NYCHA Dog Registration Deadline Looms -- January 31st 2010

Spoke to the ASPCA legal about this directly for my radio show on Pet Life Radio. Attorney/sen. gov. advisor Debora Bresch gives details. Outreach by A and other pet rescues has included making the tenant's rights memos available in mobile spay/neuter vans, local reps offices, and at the shelters. I'm torn whether animal advocates should have taken a more proactive approach to disseminate the memo and list of rights (door-to-door, mailings) but you never know how those things are going to go, either.

Guys, four days left left. (Maybe less, as 31st falls on a Sunday) Right around the corner. And you know how slow bureucracy/paperwork moves. Take care of this today. We've been reporting on this since the summer so please follow through and let us know if you have any trouble.

Please note important (very important) changes in terms of weight limit restrictions on dogs--any type of dogs--in NYCHA buildings. Memos in English and Spanish.
http://www.aspca.org/pressroom/press-releases/012010.html

There's a lot of interesting background here. Indeed, some of the most staunch supporters of the pit bull/pit bull mix ban in the projects have been people who devote their lives to rescuing pit bulls. They say they themselves have witnessed the criminal brew there in terms of pit bull fighting, abuse, etc. So who am I (or any of us) to question what they themselves have witnessed first-hand. But with the overall weight restriction--new dogs can only be 25 pounds or less--think about the reprecussions of that. Seriously--think about how many (and especially what type) of dogs are under 25 pounds. Not too many of these in the shelters.

Search and Rescue Dogs From NYC to Haiti; Merrick Pet Food Warning

Two quick links of interest:

New York K9 Search and Rescue Teams Head to Haiti to Help in Recovery Operation
Interesting video on some dogs going down to Haiti with members of the NYC Police Department in the search-and-rescue operation. Hopefully their needed noses will help save some lives.

Certain Merrick Pet Treats Have Salmonella -- FDA Warning and Recall Issued
(Ed Note: Keep in mind you can become sick just by handling salmonella-contaminated food. Not worth it. When in doubt, throw it out.)

Fallout and Homelessness from Pets In City Housing Law Continues

Fallout continues from the NYCHA law where weight restrictions were imposed on dogs from 40 lbs to 25 pounds. (Great article on a sad subject by Amy Sacks of the Daily News today.)

It's never a good time for a dog to be turned out of his/her home, but baby, it is cold outside. And inside the shelter, well, the dog/s may be a little warmer for a few days, but at what price?

Blacks, Hispanics and Married Men Hate Cats, AP Says

Okay, maybe 'hate' is too strong a word--the word the AP-Petside.com article actually used was 'dislike'. Still, it catches the attention. Here's the original article:


"In the War of Dogs Vs. Cats, Clear Winner: dogs


Two notable quotes from the article:


"Cats win the dislike vote handily, according to the Associated Press-Petside.com poll. Fifteen percent of the adults questioned said they disliked cats a lot while the number who said they disliked dogs a lot was just 2 percent."

--and--

"Those most likely to dislike cats were Blacks, Hispanics and married men.
Men were a bit more likely than women to say they disliked cats."


Wow! Now, if the numbers are the numbers, and the survey was conducted using fair methods and in good faith, then what can you say?


However, methinks that they must have caught some flack for this one because subsequent Google entries popped up the survey's 'Methodology', which is unusual, because ususally the methodology is one of those 'boring' pieces of info in these surveys that tends to get buried.

I urge everyone to read this important information every time you see a 'survey', animal-related or otherwise. The way a question is asked, and to whom it is asked, and who is asking it, often does make a big difference! Example: Say you read an article that said "Most Americans Think the World Is Flat." Okay...let's look at who conducted the survey...hmm...The Flat Earth Society? (and, yes, there really is one, albeit a bit tongue-in-cheek.) You know how crazy those Brits can be.

Aye Yi Yi! Airlifted California Chihuahuas Encounter (Some) Turbulence Upon Arrival in New York

The January 6th red-carpet arrival of 15 shelter Chihuahuas from California to the ASPCA in New York has generally been proclaimed a good thing by most of the mainstream press thus far, but some animal welfare advocates are silently snarling.


Perhaps the most vocal of those questioning the now-herald migration of the Chihuahuas--who arrived from the West Coast in movie star style at JFK Airport on Virgin America's tab--is Ada Nieves, head of the 750-plus member New York City Chihuahua Meetup Group.


