Think Twice

Mentionables
Think Twice Before Giving Pets as Gifts This Holiday
American Humane (www.americanhumane.org) Suggests Leaving Furry Friends Off of the Holiday List
There is nothing cuter than a cuddly puppy or kitten under the tree on Christmas morning, perhaps with a holiday bow attached to its collar. And while that scenario makes a great holiday card illustration, the American Humane Association cautions that the days that follow can often result in a lonely pet facing an uncertain future at the local animal shelter.
“There are millions of animals at local shelters that need homes. However, giving a pet as a surprise gift is never a good idea, especially during the holidays,” says Marie Belew Wheatley, American Humane president and CEO. “The holidays are stressful for everyone, including animals. By surprising people with a pet, you are assuming they have the financial, emotional and time resources necessary to care for an animal, as well as the desire to care for a living being for the long term.”
Before you pick out the perfect furry friend for a child, grandchild, niece or nephew – or anyone – consider the following:
It’s Personal Choosing a pet is a very personal decision. It should not be made by anyone other than those who will take care of the pet.
Not Much Different Than a Baby Pets, especially young pets, require time, energy and money for proper care. It can be overwhelming to a family, especially when it is a surprise.
All Are Not Created Equal Before purchasing or adopting a dog or cat, take time to educate yourself on different breeds, how to give an animal a safe and satisfying home and the long-term commitment of owning a pet. The best pet for the family is a decision only the family can make.
Pets Are Members of the Family, Too Because many dogs and cats can live 15 years or more, the pet becomes a part of the family. It is important to ensure that everyone in the house can and is willing to provide a healthy environment for the pet.
The Holidays Aren’t a Vacation for New Pets Pets are not toys. Children can confuse proper treatment of an animal with the excitement of new toys around the holiday. Pets need a calm, safe place where they can feel comfortable and begin to acclimate to their new surroundings. A less-hectic time of year is probably a wiser choice to bring a pet in to into the home.
Time Is of the Essence When Training a New Pet Since the holidays often come with travel and irregular schedules, families may miss out on the best opportunity to train a young pet. Shelters often consider poorly trained or poorly socialized animals not adoptable, resulting in euthanasia. In most cases, this could be avoided with more time training.
Owning a Pet Is Life Changing When a pet does not work out for a family, it becomes someone else’s problem, usually the local animal shelter. In the months following the holiday season, shelters see a sharp spike in animal surrender.

Overall, pets are a fun gift for humans but likely not for the animal. Rather than a living “gift,” consider books or videos about potential pets, or pet supplies like toys. Should you decide that a pet is a good decision for the family before the holiday season, check with the local shelter to see if it will issue an “IOU”. That way, the family can make the best decision about the breed, age and size of the pet during a less stressful and frantic time of year.

Additional Steps Needed to Avoid Deer Collisions on the Road The HSUS Urges Investment in Wildlife Collision Avoidance Systems to Makes Roads Safer for Drivers and Animals
(Oct. 30, 2008) — Most drivers know the basic strategies to avoid or at least reduce the chances of a collision – slow down; leave plenty of room between you and the vehicle ahead of you; look for eye shine at the edges of the road ahead; where there is one animal, expect others. But The Humane Society of the United States would like to remind drivers that there are additional steps that can be taken to make our roads safer for people and all wild animals.
“This country lags behind many nations in our regard for the need to protect both wildlife and drivers from collisions on the road,” said Susan Hagood, wildlife issues specialist at The HSUS. “There are many relatively simple, cost-effective countermeasures to this serious issue.”
As reliably as the turning of the leaves, each fall also is accompanied by public warnings about the dangers of driving in deer country, for fall combines both deer mating and hunting seasons, and deer are on the move more now than at any other time of year. There are also more vehicles on the road after dark as daylight savings time ends, with many driven at speeds at or above the speed limit.
The most obvious solution is fencing – but fencing alone confines wild animals in habitat patches that may not meet all of their needs, and can lead to problems like inbreeding. Fences are effective in protecting both highway users and wildlife only if they function to guide animals to overpasses, underpasses, or other structures that provide them safe passage over or under the road. Such fencing/passage systems can be expensive, but their cost is minor when compared to the total cost of highway construction or improvement projects.
Fencing/passage systems are a means of both saving invaluable human lives and contributing to health of wildlife populations, including the recovery of endangered species, such as the Florida panther and California’s desert tortoise. Florida, Arizona, Washington State and Montana are leading the effort in the U.S. to reduce wildlife collisions with fencing/passage systems. Though their use in this country is just beginning, other collision avoidance systems rely on sophisticated infrared technologies that detect the presence of a large animal in the roadside and illuminate warning signs.
We must increasingly employ these and other strategies to reduce wildlife/vehicle collisions, but there will never be enough wildlife passages and collision avoidance systems to replace drivers who are aware of wildlife and willing to modify their driving in the interest of their own safety and that of wild animals. Therefore, it will always be important, in the fall and throughout the year, to drive with wildlife in mind.

Radio Show
Tune in to Talk With Your Animals on Wednesdays from 12 - 1 PM Pacific Time either on the radio if you live in the Seattle area or over the Internet by going to www.talkwithyouranimals.com then to the radio show links page and click on the listen live button for KKNW. The show can also be heard live on www.1150kknw.com. The radio show replays on www.animalradio.com. Check that website for the times in your area. You can still call about your pets. The telephone number is 425-373-5527. The toll free number if you are in Western Washington is 1-888-298-5569.

Talk With Your Animals is brought to you by Optimum Choices - www.optimumchoices.com, Pet Essences - www.petessences.com, The Natural Pet Pantry - www.naturalpetpantry.com, Natural Horse Talk - www.naturalhorsetalk.com, Dooley's Dog House - www.dooleysdoghouse.com, Nurtural Horse - www.nurturalhorse.com and ScratchnAll - www.scratchnall.com, Waggin' Tails Cookies, Inc. - www.waggintailscookies.com and our mention - Holistic Horse Magazine - www.holistichorse.com. Please let these wonderful people know that Joy sent you.

From The Wonderful Folks Who Support Talk With Your Animals
NewFrom the Natural Pet Pantry - GOLDEN RETREATERS - K-9 BISCOTTI
Ingredients: Boiled & peeled yams and sweet potatoes, brown rice flour, barley, molasses, garlic, flax seeds and powdered vebetable seasoning. Available in package, bulk, and wholesale.
OUR Pantry Stew
"In the raw" is prepared with various ground meats and ground bones as the main ingredient. We then add ground and minced vegetables in a 75 to 25 meat to vegetable ratio. The vegetables include equal amounts of above and below ground varieties including carrots, yams, zucchini, celery, kale, beet greens, parsley, then a splash of apple cider vinegar. Meats that are available include turkey, chicken, duck, beef, buffalo, lamb and rabbit. For the not so squeamish we also carry green tripe with gullet. We specialize in 'custom cuisine' so if your needs are different than our normal product just let us know. Pantry Stew "in the raw" vegetarian is also available for those who want to add their own meat. Our product is available in a 2 pound tubs or a 2 pound Chubb.
To learn more about The Natural Pet Pantry's products, visit www.naturalpetpantry.com or call 206-248-1079.

Animal Communication Classes
The next Basic Animal Communication Class is scheduled for September of 2009.
The next Intermediate Animal Communication Class is schedule for next November 2009.
The Advance Animal Communication Class will be in the Spring. If you have taken the Basic & Intermediate Animal Communication Classes and are interested in the Advance, please call Martha at 206-850-6485 or e-mail her at Martha@TalkWithYourAnimals.com to have your name added to the Advance Class list.