As you think about preparing yourselves and/or your families for possible illness due to the current Corona Virus outbreak, it can give you great peace of mind to have plans in place for your pets too!

Below are some tips in order to have your pet ready to go to boarding or temporary foster should you contract the virus.

Dogs: Be sure you dog is up to date on their core vaccines; i.e., canine parvovirus, distemper, canine hepatitis and rabies are considered core vaccines. Be sure to have proof via paperwork from administering veterinarian. Non-core vaccines are given depending on the dog’s exposure risk. Note: Bordatella would be necessary for boarding at most boarding facilities.

**BOARDING FACILITIES MAY ASK FOR PROOF OF VACCINES AND YOU MAY BE TURNED AWAY WITHOUT THAT INFORMATION**

Cats: core vaccines include feline panleukopenia, feline calicivirus, feline rhinotracheitis (also known as feline herpesvirus), and rabies. Be sure to have proof via paperwork from administering veterinarian.

Identification:

• Tags on collars-

• your phone number

• rabies tag

• current dog license, (be sure license information is current)

• microchip tag, (be sure chip company has correct owner contact information)

Pack a bag:

• Preferred toys

• bag of the food your pet eats (a change in food can cause GI upset)

• For cats-kitty litter and pan

• List of meds and directions if applicable

• Proof of vaccines and corresponding paperwork

• Pet insurance information

Important information about your pet:

• Pets name, age, description

• Basic daily schedule

• Likes and dislikes

• General information to make a transition easier(loves the red ball, loves scratches behind ears, do not touch paws, etc)

• Any medications with direction (get an extra refill if you can in case of supply chain interruption)

• Veterinarian and their contact information

Remember to isolate pets if someone is infected with the virus in a multi-human household.  Wash your hands after handling your pets in a multi-human household. Fomites know no boundaries!  

Behavior and Enrichment:

Remember that while things have changed for you and possibly other family members/children, your pet(s) life has changed too. They are not used to increased activity at times then they were home alone and had the house as their own.

Pets are very sensitive to our feelings, more than we are to each other’s. If you are feeling stressed, under pressure, impatient, or have financial concerns they know something is very wrong. Make a schedule for your pet like you would your children including very important “down time.” We all get impatient and/or angry, it’s okay to walk away from your pet or put them outside in a fenced in yard or on a lead for a bit to reduce your level of frustration.

If you have children at home have them create toys for your pets.

• Sock toys for dogs

⁃ old tube/knee sock with no holes

⁃ Fabric paints/markers

⁃ Tennis balls or other ball of similar size

Let kids get creative in painting the sock, after dry, put ball in toe portion of sock, tie a knot above the ball. Use the loose end as a way to throw the sock! If it gets muddy, dirty, throw it in the wash!

• Catnip Sock toy for cats

⁃ Find an old unwanted sock. Check that it is free of holes, or the catnip will fall out

⁃ Fabric paint/markers to paint the sock toy

⁃ Slide a toilet paper roll inside the sock (we should have plenty of those!!)

⁃ Stuff some dried catnip into the sock

⁃ Tie the loose end of the sock in a knot

⁃ Done!

• Snuffle Mat- https://youtu.be/RMYVNWmvJHY

• Snuffle mat directions: https://youtu.be/3s0cDtTlaxc

• Serve your dogs meals in muffin tins or a treat dispensing toy like a Kong wobbler.

• Play “find it” by hiding treats around the room or under boxes.

• Have your kids make “pupsicles” for your pets. (Recipe below)

• Cats like to bat around lids from pop/water bottles or the ring from below a milk container lid.

• Cats like laser lights – HOWEVER—DO NOT USE A LASER LIGHT WITH A DOG – very important. (Google laser light syndrome in dogs 🙌🏻 )

Frozen Kongs, toilet paper/paper town rolls filled with treats and the ends folded down can be a very easy to make toy for a cat or dog!  

Licky mats with Peanut butter or Greek yogurt is also fun!

Get creative!!  

Other suggestions:

• Remember when dogs are eating or sleeping leave them be and teach your kids to do the same.

