Tabla de contenidos para July - August 2018 en All Creatures

MY NAME IS GRACE, a.k.a. Gracie, a.k.a. Googoo. Golden retriever. Three years old. We’ve talked before. Remember? I think we are all friends. Today I want to talk about my tail. Dogs have them. Humans don’t. There are reasons for that. I use my tail in so many ways, you wouldn’t believe it. Of course, when I am happy my tail wags like crazy. I have no control over it. Sometimes when I am really happy my whole back end wags. People better get out of the way! I think there is no greater expression of joy in the universe than a wagging tail. We dogs wear our hearts on our tails, for sure. You know immediately when I am sad or disappointed, because my tail droops. It’s as if…

IT’S A RARE DAY when plastic surgeon Coleen Stice, M.D., of Omaha has an animal on her operating table. But in May 2017, when she saw a Facebook photo of a bald eagle with a mysterious black scab on his head, she had to do something. Fishermen had found the injured bird along a riverbank in Syracuse, Nebraska, and he had been brought to a raptor rehab center. Experts there were stumped about how to help him. “I knew the answer,” Dr. Stice says. “I’d seen that kind of scabbing in patients with electrical burns.” Within a week, the lifelong wildlife lover was at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo, where the eagle had been relocated. Her examination revealed that the bird had been electrocuted by a high-voltage wire that had burned…

Q Our goldfish, Mr. Speckles, started swimming upside down. Is he okay, and what should I do? —Tony B., Tivoli, New York A Buoyancy disorders are common in goldfish and can be caused by problems with the swim bladder, gas distension of the gastrointestinal tract, cancer, spinal damage and even poor water quality. Some of these issues may be due to bacterial, fungal or parasitic infections. Mr. Speckles’s upside-down position is most likely the result of an abnormality of the swim bladder, which is a gas-filled organ in the body cavity of fish. It can look very different in each fish and may take on many different shapes, but its main function is to help maintain proper buoyancy. The swim bladder also plays a role in respiration and…

Imagine running a farm-animal sanctuary when you have such severe allergies that almost all animals trigger terrible rashes and asthma. Seems crazy, right? Not to Caitlin Cimini, 33, founder of the nonprofit rescue Rancho Relaxo in Woodstown, New Jersey. Suffering physically hasn’t stopped her from saving hundreds of animals. She’s committed to her mission of giving all creatures in need a second chance in life. Have you always been an animal lover? Yes. Growing up, I wasn’t playing with dolls. I loved taking horseback riding lessons and spending time with the animals we had at home: a horse, dogs and cats. I also helped out at animal rescues and wildlife rehabilitation centers. When did you discover your severe allergies to animals? I was about two years old. My mom took…

It was the day after I had knee surgery for a torn meniscus, the latest in a long line of things that had brought me pain. The doctor had urged me to walk on my leg, so I hobbled out the side door and headed to the backyard. Our dog, Charlie Bear, scooted in front of me. He went straight to a spot on the sidewalk and put his nose down. “What is it, Charlie?” I asked. A baby bird, maybe an inch and a half long. Gently, using just two fingers, I picked him up and put him in my palm. His tiny orange-and-black beak opened and his chest moved. I carried him inside. “Look at this beautiful little bird,” I said to my husband. “Where did you find…

1 Sunscreen isn’t just for humans. Dogs can get sunburns, too. While their fur protects most of their skin, exposed areas such as the nose, ears and groin are vulnerable. The most susceptible breeds are white or light-colored short-haired dogs. To protect your pup, apply canine-specific sunscreen to exposed skin. According to Petmd.com, you can also use a sunscreen made for babies or sensitive skin—just be sure it’s PABA-free and doesn’t contain zinc oxide, which is toxic if ingested. 2 Not every dog can swim. A dip in the pool or lake can be refreshing, but don’t assume your dog knows how to swim. Some dogs are naturals in the water, while others can’t even doggie paddle. Brachycephalic (“short-headed”) breeds like pugs and bulldogs have to tilt their heads up…

I GOT MY beautiful Standardbred, Stetson, at age eight from a Mennonite man who had used him to pull his buggy and wanted him to have an easier life. I was starting over after a divorce. For 17 years, Stetson and I lived an idyllic life together on my farm in New Jersey. He was such a sweet boy and my closest companion. One day last July, Stetson was struck with colic. He thrashed around the barn in agony. The only way to end his pain was to have him put down. I was heartbroken. For weeks, dreams of his dying moments haunted me. To mark his grave I put up a cross that my friends made out of his old shoes. I planted flowers that my boss gave me…

SEE SOMEONE EVERY day and you get to know them. And love them too, in the case of UPS driver Sean McCarren of Falling Waters, West Virginia, and the dogs on his route. In 2013, he started a Facebook page for UPS drivers to share photos and videos of the furry friends they encounter on the job. Since then, UPS Dogs has grown to have more than one million followers. Most of the posts focus on fun, but sometimes drivers have poignant stories—for instance, when they lose a dog on their route. One driver even adopted a pit bull after the dog’s owner, a regular on her route, passed away. As McCarren told the Today show, the dogs “become a part of your family. They’re expecting…