"Help has no boundaries," Ms. Nieves, well known in the New York City small dog community as a high-end dog clothing designer, party planner, and overall cheerleader of all things Chihuahua. "New York City is a very caring city, however, I'm very disappointed in the way California is handling their so-called 'surplus' of dogs, specifically Chihuahuas." Ms. Nieves is also a Small Dog Scene columnist at the online Examiner news site and host of 'Vida Doggie' on Pet Life Radio.


Take My Pitbull, Please
New York City's own shelter system is overflowing with large-breed dogs; Pit Bulls and pit-bull mixes make up a sizable number of them. In addition to what some call the 'bad rap' Pit Bulls have as vicious, unpredictable dogs, many apartments in New York City impose weight restrictions on dogs residents may own--weight restrictions pit bulls and other large breeds easily exceed. Other buildings flatly refuse to permit Pit Bulls or mixes, period, even though the legality of such specific breed bans in New York is sketchy. Recent New York City Housing Authority restrictions on dog ownership may have further exacerbated the problem even more, with residents surrendering their dogs for fear of losing their subsidized apartments.


"California claims bigger dogs get homes faster than small dogs," Ms. Nieves says. "In that case, let's do a swap. We have a large amount of [pit bulls] in our city shelters. So, California, give us your Chihuahuas, and please, take our Pit Bulls. They are wonderful dogs and hey, they are big!"


Supply and Demand -- Doggie Style

But dog-trading is not that simple, says ASPCA senior vice president Gail Buchwald, who reports the phone has been 'ringing off the hook' since the California Chihuahuas arrived. Ms Buchwald's public comments that New York City "never [has] enough supply for the huge consumer demand for small dogs" raised more than a few eyebrows, but she steadfastly stood by her comments in an exclusive interview with New York Tails Magazine.


"It's easy for people on the outside to become confused as to why we're transporting dogs across the country to be adopted here," Ms. Buchwald says. "But it's the basic business model of supply-and-demand. If there is a tremendous demand for small dogs in our part of the country, and our shelters are filled with Pit Bulls, people who are in the market for a Chihuahua are not going to adopt a Pit Bull. Believe me, we've tried."


Before the arrival of the 15 Chihuahuas from San Francisco Animal Care and Control there was nary a Chihuahua to be found at the ASPCA, but plenty of Pit Bulls. "We promote adoption for our many fine, wonderful Pit Bulls waiting for homes, but nobody's coming," according to Ms. Buchwald. She points out the Agency has had more success in rescuing Pit Bulls in other ways, including helping to break up a large, multi-state fighting ring this past summer.


Critics should view the transport of the Chihuahuas to New York as a way to discourage people here from buying them from pet stores or 'puppy mills', Ms. Buchwald says. "We recognized their was a demand for Chihuahuas in our part of the country. If we were to say it doesn't make sense to bring them here, we would be, in essence, be saying we'd rather have people go to pet stores to get them. We have to face that reality."


A 'swap' of sorts of New York's surplus Pit Bulls for California's Chihuahuas had been discussed between New York and California animal adoption advocates, but was rejected. "We did ask this question," Ms. Buchwald says. "My thought was the Chihuahuas had 'replaced' California's own Pit Bull problem, but the answer was no."


Puppies and Photo Ops -- Not Only In New York
Transporting what are perceived to be more 'desirable' dogs from one part of the country to another is not uncommon here, and for the media it's an easy, feel-good photo op. The North Shore Animal League in Port Washington, Long Island, often brings in puppies and other 'rescue dogs' from other states, especially the South. Even the transport of Chihuahuas specifically from California to the East Coast is not without precedent. About a month ago, "Grey's Anatomy" actress Katherine Heigl financed a flight for 25 California Chihuahuas to Nashua, New Hampshire. All were adopted within hours of their arrival.


These arguments don't sway people like Ms. Nieves, who maintains these much-publicized Chihuahua transports generate lots publicity--and money--for the groups and businesses involved. Such money and resources could be better spent strengthening anti 'puppy mill' laws and improving shelter conditions in the dogs' home states, including educating people on responsible pet ownership. The latter point was recently addressed in a rare New York Times editorial about animals. In part, the editorial described Chihuahuas as "little handbag companions [that can be] nervous, yappy, fragile", and prone to an array of health problems.


So long as city folks want Chihuahuas and someone is willing to foot the airfare, the ASPCA intends on keeping them coming. "We sincerely hope to do more transports in the future. Even more importantly, we hope breeders will stop breeding over zealously and over-optimistically. But as long as there is a problem, we will help."