• Don’t let children treat the pet like a toy. Some dogs may *tolerate* children lying on them, playing with their ears, tail, paws, but trust me, no dog or cat likes that. Teach your kids to watch for stress signs in dogs. Here are a few more recognizable:

• Lip licking

• ears pinned

• yawning

• whale eye (see whites of eyes, think stink eye)

• tail tucked

• panting

Remember you are invading their space during these times, cut them a break and respect their life changes too!

• If your dog growls, stop what you are doing as it is making them uncomfortable but do not reprimand a dog for growling. Address the reason for the growl but they must have their growl. It’s a warning, if they can’t growl they are left with one thing—a bite. Taking a growl away from a dog is like removing the batteries from a smoke detector.

• Be sure they have a safe place. (Room, crate, (crate not to be used for punishment) where they can get away from the increased activity/people.

• Prepare a way to secure your pet(s) should a first responder need to enter your home. (Designated room, baby gates, basement)

• Put a pet sticker on your window indicating what pets and/or species are inside and how many. If you don’t have a sticker make a list and tape it on your front and back doors. Include your phone number. (Unless there is a security reason that would make that unsafe)

WISE WORDS FROM A WISE FRIEND:

COVID-19 & Your Pet’s Emotions

Beyond the basic needs for your pets such as food, shelter and medical,                                   please remember your pet’s emotional needs too. 

Dogs and cats are very attuned to our emotions. 

• During these stressful times, we know why we are stressed but our pets do not. 
• They can sense our emotional trauma and don’t understand why. 
• Our pets can interpret our emotional distress as being an aggressive action towards them, thus resulting in wanting to protect themselves, i.e. biting, scratching, etc… 
• They can also redirect their anxieties to other people and pets if they feel other people or pets are responsible for our stress.    

Pets need their own time and space.

• Before Covid-19, when you went to work, your home became your pet’s domain. Now, if you are staying home, you may be invading their time and space causing them stress. As much as your pet loves you, they still may need their own time without you. 
• This also applies to your children. Don’t expect your pet to be the children’s entertainment all day long. Your pets may need a break from them too. 
• Try to find a quiet place in your home where your pet can decompress and reward them with enrichment options such as treat, toys, etc.

Forgive your pets!

• When things change in the home pets can react in ways we do not find appropriate such as defecating & urinating, destructive behaviors such as chewing & scratching.     
• As upsetting as this may be. Do not overly correct them. These behaviors are often how they deal with stress. And these are stressful times for both humans and animals. 

During this crisis, we will feel frustrated, angry, scared.  So just as you do with your children, try not to let your pets see you experience these emotions. If that is not possible, which is perfectly understandable, then reassure your pet and comfort them just as you would do your child. 

Pets can be one of the most important emotional tools to see up through this crisis. Our pets give us so much comfort, joy, security and love, so please remember as much as we need that from them, they need the same from us. “

I just spent the last 24 hours in a cage with a shelter dog as a fundraiser and because I thought it would be so fun. Got out to eat, go to the bathroom, move around a bit, take the dog for a walk, and cuddled a whole bunch! I was lucky enough to have a snuggly pit bull and it doesn’t get much better than that! It WAS fun but at one point it became more of a lesson. When it was time to leave today I was seriously overcome with emotion. At first I thought you’re tired, you’ll be back tomorrow and so will Jasmine, my roomie. Then I thought oh it’s just my “normal” emotional self but then I looked around and saw the rest of the sleepover folks in tears too. I have seen literally tens of thousands of dogs in cages, yes I love on them, treat them, provide them with enrichment, and watch our staff take incredible care of these animals. But wow, looking from inside the cage out-the first time ever for an extended period of time gave me a whole new look at what a shelter animal has to withstand day after day, hour after hour, minute after minute. Just about to fall asleep and someone barks, get back up, a beagle lets it rip, (I love beagles but they can get it going) move over to one side of the cage, a person goes by, move again. People stop and look, they go to the front “look at me!” One group passed by and one of the women looked at my Jasmine and said “oh she’s old” and literally turned up her nose. Then a dog goes by, get up and bark, the another, more people, more beagles, the ventilation humming non stop. Jasmine is real nice, she’s very polite and does some cute parlor tricks! Yes she’s “older” if you think 7 is old but she has a lot of good years left I’m sure. After all this time of working with shelter animals I will now look at these guys with even more amazement for the bravery, courage, perseverance, and the will to live and love in those conditions. Still feeling very emotional, I can’t stop thinking about Jasmine and how beautiful she is and what precious creatures these animals are. Jazzy taught me a huge lesson in the last 24 hours – she’ll never know what effect she had on me. Be brave, be happy with what you have, show everyone some love even if they scowl at you, make people smile and laugh just by being you. If you or family and friends are thinking of adding a pet to your family, please think of a shelter animal, there are a whole lot of Jasmines out there who would love to have a home. Thanks sweet Jasmine, I loved being your roommate and thank you for showing me what YOUR life is like. I can only hope to be as brave as you. ❤️