Beth, our dietary manager, peeked in my office door. “I want you to meet our newest resident,” she said. I smiled and turned in my chair. Welcoming people and helping them adjust to their new surroundings is one of my responsibilities as chaplain at Madrid Home Communities, a nursing home with 110 residents in central Iowa. I was always happy to greet a new resident. But Beth was holding a tiny calico kitten. “One of the nurses found her at the front door,” she said. “She had her paws against the glass as if she wanted to come in. We’re going to call her Willow.” “We’re not really keeping her, are we?” I protested. “It’s so cold outside and there’s no sign of her mother,” Beth said, stroking the kitten’s…

Founded in 1944, North Shore Animal League America is the world’s largest no-kill animal rescue and adoption organization. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, we receive no governmental funding of any kind. All our support comes from generous individuals, corporations, and foundations. Over the years, we’ve become a recognized leader in animal welfare and a pioneer in the no-kill shelter movement, introducing lifesaving programs like humane relocation, off-site adoption, puppy mill rescue, and Spay USA® , our nationwide referral service for low-cost spay/neuter. Other initiatives include our Pet Sponsor Program for special-needs pets, our online Help Me Heal Program for pets with serious injuries or medical conditions, our Quality Care Team for post-adoption follow-up, and our Seniors for Seniors program, which matches older pets with senior citizens. We also have active…

vision in the night WE BURIED MY BROTHER that day in the family cemetery in West Virginia. My husband, Bracey, and I returned to our motel room, and I got a voicemail. It was from our veterinarian’s office back home in Tennessee, where we were boarding our 14-year-old shepherd mix. Scooter had thrown up twice and seemed to be in pain. They had given him medication and would monitor him. Should we head straight home? Scooter and I loved each other as deeply as it was possible to love anyone. He’d shown up on my doorstep two days after my second husband walked out on me, a skinny puppy who’d been shot with a pellet gun. I nursed him back to health, and Scooter taught me that it was safe…

WALK INTO ONE of Petey’s therapy dog–training classes and you’ll notice a lot of noise and commotion—but not from dogs. At a recent class, the trainer banged on the wall and clapped her hands. One assistant rolled around in a wheelchair. Another pushed a walker and chanted, “Whoop, whoop, whoop!” while a third barged down a hall yelling. Why all the racket? Because the dogs are learning to work in locations like nursing homes and hospitals, where they encounter unexpected sounds and distractions. Petey and I took our turn walking around the trainers. He wagged and pranced but stayed calm. At nine months old, he’s learning to control his puppy exuberance. Petey still has plenty of frisky moments, though, like when he jumps to greet visitors. Eager, playful behavior in…

ANIMAL SANCTUARY DAY JULY 1 Having severe allergies to animals didn’t stop Caitlin Cimini from opening the Rancho Relaxo sanc tuary. Turn to page 16 to find out why. INDEPENDENCE DAY JULY 4 More pets go missing on the Fourth of July than at any other time of year. For tips on keeping your animals safe and calm during fireworks, go to guide posts.org/petanxiety. NATIONAL DOG DAY AUGUST 26 “Rescue is my happy place,” says dog-adoption coordinator Nina Roedeler. Get an inside look at her job on page 36.…

“IM DONOR” said the woman sitting behind the desk at the DMV, reading my freshly minted vanity plate. “That’s an interesting phrase. Do you mind if I ask why you chose it?” Her question stirred up so many emotions in me. Even seven years after my beloved brother’s death, it was still hard for me to talk about. But I took a deep breath and told the woman my story. I was the youngest of six children. My brother John was the one who looked out for me the most. And I looked up to him. He was my hero—devout, active in his church, honest, kind and wise. To me, he was fearless: He started beekeeping in high school, and it became his lifelong avocation. I couldn’t imagine getting anywhere…

Just breathe, I told myself. Any tension in my body would be mirrored in my horse, Endo, and he needed to be relaxed. In a minute, we would enter the show ring at the Oregon Horse Center to compete in the second phase of a discipline known as working equitation. The sport focuses on the partnership between horse and rider, particularly the equestrian skills used in working cattle. It uses various tests—dressage, ease of handling, speed—to showcase a horse’s athletic ability and willingness. The second phase, ease of handling, is an obstacle course that reflects challenges the horse and rider are likely to encounter in the field. Endo and I were competing at the intermediate level, and there were 11 obstacles on our course today. For the last, we would…

On a rainy Saturday morning in Queens, New York, Nina Roedeler, 39, walks to Astoria Park, carrying only a cell phone and a water bottle. It’s a drizzly, overcast day, and not many people are out. She savors the quiet. It won’t stay that way for long. A little before 10 a.m., she approaches a folding table set up on a small patch of grass. “Morning, Jen!” Nina greets the volunteer who will handle signing people in and out. They chat for a few moments until a plain white van pulls up. “Here we go,” Nina says, walking over to the van. “Good to see you, Doug. How was the drive?” “Not too bad,” Doug says. “None of these guys are yappers, so it was actually an easy trip.” Together,…

Visit Molly Ryan’s house in Parma, Ohio, for the first time, and you’re in for a surprise. It’s not the decor that’s unusual; it’s the 20 rescue animals she shares her home with. And these rescues aren’t just cats and dogs. Ryan, 41, a school psychologist and a longtime licensed wildlife animal rehabilitator, takes in all types of creatures, from woodchucks to pigs. She’s actually caring for four woodchucks right now. Also known as groundhogs, these creatures get a bad rap, Ryan says. Blame it on their burrowing, which ruins lawns, or their pesky shadows, which are popularly thought to indicate a longer winter. “People think woodchucks are dirty and smelly, but that’s not true,” she says. “I’ve actually never lived with a less smelly animal. They’re like cats; they…