Give beagles a chance

Southern Arizona Beagle Rescue asked that I put out their SOS for foster homes. Of course, I am always happy to do so.

Who is SoAZBR?  SoAZBR is a non-profit animal rescue group that has been rescuing beagle and beagle-mix dogs for over 8 years and has placed hundreds of beagles and beagle-mix dogs in loving forever homes.  This all-volunteer rescue group works hard toward the day when Southern Arizona no longer euthanizes adoptable dogs.

Where do these Snoopy lookalikes come from?  SoAZBR works closely with all shelters in Southern Arizona such as Pima Animal Care Center and other animal rescue groups.  Other sources of include strays or dogs that come from families who can no longer care for their pets.

How do these adorable dogs end up in shelters? Frequently they are strays and sometimes owners have to give up their dogs due to moving, losing a job and/or home, a death in the family or no longer able to care for a pet.  Occasionally, it’s because owners don’t understand beagle traits such as beagles following their noses.

What’s involved in fostering a Beagle?  SoAZBR places their dogs in foster families who will temporarily look after and feed a dog until a forever home can be found.  All medical bills are paid by SoAZBR. Check out their website for the volunteer/fostering application .  You can also, call 520-247-7720 or e-mail  foster@soazbeaglerescue.com for more information. They will do a quick home visit to ensure your home and yard are “beagle proof.”

Foster me!

Fostering is a chance to personally contribute to the day when Southern Arizona no longer euthanizes adoptable dogs. The Rescue is available   for support and will pay for any medical care the foster dog may need.

The rewards of fostering a dog are great. Imagine that happy wagging tail walking off to a forever home because you gave a beagle or beagle mix a chance!

You can follow the Beagles on Facebook too.

Bill & Karen Bowe holding Artie

Often times when Tucson Tails writes about urgent dogs needing to get out of PACC (Pima Animal Care) because they are going to be euthanized — I don’t know what the outcome is.

Sometimes it’s just too painful to know. When I do know, I try to update the blog post.

In this case, here’s something to celebrate — the two 10 year old Lab mix dogs, Tanner and Red, have been adopted!

I found that out on Facebook this past Thursday and immediately did a tearful (tears of joy) happy dance. Such relief! I had heard through the Facebook grapevine that someone I know (Alice, a greyhound adopter) would’ve fostered them but an adoption is so much better.

In my previous blog post, I mentioned that whoever adopted these two dogs would get a bag of dog food. Today I followed up.

The people pictured above are Bill and Karen Bowe. They own the Poster Warehouse & Framing Gallery located at 2900 E. Broadway Blvd.

The Bowes heard about the Labs from their friend Larry Franks who is a PACC volunteer. He called them to say the old Labs needed a home and it was dire. How could they resist?

Red and Tanner are being treated by a local vet and on their way to a good rest of their life. Yowza!

In the above photo is Artie, a newly rescued PACC dog too. All their dogs are rescues. I am quite sure our paths will cross again. They requested that instead of me buying them a bag of dog food, I help another senior dog and I will. Meeting them made my day!

There are so many adoptable PACC pets, check them out.

April 19 – Tucson Adopt a Greyhound Day

Tucson Mayor Rothschild proclaimed Friday April 19 as Tucson Adopt a Greyhound Day. Woo Hoo! Roo!*

What are you waiting for? Check out some available greyhounds for adoption.

City of Tucson Office of the Mayor Proclamation

–Whereas, the month of April 2013 has been designated National Adopt a Greyhound Month; and

–Whereas, for 3,000 years, this gentle and affectionate animal has been the favorite of pharaohs, kings, queens, generals and presidents; and

You can read the rest of the Proclamation here.

Thank you Mayor Rothschild! Rothschild rocks! Greyhounds roo!

*So what’s a Roo? It’s the sweet sound a greyhound makes. It’s not a bark, somewhat like a howl, but no, well…a Roo is where the hound tilts his or her head back ever so slightly and put his or her nose in the air! My dear Lily greyhound, now at the Rainbow Bridge,  used to Roo along with this video:

Fix. Adopt. Save Campaign

An alliance of eight animal welfare agencies, backed by multimillion-dollar philanthropic support, have joined together to solve Maricopa County’s homeless animal problem by launching the “Fix. Adopt. Save.” campaign – a collaborative effort to encourage responsible pet ownership, and to dramatically increase spay/neuter and pet adoption rates in the Valley.

Hey, Tucson, are you reading this?

The animal welfare agencies include:

• Altered Tails/Barnhard Clinic
• Animal Defense League of Arizona
• Arizona Animal Welfare League & SPCA
• Arizona Humane Society
• Halo Animal Rescue
• Healing Hearts Animal Rescue & Refuge
• Maricopa County Animal Control
• Phoenix Animal Care Coalition 911

Click here to see who will fund the project.

The three-year effort will provide 44,000 free spay/neuter surgeries and prepare an additional 7,000 pets for adoption to reduce euthanasia of homeless pets. Nearly 90,000 animals per year end up in shelters with too few being adopted.

This campaign plans to change the equation, for homeless animals in Maricopa County. For every 100 homeless animals who are adopted in Maricopa County, 100 others are euthanized. This equation is simply unacceptable.

