearly quantified is the rate of Lyme disease in the state: Human infections which have gone up steadily since 1995, according to Centers for Disease Control statistics skyrocketed last year, with 588 more cases reported in 2007 than 2006, Vaughn said. That probably means that there are more ticks, more of the bacteria that causes the disease or both.
Symptoms in humans include fever, fatigue and distinctive, circular skin rashes, according to the Centers for Disease Control Web site. If left untreated, Lyme disease can threaten the heart, joints and nervous system. Infected pets might have a fever and show signs of joint pain.
Pets cannot transmit the disease, Vaughn said, but if a dog has been exposed to an infected tick, there’s a much greater chance its owner has as well.
The Augusta County region is not in the middle of a Lyme disease epidemic, said Dr. Steven Mumbauer, of Waynesboro Pediatrics, but the condition is becoming more common.
“I treated two kids for Lyme disease in the past year,” Mumbauer said. “That’s pretty unheard of in this area.”

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As workers at the Greater Vancouver Zoo on Sunday mourned the loss of a male spider monkey named Jocko, they expressed hope his female companion of 15 years, Mia, might still be returned by her kidnappers.

"If you have Mia, please bring her home soon," said zoo representative Jody Henderson, visibly upset as she read a eulogy to zoo workers and a few dozen members of the public during a memorial for Jocko.

Jocko touched the hearts of everyone who had the chance to either care for him daily or just be able to hear his greeting," Henderson said.  "His playful manner and longing to touch to you just made my heart big. There is a deafening silence around the zoo now. We all notice it."
Zoo staff arrived at work last Wednesday morning to find a hole in the fence surrounding the monkeys' enclosure, with Jocko dead inside and Mia nowhere to be found.

Langley RCMP has speculated the animal, worth around $5,000, may have been stolen by thieves looking to sell the 20-pound monkey on the black market or by someone who wanted to keep her as a pet.

Preliminary findings from a post-mortem say 17-year-old Jocko died of a fractured skull. Henderson had said spider monkeys have a strong protective instinct and Jocko may have attacked an intruder in order to save Mia.

Beside the now empty primate enclosure, staff set up photographs of Jocko and Mia, lit candles and set out flowers.

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Fond du Lac Commons, music, entertainment and auctions featuring a variety of fun-filled packages will provide the opportunity to enjoy an evening of frivolities while raising money for the Fond du Lac Humane Society.

This year’s event includes wine tasting by Cujak’s Wine Market, music by Jazz ‘n More featuring Joe Scheibinger and Janice Marie, a live and silent auction and raffle. There will be the Pets ‘n Pearls Fashion Show featuring several of the animals from the shelter decked out in the latest pet fashions.

"This is a fun-filled way to get involved and make a difference," said Lucy Mathers, shelter manager. "Not everyone has time to volunteer at the shelter. This event is a way to raise money and have a good time."

With a goal of exceeding last year’s $21,000, organizers of this year’s event have included a variety of vacation and leisure auction items, including a guided kayak tour in Door County, a historical boat cruise of Elkhart Lake, a private shopping evening at TLC Boutique, and many more.

"Each year we try to be more creative and to provide unique items," explained Carrie Stollenwerk, co-chair of the event and a member of the Humane Society Board of Directors. Chris Kaminski is the other co-chair.

"The wine tasting and golf are very popular,” said Carrie. “There are a number of new things this year, as well as another unique jewelry creation by Ron Emanual.

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Delaware Pets editor Jill Fredel brings you updates on pet news and events from across the region, and starts the discussion about all things pets.With the sunny and hot weather apparently directly in front of us, it's a good time to consider how summer affects our pets, especially dogs, who spend time outdoors.

Denise Morrison Yearian, one of our freelance writers, is working on that very story for the next issue of Delaware Pets. She's found plenty of pet owners who deal with the heat side of summer. What she needs is someone who has to worry about their dogs (or other pets) - because of light-colored or thin-coated fur - having problems with sunburn.

But the once-neglected thoroughbred won't be celebrating a win at the track in Mays Landing.

Instead, he'll be there to honor everyone who contributed time, labor and money to build him a shelter at his home, Final Entry Farm in Milmay.

His owner, Debbie Wharton in February made a public plea for donations to build a separate shelter and paddock on her farm for Twister, who arrived there emaciated in June 2005.

She and her husband, Carl, eventually nursed Twister back to health, but Twister had to be separated from the four other horses on the farm because they would steal his feed, Wharton said.

Wharton said the immediate response to her plea was overwhelming.

Employees at Atlantic City Race Course saw news stories about Twister and decided to pitch in.

Members of the track's grounds and facilities crew donated their time to build Twister a shed at the farm using wood from an old stable at the track, said Maureen Bugdon, president of Atlantic City Race Course.

Calvi Electric Co. of Atlantic City donated labor and materials, and members of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 351 provided labor to wire the shed for electricity, Bugdon said.

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The Brit tabloids, including the Sunday Star and the Online celeb site Showbiz Spy, claim that America's greatest contribution to world culture, Paris Hilton, is headed to London for a prestigious position . . . as the star of Paris' Pooches, a reality show in which she will manage a (real-life) beauty parlor for dogs.

("Bathing a grody, smelly, flea-infested, mangy stray dog some snotty kid just adopted off the filthy street? That's hot!")

An anonymous source tells the Star, "The shop is perfect for Paris. It's a subject she's passionate about." After all, the source notes, in Paris' world, "tiaras for Chihuahuas are of real importance."

Paris has claimed that she has 600 pets scattered across the various mansions, homes, flats, pads and flophouses she owns all across our planetary system.