We adopted King in June of last year. He now has three acres to run and play with his brother and sister!
And now he’s ready to go inside after the command of “lets go home.” Glad we adopted this big boy!
Humane Society of Marathon County
...on a journey
Arlo (formerly Schultz) definitely lights up our life and is spoiled. Loves car rides, boat rides, playing fetch… We actually had to get a king size bed because he makes it known if we get in his “space” while he is sleeping, lol! I’ve said it before and Ill say it a million times again, thank you so much for allowing him to be in our family.
Arlo wishes you all at HSMC a happy fall!
September already! School is in session, football is finally happening (Go PACK!) and the weather is starting to cool. Autumn officially begins September 23 but with the changing leaves and crisp air it is hard not to get excited for the Wisconsin seasonal change!
You know who else likes a break from hot, sticky summer weather? The family pets! And that is what makes this the perfect time to take about pet safety for the fall. From household poisons to seasonal hazards… there are multiple potentially dangerous situations are curious canine could stumble into.
MICE and other rodents are starting to think about where they are going to make their winter home and since our houses and sheds look inviting, outcome the rodenticides. While they are deadly to pests, if your pet ingests the bait OR the rodent who took the bait, it could be fatal to Fido! Use caution with these products and keep them in places your pets (and kids!) can’t access.
If you have children back in school, those school supplies can be inviting to pets. Glue sticks, markers and pencils, while considered “safe” due to their low toxicity can still cause problems including gastrointestinal distress and even serious blockages.
Rusty on the recall? If your dog had a lazy summer and you haven’t been working outdoors with your pet for a season, it may be frustrating when your dog fails to come when called now that the excitement of fall is in the air. Now is a good time to brush up your basic obedience work with the family dogs. Your dog really needs you to help him hone those skills!
My yard is a bounty of mushrooms already! While most of them are basically harmless it is that pesky 1% of highly toxic ‘shrooms that will cause your dog real problems. For the amateur (like me), telling one mushroom from another for toxicity is NOT going to happen. Best tip is to keep your eyes open for mushrooms and exercise your dogs in areas where there are none. IF YOUR DOG INGESTS ANY WILD MUSHROOM CALL YOUR VET IMMEDIATLEY!
To maintain body heat, the critters who are worked outdoors a lot or who have to live outside of the comforts of home need to be provided with increased amounts of food and fresh water DAILY as the weather gets colder!
SNAKES. Need we say more? This is the time when snakes are preparing for hibernation. It is also the time they get even crankier! Familiarize yourself with which snakes in y our area are what, and who is able to cause problems should your overzealous dog decided to make friends with one! Simply put…keep Fido away from snaky areas/
No list is complete without talking about coolants. Ethylene glycol-based coolants are highly toxic, so spills must be cleaned up immediately. A better option: propylene glycol-based coolants. ..just because of their reduced toxicity.
Really…when it comes to the family pet, is there EVER a risk of being too safe?
Well it happened…back to school is finally here. After the initial complaining, the kids are probably already happy being back to the routine. On the other hand, you may notice your pets having a harder time with the transition.
Raising a child to be a responsible pet owner happens in the here and now, so here are some tried and true tips to use this school year for your kids…and pets!
Interactive pet toys are worth the investment! With the kids gone all day, a pet’s life can seem pretty doggone boring. Kong Wobbler and SPOT Seek a Treat Shuffle Bone for dogs and Trixie’s 5-in-1 Activity Center for cats are just a few of the fun puzzles that are mentally stimulating and keep pets active until the kids come home. Check out places like Katzenbarkers, Petco, Pet Smart….or log onto Amazon.
Play the Radio on Low! Admit it, in the summer the house is usually a cacophony of noise with kids romping around, TV’s playing and IPods and every other electronic doodad running. The family pet gets pretty comfortable around the hustle and bustle and actually has no problem napping in the midst of it. When kids go back to school, the quiet can be deafening and stressful. Many pet owners opt to leave the TV on as background noise so the home seems more “normal” for Fido and Fluffy. The sound of voices talking or singing is comforting for both dogs and cats until the family returns home and life is good again!