What a fabulous idea. Can we do that here in Tucson, in Pima County?

Community effort for pet health

It was a good day in the South Tucson neighborhood on April 6 when AWASA (Animal Welfare Alliance of Southern Arizona) set up a makeshift veterinary vaccination clinic at the Casa Maria Soup Kitchen.

One hundred forty (140) animals received free services.Three veterinarians — Dr. Khalsa of Acacia Animal Hospital, Dr. O’Donnell. of Northwest Pet Clinic, and Dr. Rademaker of Sunrise Pet Clinic volunteered their valuable time to examine and administer dewormer, vaccines, and flee/tick to those in need. Pima Medical Institute provided the vaccines as well as instructors and students to assist. Northwest Pet Clinic for donated flee/tick application and dewormer.

Other volunteers, many bilingual, assisted with crowd coordination, handing out leashes and food for those who needed it.

Pet Fix flyer

What is Pet Fix?

Pima County gives AWASA $220,000 per year to provide free spay & neuter in targeted areas with a depressed economy and the highest intact volume.  This year, in addition to these boundaries more opportunities have been added to include people on AHCCS, in Title 8 housing, on food stamps and Medicare. The money is generated from donations, Pima County Health Department, and the Arizona Pet Friendly Spay/Neuter License Plate.

Fifteen percent of the money can be used for feral cats.

Over the past three years, the average number of spay & neuter pets from Pet Fix program has been 3,406 per year.

You can download the Pet Fix flyer in English or in Spanish.

Other options for Spay and Neuter in the community include Spay and Neuter Solutions, private grants to various rescue groups, or accessing one of the many low cost spay and neuter clinics that offer this service at a greatly reduced price.

What can people do to help this program?

AWASA will accept donations to be utilized in spaying and neutering animals and helping to support the administrative costs (not currently being funded) of this program.  Donations can be sent to AWASA at 5425 E Broadway # 227 Tucson Az. 85711 or use the donate button on the website.   AWASA is a 501©(3) organizations and your donations are tax deductible.

Saved by the Second Chance Fund

Bead Drive 2013 netted beaucoup bags and boxes of beads. Thank you Tucson! Along with the bead giving, we had a random drawing and that winner –  the Humane Society of Southern Arizona’s Second Chance Fund — is the recipient of April bracelet sales.

This special Fund is designated to cover the cost of care for animals with extraordinary needs, including unfortunately, common occurrences of abuse, special medical needs and instances of domestic violence.

For instance, Muffins survived a frightening encounter with a rattle snake. This poor kitty was delivered to the Humane Society of Southern Arizona with an oozing fang wound on his paw. Thankfully, Muffins was able to bounce back after stabilization and antivenin treatment.

Throughout the whole ordeal, Muffins remained calm, affectionate and so appreciative for all of the care and love he received. It’s nearly impossible to clean out Muffins’ enclosure without him sneaking his way into your arms or rubbing his head under your neck. He’s melting many hearts and is on the mend thanks to life-saving contributions to the HSSA’s Second Chance Fund.

Muffins is continuing his recovery and will be available for adoption soon.

According to Sara, my HSSA contact, “These bracelets are selling like hotcakes!” One-of-a-kind beaded bracelets cost $20/each and are made with donated beads. Each comes with a paw charm. One size fits most.

You can buy bracelets at

–HSSA – 3450 N. Kelvin Blvd
–PAWSH – La Encantada Shopping Center (above Crate & Barrel)
–PAWSH – Park Place Mall

Bracelets will also be for sale at Puttin’ on the Dog fundraiser on April 26.

Eye candy for your wrist

Other local venues include:
–-Silver Sea Jewelry & Gifts, 330 N. 4th Avenue, 624-9954
–-Clues Unlimited Mystery Book Store, 3146 E. Fort. Lowell Road (SE corner Country Club), 326-8533 (closed Sun/Mon)
–-A K Jensen Apparel, (St. Philips Plaza), 4340 N. Campbell Ave., Suite 72, 529-2775
–-Sissy’s Pet Salon, 7350 N La Cholla Blvd (by Albertsons), 229-9898 (limited selection)

You can also buy bracelets online (add $5.50/S&H)

Last month’s charity — Smiling Dog Rescue — raised $1,000.

Drive! Beau said.

According to Priceline.com, Tucson is the 3rd most dog-friendly city in the United States. The cities were ranked according to their number of pet-friendly hotels, off-leash dog parks, and walk-ability.That’s cool. Now pass the dog treats.

Other dog-friendly cities include Albuquerque, NM (#1) and Portland, Ore (#2). You can view the list here.

What Tucson Tails thinks is interesting is that taking your pet on a vacation is a big niche for the travel market. Priceline.com even has a tool that you can use to find dog-friendly hotels & lodging.

I have never taken my greyhounds on a vacation. They don’t like to ride in the car. Girlfriend Greyhound won’t even jump in the car (even for treats). She just stands there shaking so I have to lift her two front paws and then hoist her back paws and push. She can jump out just fine. Here are some car travel tips from the ASPCA.  It’s most important to keep your pet restrained.