Dog behavior tip! Written with the best intentions-not everyone knows dog body language!  I’m a dog body language geek – I cannot get enough of it! Speaking of language – English and all other languages are second languages to dogs! No judgin – just educatin!

Most of the time, when you are in a public place and you approach a dog who does not know you and it rolls over and shows its belly the dog is NOT saying “rub my belly!” Dogs will roll over to signal appeasement or to create distance between themselves and a human! We call thats “tap out!” I know people have good intentions-and our instinct is to pet the dog on his tummy when he rolls over thinking he’s signaling “please move closer,” he’s actually signaling “please move away/or I’m no threat!” Not at all a pleasant/comfortable situation to be in. When I find myself at a restaurant, bar, or other places that are almost always too much for a dog to handle I without fail see a dog roll on its back and everyone thinks it’s adorable and goes to rub the belly.  Just walk away, the dog is saying “you are a threat and I’m scared.”  

If your dog is the one doing this or any other behaviors (doesn’t have to be all of them) like lifting its paw, tucking its tail, panting, paws are sweating, checking genitalia, yawning, ears back, lip licking, looking or walking away to name a few — your dog is stressed. When your dog is scared or stressed it’s more likely to bite. Some dogs can handle a lot—but most can’t.  It’s up to us to care for them, love them and keep them safe. ❤️🐾 Continue reading →

There’s a new trend it seems.  Dogs are now welcome in breweries, pubs, restaurants, ball games, and are invited to events all over the place! Seems like a great thing – right? Wrong.  Possibly dead wrong.

I consider myself a dog body language expert. I have studied their language for years. I have touched tens of thousands of shelter dogs, literally. I watch them, I watch videos, I go to trainings, I can’t get enough because it’s so fascinating and if you know what they are saying their messages are so very clear!  As I have watched more and more dogs be brought to public places, I have found myself having to leave early and then avoid those places in the future. I can’t take it. I watch dogs speaking so loudly and no one is listening. I am, but at times when I have in a very friendly way approached people to try to explain how unhappy their dog is with the current situation – the conversation eight times out of 10 doesn’t go well no matter how non-judgmental my delivery may be.   Licking lips, yawning, tails tucked, Pilo erections, (hackles up) genitalia check-ins (licking genitalia) shivering, shaking, tense bodies, pink eyes, ears, gums and much much more behaviors that scream “I’M NOT COMFORTABLE!”  The graphic shows SOME of the signs of fear. 

In this country, we don’t always socialize our dogs at an early age in order to make them comfortable enough to be able to deal with a social situation that includes drinking,  the smell of food (dogs love food!!) children who make sudden movements and loud noises which scares most dogs, loud music – remember their hearing is much more keen than ours  and what sounds normal to us may sound very loud to a dog. There are other dogs— not all dogs like other dogs and some more selective about the dogs that they like or dislike.  Lots of people, we loves dogs and we want to pet them, but they don’t always want to be petted especially in a situation where they are very uncomfortable.  We also have the temperature to consider now that it is summertime and how hard it is for dogs to cool down when they are overheated. There’s also something called fight or flight that is instinctive to a dog.  If it’s a dog is on a leash in a public place — as they should be—it’s the law—and there is something about a person that is making them fearful, they realize they cannot get away (flight), they are left with their fight instinct which may result in a bite.

