Pulaski County Humane Society was both shocked and saddened to learn about the passing of our board member and dear friend, Art Richard. Art passed away on June 25, 2009 while visiting relatives in Scottsdale, Arizona. Art was an active board member who gave generously of his time and understanding toward helping the animals of Pulaski County. To his wife, Beverly, and his three children, please accept our most heartfelt sympathies for your loss; know that our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time. Art will be dearly missed.

Even the healthiest pets can suffer from dehydration, heat stroke and sunburn if overexposed to the heat, and heat stroke can be fatal if not treated promptly. Dogs do not have sweat glands to help cool their body temperature, therefore, the only way they can lower their body temperature is to pant.

A few things you can do to help protect your pet from heat stroke:

• Never leave an animal alone in a parked vehicle. On a hot day, a parked car can become a furnace in no time. Even with the windows cracked the temperature inside a car can reach above 160 degrees in a matter of minutes, which could lead to fatal heat stroke.
• Outside dogs should have access to shade…dog houses and garages are not good shelter during the summer as they can trap heat.
• Provide plenty of fresh, cool water; perhaps even provide a child’s wading pool to allow your pet to cool off in.
• Walk your pet during the coolest part of the day/evening to avoid prolonged exposure to hot asphalt, sand, sidewalks, etc.
• Beware of antifreeze; hot weather may tempt your pet to drink from the puddles in the street, which could contain antifreeze and other chemicals. Antifreeze has a sweet taste that animals like, but even as little as a tablespoon can be extremely toxic. When walking your pet, make sure he or she does not sneak a drink from the street.

SIGNS OF HEATSTROKE

• Panting
• Staring
• Anxious expression
• Refusal to obey commands
• Warm, dry skin
• High fever
• Rapid heartbeat
• Vomiting
• Collapse
• Bruising of gums/areas with little hair
• Dark brown urine or blood in stool

While the Fourth of July may be entertaining for people, it’s not nearly as much fun for many pets. In fact, it can be a nightmare. Animals’ hearing is far more sensitive than ours, and unpredictable and deafening blasts from fireworks can cause them immense pain and fear and even damage their hearing. The loud noises, flashing lights, and smell of sulfur can cause excessive fear in pets. Nervous behaviors such as trembling, whimpering, and panting may be distressful to the pet, but the animal’s natural response to flee from what he interprets as a threatening situation may result in serious injury. Some dogs are so frightened by fireworks that they may run through glass windows, or escape from the yard and run the risk of being hit by a car.

Tips to keep your pet calm and safe this Fourth of July:

1. Leave your pets at home and indoors. Most pets are afraid of fireworks and may try to run away.

2. Close all doors and windows and put on background music to muffle the sound.

3. Close curtains and blinds to block the flashing lights.

4. Be sure that your pets are wearing identification tags or have microchips in case they do run away or get lost.

5. Try to distract your pet with chew toys and games, or play with another pet that does not share his fear.

6. If you have time, desensitization techniques with appropriate sound CDs, such as thunder, fireworks, trains, sirens, etc. may help pets get used to the sounds at a lower volume, then as they become more comfortable, gradually increase the volume.

7. If your pet has noise phobias, speak to your veterinarian about a natural homeopathic, non-sedating remedy to keep your pet calm during storm and fireworks seasons.

"Well," says the personnel director, "you'll have to meet some strict requirements. First, you must type at least 60 words per minute."

Sitting down at the typewriter, the dog types out 80 words per minute.

"Also," says the director, "you must pass a physical and complete the obstacle course."

This perfect canine specimen finishes the course in record time.

"There's one last requirement," the director continues. "You must be bilingual."

With confidence, the dog looks up at him and says, "Meow!"

The best procedure for putting a stop to leash pulling is to start training your dog for the leash at an early age. When you first start taking your dog on walks try not to be predictive with where you're going and what you're doing. If you notice that your dog is about to head out to the end of the leash, turn direction and go in the opposite way he or she is doing.

Make sure that when doing this that your turn of direction happens before the leash gets tight. Doing this consistently and on every walk, especially in the beginning, your dog will learn to pay attention to what you are doing instead of going his or her own way. Thus, you'll be putting a stop to leash pulling problems before they even become a problem.

One of the most effective methods for putting an end to your dog's leash pulling habit is the start and stop method. The real beauty of this method is the simplicity of it. When your dog begins to pull on the leash, stop walking and have him or her heal. That's it. There is nothing more to it than that.

Continue doing this every time your dog pulls on the leash and over time the leash pulling problem will become less and less. As with all aspects of training a dog, consistency and repetitiveness is important. Dogs are creatures of habit so use that habit to your advantage to putting an end to your dogs leash pulling.

An important thing to remember when leash training your dog is to not allow frustration guide how you react when things aren't going as well as planned. Your dog will feed off of your negative emotions, in turn adopting a similar frustrated attitude and can easily become nervous. At which point, anything you're trying to teach will not be learned and most likely turn into a set back.

Regardless of what method you use when trying to put an end to leash pulling or trying to prevent it from happening, when your dog does something positive, reward him or her positively. Positive reinforcement via treats, praise or a combination of both will go a long way to improving any training you're trying to accomplish.

7 ounces beef baby food
1/4 c. dry non-fat milk
1/2 c. wheat germ

Mix all, roll into 24 small balls. Place on greased cookie sheet. Flatten with a fork. Bake 30 minutes at 3500. These are dog/cat treats, but okay for human consumption.