As for me, I’ll continue to go paws-free but if you travel with your dogs, please leave a comment as to where you go, where you stay, and how you get there.

(Photo courtesy of Jen Duffy)

No kill shelter cats need help now!

From the press release

Pawsitively Cats (Paws Cats), a 501 (c) 3, non-profit, no-kill cat shelter is facing lagging summertime donations, crucial for the ongoing care of the 250 cats housed in their two shelters.  This financial shortfall means Paws Cats is currently behind on payment of rent and utility bills for their two shelter properties.  In addition, Paws Cats owes roughly $1,500 in veterinary bills.  In total, Paws Cats is desperately hoping for support from the community and its feline fanciers for donations totaling $8,000 to help the organization meets its obligations.

The shelters are also extremely low in cat food and litter.  Shelter Director, Sheryl Campbell says, “There is only enough canned cat food for two more days at the most.  Canned food is crucial for our older cats and those that have had to have many or all of their teeth removed due to neglect by their previous owners.”  She adds, “It breaks my heart that we are in this position but we rely largely on donations from the public for our ongoing support and donations this summer are critically low.”

Pawsitively Cats provides a high-quality living environment for their shelter cats.  All cats are spayed, neutered, vaccinated, and their health needs are taken care of in preparation for their adoption into a new, permanent home.  Additional funding for Paws Cats comes from adoption fees.  Cats are taken to offsite adoption locations such as Petco and other special community events in order to find them new homes.  Another little known goal of the organization is providing education to school children on responsible pet ownership and the importance of spaying and neutering.  Paws Cats also provides education and assists the public with Trap Neuter and Return which is a method of reducing the numbers of stray or feral cats in the community.

In addition to critical financial donations, Paws Cats is also in great need of the following:

–Friskies or 9 Lives canned cat food
–Kirkland brand adult dry cat food (available at Costco)
–scoopable litter
–laundry detergent and bleach (to sterilize feeding dishes, shelter floors and cat bedding)

Because Paws Cats is a 501 (c) 3 organization, all donations are fully tax deductible.  Supplies can be dropped off at 3255 N. Flanwill Blvd.  For questions or directions please contact Shelter Director, Sheryl Campbell at 520-308-2985.

Pima Air & Space Museum is dog friendly

Let’s face it; dogs are family members and like members of the family we like taking them out to more than pet stores and dog parks.

Tucson Tails recently learned that Pima Air & Space Museum is dog-friendly. Really? And since 1976 which is way ahead of the dog-friendly curve.

According to Scott Marchand, Director of Collections & Aircraft Restoration, “A lot of RV travelers would leave pets in their vehicles and that exposed them to a lot of risk. In recent years with animal welfare laws we felt it would be best to spare everyone the risk of a pet being killed in a locked car while they enjoyed the Museum. Anyone who travels with their pet is pretty devoted to them so they end up being popular with guests or people are indifferent. Also, there is not much a well-managed dog is going to hurt out here.”

(As an aside, Marchand has an 11-year-old greyhound.)

As to how many dogs actually go the the Museum, well, that depends on the season and when more people visit — so do their dogs. Two to three percent of visitors might bring their dogs with medium-size mutts being the most popular, Labradors and Labrador mixes second in popularity. Toy dogs are carried around.

According to the website’s FAQ page:
Can I bring my dog?
All leashed pets are allowed at the Museum. They can’t go on the AMARG or tram tours, but they can visit an administrator if needed. Pets should never be left in vehicles.

So the walking tours are fine for the dogs. If you want to go on the tram tour or AMARG, you can leave your dog with a Museum staff member.

You won’t find any water bowls, poop bags, or dog biscuits. I guess visitors are pretty good about picking up the poop because Marchand says that the  maintenance guys have never complained about dog poop. He’s confident that the people who bring their pets to the Museum are conscientious and carry the right supplies.

Fast planes and fast dogs will collide when Southern Arizona Greyhound Adoption has a meet-and-greet at Pima Air & Space Museum on Saturday, April 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Museum hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Location: 6000 E. Valencia Rd.

My dog Jett, (pictured above), will be flying high. Come out and meet him — he loves kids, adults, and other dogs.

What are other dog-friendly venues beyond dog parks and pet stores? Please email tucson.tails@yahoo.com

Thanks to Diana Hansen for the above graphic.

avoid corn in dry dog food

According to an informative article in healthy pets.com, Reuters reports high levels of aflatoxins have been discovered in bags of dog food on store shelves in Iowa. Aflatoxins cause acute lethal illness and cancer in animals and humans, and are among the most carcinogenic substances on earth. Aflatoxins poison the liver, and their carcinogenic properties can lead to tumor formation.

Before buying dog food especially dry dog food, avoid products containing corn in any form, including corn gluten meal, whole grain corn, corn flour, etc. Corn is not only highly susceptible to aflatoxin contamination, but also allergenic and difficult for most pets to digest. Yet corn or some form of corn is in many brands of dog food because it’s a relatively cheap ingredient and filler.

A dog food recall is happening in six Midwest states. For now, it’s only a matter of time before the recall expands to other regions. Buyers beware.

To read the entire article, click here.