Some of you may say what if that was a child that was attacked? I’m going to say “if” but it’s going to be “when” a child is attacked, it’s only a matter of time.  Let’s think about TRUE service dogs.  Not the ones you can order online, but the real dogs who “perform a task” for their disabled owner.  By the way, it’s not against the law to “fake” your dog as a service dog in PA.  The folks who I know who have service dogs are now not able to go to places that at times they need to go.  Their dogs are becoming apprehensive to go outside, they are lunged at, barked at places that are pet friendly and that’s just not fair.  My local Home Depot has an employee in a wheel chair.  Service dogs are HIGHLY trained to deal with all sorts of situations including medical equipment and it costs a lot of money to get them to where they are–giving a disabled person the ability to do things they would never have been able to do alone.  The other 100+ dogs on a Saturday morning are not.  I have spoken to their manager who told me I have made the best arugment of anyone and he would “take it up the chain.”  If  YOUR dog attacks a service dog in PA it’s an M3.  No joke.  

I KNOW business owners, event planners, dog owners and lovers have the very best of intentions, I am sure of it. I have reached out to a few and asked if I could educate them on stress signals of dogs.  I have tried to encourage them that it’s not always a good idea to have a policy that your place is “pet friendly.” My attempts have not been met with enthusiasm-and I realize that the pet friendly ship has sailed and it may take some work to reverse the direction.

There was a situation over the weekend involving a dog who was attacked by another dog at a local establishment. I can only hope that the dog that was attacked is OK, and the dog that did the attacking does not have to pay with its life. These dogs were put into situations where they never should have been.  I am begging business owners and event planners to reverse this trend of bringing dogs to your establishments/events. I don’t think you’ll be met with angry customers, not after a good explanation and possibly by having signage explaining that you are actually reversing your policy because of your love of dogs.  What customer would be angry about that?

I did not witness this incident, however I did witness one where two dogs got into a fight in a bar, which resulted in their owners getting into a fight, one dog took off, the police came, I don’t know if the dog took off was ever found and the image of the dog low to the ground, tail tucked scampering up the street will forever be in my head.

I am happy to help any business owner or event planner in educating people on how much their dogs can handle in a social situation. I also understand that most people are not the dog body language geek that I am and they just don’t know and that’s okay!

Let’s work together in keeping our dogs safe. In being open to understanding what their limits are, and understanding that if you go out for a beer or with friends for a while and your dog is at home-it’s okay!! It is safe there and your dog might like a break from you! Dogs want to be dogs, that’s what they’re best at and it’s also all they know how to be!

Thank you for reading, understanding my intent, And hopefully keeping an open mind. I love dogs so much that I have dedicated my life to protecting them, saving as many as I can, and creating laws that protect them from cruelty and punishing those who commit crimes against precious animals.  In a very dark time in my own life working with dogs is what saved me and gave me a new purpose in life.  I owe them so much and will always be an advocate for their happiness and safety.  🐾❤️

HOUSE BILL 1197 – PENNSYLVANIA

 UPDATE: Sadly this never made it past the Senate Judiciary Committee after passing unanimously in the House. Such a shame-it would have could have done so much good. Dogs will continue to die in a pit or by the hands of monsters and illegal drugs and guns will continue to make their way to the streets. Organized crime hiding behind fighting poor dogs- while more and more young people die as a result of the illegal activities that we ALL know go on at a dog fight. We can’t get this passed to not only save a dog’s life but also to make an effort to do ALL that we can to save young human lives. I’ll never understand – but I do know I did my best.

Good afternoon everyone and thank you Representative Costa for inviting me here today to speak on this very important legislation.

Pennsylvania’s state law is based on the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO. Now more than 40 years old, RICO was initially aimed at mobsters. It later was used as a tool to prosecute corrupt public officials. And more recently, the law has been used to combat a more contemporary criminal outfit — street gangs.

There is a high correlation between street gangs and illegal drugs and firearms. There is a high correlation between street gangs and dogfighting.  Dogfighting is an underground world where crimes against animals are common but often difficult to solve and prosecute. Dogfighting is a telltale sign that there Is much more going on.