Now is a good time for your child to have a daily pet routine! During the summer pets get used to the activity level they share with the kids. Whether yours spent the summer playing in the backyard or splashing in a pool or vegging on movies or video games in the evening…the pets and kids (at least from the pet’s perspective) were best buddies! When the kids go back to school, life gets more exciting for them…but pets can experience some serious separation anxiety.
NOW is a great time to instill pet responsibility by teaching them despite their busier schedule they may NEVER forget their furry best friends! As a parent, you can help them create a daily routine ensuring both kids and pets will keep spending quality time together. Some suggestions to consider: A walk or play time in the morning before heading to school; special attention and play time upon returning home from school; and why not set a good example with some active family time with the pets in the evening!
This is a valuable lesson your kids won’t learn in school. It’s a lesson that will teach them how to become responsible and caring pet owners…for life!
Finally, plan Fun Activities for Your Pets
Obviously now that the family pets will be spending more time alone than they like, it even more important to plan after school and weekend activities that involve the whole family…pets included! A trip to the dog park, a stroll around the neighborhood, tossing tennis balls in the backyard…anything to provide the attention they need and deserve!
Hopefully this friendly reminder makes the school year a little better for your whole family!
A lost pet arrives at the shelter, no collar, no tags. Staff carefully scans for a microchip and the adrenaline starts to flow when the buzz indicates there is one! Quickly the number is checked in our computer system and if we don’t get a hit, we call the resource line to find the owner information. It doesn’t take long to learn what is on file, and we start dialing the phone to contact the owner. On a perfect day, it’s a quick hop from that phone call to a happy reunion. But all too often, it isn’t a good day…
The phone number is disconnected or has been reassigned to someone new. We search for matching “lost” reports, checking the various avenues people contact us to report a lost pet. Unfortunately many folks only contact one of the many online groups when they have lost (or found!) a pet. As the pet is being processed into the shelter, we share the photo on facebook (if it is a dog) or to our website (if it is a cat).
We research the information we have in a myriad of avenues to make contact with the owner, and lots of times it pays off. Other times, it doesn’t, and we hold the pet for 7 days hoping the owner calls and if not, we begin the search for the perfect new home. At adoption, the new owner’s information enters our software and is linked with the chip, and we try hard to impress on the owner the need to contact us and the chip company if they have a change of phone or address.
Occasionally during our search for the owner, and after it pops up on facebook or our site, several people will show up claiming ownership. Of course we simply cannot give them to anyone who walks in the door. We are obeying the law and waiting for the owner to surface. (And, yes, we do get yelled at for that.)
Please know that not everyone brings a pet they wandered upon into the shelter. IF YOUR MICROCHIP INFORMATION ISN’T CURRENT OR IF YOUR PET DOESN’T HAVE ONE, you may never see it again. On the other hand, we have an increasing number of finder’s keeping or rehoming through Craigslist and when it does eventually enter a shelter when the novelty wears off, the chip will help us get it back home.
**Please note that other people not assigned to receive and impound strays also have microchip scanners, but are not affiliated with HSMC, the designated contracted impoundment facility for county lost dogs (or cats in contracted municipalities)**
So let’s get to the point of this post:
If your pet is not micro-chipped, please do it. We offer micro-chipping at HSMC for $10 plus tax.
If your pets are micro-chipped…HOORAY FOR YOU!
Maybe put a tickler on the calendar for daylight savings times to check that your info hasn’t changed. And definitely put it on the “to do” list for moving…or even on your vaccination and license dates.
Kate deserves a life after dogfighting My name is Kate and I'm so happy to be here. I know that probably sounds strange, right? I mean a dog who is happy to be in the shelter? But it's true. I've … Read More