Dogfighting is an organized crime, a criminal enterprise.   Dogfighting is used to hide other illegal activities. I can speak to that from my very own experience.  I have been on dogfighting raids all over the country over the past 7 years.  The second largest dogfighting raid in our nation’s history – known as the “367” (367 dogs were seized that day) was in 4 southern states, 5 different properties were raided at the same time.  I was one of 12 people on the ground as the FBI, the ATF and local law enforcement raided the properties.  $500,000 in cash was on the table for a fight that was to happen that night.   Many times drugs are used in lieu of cash for winnings in a bet.  I have seen the drugs confiscated, I have seen the weapons confiscated, and I have seen the dogs, many in conditions that I will never be able to forget. .  I’m not speaking from hearsay, I was there, in Alabama on that hot August day.  One of the dogs who was in my section, Lucas, was to fight that night.  This $500,000- a HALF A MILLION DOLLARS was bet on Lucas who had ten times prior killed his opponents with barely a scar on his body.  Lucas was eventually euthanized as he was trained to do kill other dogs which made him unsafe to be anyone’s pet.

Recent states that have passed this same legislation include Illinois, Michigan, Virginia and our neighbor New Jersey.

Under Illinois’ new state-level RICO statute, dogfighting is among dozens of offenses — including drug trafficking, prostitution promotion, gunrunning, terrorism and others — that could be used as evidence in the prosecution of an organized criminal enterprise.

RICO cases are typically the result of long-term investigations. Using the RICO statute, prosecutors employ informants and wiretaps to target the leaders of a gang even if those individuals did not pull the trigger in a murder or personally sell drugs on a street.

And now in Illinois, because of the RICO statute, authorities can crack down on dogfighting rings and can conceivably disassemble the organizations behind them and save animals from this horrific blood sport.

According to Sgt. Mark George of the Chicago Police Department’s Animal Crimes Unit, in 2011, the unit initiated nearly 500 investigations resulting in 73 search warrants, 101 arrests, and the seizure of 190 animals, 17 guns, 700 grams of cannabis, 47 grams of heroin and several thousand dollars in cash.  Sgt. George has found that RICO is a great tool to deal with this element that plagues our communities and helps to combat gangs and drugs.

What additional tools would the addition of dogfighting to RICO in PA bring to law enforcement overseeing dogfighting investigations:

• More comprehensive investigatory powers;
• Extended statutes of limitations;
• Longer sentences (in terms of both actual incarceration and the length of post-prison supervision);
• Larger fines;
• Pre-conviction “seize and freeze” of a defendant’s assets; and
• Forfeiture of the assets used in, and gains generated from, the dogfighting activities.

These are key legal tools in combating organized dogfighting rings –
highly organized and guarded criminal enterprises that are extremely
difficult for law enforcement to penetrate.

A few years ago, I started a task force that included members of the FBI here in Pittsburgh.  It was formed specifically to work together to combat dogfighting in our region.  The FBI is aware of the activity that is hidden behind this brutal blood sport. The FBI FULLY supports this legislation and my group is continuing to work together with them to do whatever we can to support their efforts.

Stephen Wells of the American Legal Defense Fund states: “The vast majority of all dogfighting cases are discovered as a collateral matter to some other type of criminal investigation, be it a drug case, a gambling investigation or simply in response to a 911
dispatch to a domestic disturbance.  Adding dogfighting as a RICO trigger gives law
enforcement additional tools, and a strong incentive, to start directly
targeting organized dogfighting rings–not to mention that it sends a
very strong message to the dogfighting community that the stakes just
got substantially higher.”

In closing I would ask all of you here today to support Representative Dom Costa’s HB1197.  Not only would we be taking steps to eradicate the violent blood sport of dogfighting, this would crack down on other activities that are killing our young people at a rapid pace like illegal guns and heroine.  Let’s put Pennsylvania on the map with the handful of states who haven passed this legislation and show our citizens that we are doing all that we can to save lives, both human and animal.

Thank you all for listening, I’m happy to answer any questions you may have.

Respecfully submitted by Mary Kennedy Withrow