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VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 2 • SEPTEMBER 26, 2014 • www.preciouspets.ca#33ccff logo (web color)

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Credit Bram D. Eisenthal

Litter box woes

Cats Meow Concert

Averil with her beloved Goldens

In this issue

5

The heartbreak hound

10

6

PRECIOUS PETS • VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 2 • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014 • www.preciouspets.ca2

Barking Bramwith Bram D. Elsenthal

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The ultimate monthly paper for pets and their owners

OUR CONTACT INFORMATION: ADVERTISING AND CLASSIFIEDS:........................................................438 821-6769 E-MAIL: [email protected] EDITORIAL:................. 514 975-7745

www.preciouspets.ca MAILING ADDRESS: ..............................................P.O. Box 66521, Cavendish Mall, Côte Saint-Luc, QC H4W 3J6 PUBLISHER AND EDITOR:.....................................................................................................Bram D. Eisenthal SALES MANAGER:........................................................................................................................ Tina Di Salvia CREATIVE DESIGN: ...............................................................................................................James McCafferty ONTARIO DIRECTOR & DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL MEDIA: ...........................................................Janet Boiangiu PROOFREADER: ............................................................................................................... Elysya Scerbo-Pasta

Precious Pets is a publication of Precious Pets Media Group Inc. Volume 2, Issue 2, September 2014. Copyright 2014. Precious Pets does not accept responsibility for errors, misprints or inaccuracies published within. The opinions and statements of our columnists are not presumedto be the opinions and statements of Precious Pets Group Inc.

VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 2 • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014

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So off we went on September 13th, to Toronto, Ontario, to cover the nation’s biggest reptile event and one of the largest pet events period: the Canadian Reptile and Exotic Pet Breeders Expo, held in Mississau-ga, at the vast International Centre, right next to Pearson Airport. Yup, Precious Pets was there and we had an amazing time, thanks to the kind invitation from organizer Grant Crossman, a fairly new buddy of our paper.

Highlights for us included min-gling with dozens of exhibitors and, of course, Tina’s handling of her first ever snake, a 12-foot python. You can share that moment with us live, if you visit our Precious Pets Me-dia Group Inc. page on Facebook, where several videos from the event will be found. We encourage you to visit our page regularly – “Like” us, even (it won’t cost a cent) – because this video component will become a regular part of the proceedings.

So that was a recent highlight. A lowlight, unfortunately, was our can-cellation of our first anniversary par-ty, due to apparent disinterest. Sorry to say I was quite disappointed due to vastly low projected attendance, which was hardly reason enough to throw a bash…. Though we do thank the people who did want to attend, as well as the suppliers who

intended to donate their goods and services to our cause.

Since Gerdy’s Rescues was going to benefit from our event by receiv-ing donations, we have decided to organize another event in the near

future, likely at Dollar Cinema if they still want to host us. It will not be a party, but it will be an event,

featuring snacks and literature from advertisers, as well as a show and door prizes. Stay tuned to these pages, as well as to our Facebook page, for more information. Maybe this time more than 25 people will choose to attend. We hope so. We’d love to meet our supporters!

As for upcoming thrills, October is our most fun time of years, as we bring you our Halloween issue, apt-ly named – tongue firmly planted in cheek, of course - Pernicious Pests. A full report on the reptile expo will also be featured in our October is-sue, along with lots of fun pics. So, look for your copy at your favourite location near you! We’ll be out be-fore the end of October 2014… we promise!

We are far from lucky with Loto-Quebec running things

I do not often go off topic like this, but occasionally I reserve my right to tackle non-pet issues in this space. In this case, I am furious with Lo-to-Quebec for losing approximately $120 million dollars of taxpayers’ money as they made a horrid in-vestment at casinos in France and, pffffft, there went funds that could have been used for other things, important things like animal welfare or, say, hospitals.... In my opinion, Loto-Quebec is acting in irrespon-sible fashion with OUR money and has been for decades. Just walk into an SAQ outlet to buy a bottle of wine and see what , if anything decent, you can get for, say, under

$10 today. Meanwhile, over the On-tario border at an LCBO outlet, they not only offer a much wider choice of quality wines, but they sell them much less expensively, too. When I was publishing The Local Herald, columnist Sol Boxenbaum wrote an outraged piece following Loto-Que-bec’s decision to open a casino in Mont-Tremblant, a casino I have vis-ited many times, by the way. Sol pre-dicted that this casino would not last a decade, I believe. Guess what? It will be shut down sometime in 2015, I learned recently. Sorry, Sol, you were off by a few years. And I believe the Montreal casino is so horribly managed that it may be a casualty of LQ misadventure in the not-too-distant future, as well. In a Local Herald feature I wrote for the June 2013 issue, I rated the casinos within a few hours’ drive from Mon-treal. The Awkasasne Mohawk Ca-sino in Massena, New York, came in first and the Montreal casino came in dead last. In my mind, it was not even a close race. Loto-Quebec should sell this badly-operated dive (where you pay over $2 for cof-fee and hot chocolate carried on those little carts... the ONLY casino to charge for that) to the Mohawks and then perhaps we Montrealers can enjoy a world-class venue for a change. Mind you, Loto-Quebec’s Casino de Hull is admittedly far su-perior. I guess the management here is simply atrocious.

And now… on with the pet show….

Slithering down the 401…

PRECIOUS PETS • VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 2 • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014 • www.preciouspets.ca 3

BLESSINGS CONTINUES PAGE 12

Angel of mercy Robinson views pets as blessings, not playthingsSTORY AND PHOTOS BY BRAM D. EISENTHAL - EXCLUSIVE TO PRECIOUS PETS

When we started this paper, our sales manager Tina stum-bled upon a particular woman and called me to tell me all about her. “Bram, you are not going to believe this amazing woman I just met and this amazing busi-ness of her’s,” she told me.

I soon met Averil Robinson and every word Tina had uttered was true. She was just that amazing. This animal’s angel of mercy, who hails from the UK originally,

owns and operates Pet Friends in Vaudreuil, Quebec, a one-of-a kind pet funeral home, a safe ha-ven that helps you ease the ter-minal suffering if your pet needs to move on, from very large dogs down to field mice. And she has handled many pets that cross

that sad spectrum.“Childhood was

in England and my aunt and grand-mother were dog breeders,” Averil told me. “My aunt also had a board-ing kennel and was well known for her work in rescue. Her house was full of or-phan pets including a pheasant who be-came her personal body guard, roost-ing on the foot of her bed.

“From early child-hood I learned by example,” she add-ed. “When visiting, children sat on the floor and the dogs occupied the chairs, so from a very early age I learned that our pets were to us like any human family member. Re-spect for animals is not only obeying the

law that protects them, but being taught as a child to honour and care for them.

Averil actually came to Canada as a young child, but she real-ized quickly that there was a lot

of work to be done in her eventu-al field of endeavour. “It was win-ter, I could not bury in the hard ground, so my deceased cat Hawkeye ended up at the local vet. No one told me what really happened to his body, so when I did find out I was appalled and filled with guilt. This was a mem-ber of my family who had given me his total love and loyalty at all times in his life. I vowed to change things if I needed this service again and realized there were others who needed this care for their pet, so Pet Friends was born in1998.

“It was a difficult road. There were few professionals in veter-inary practice that saw the need for a private cremation or burial in a pet cemetery. They need-ed to be educated... a family

that loses a pet family member needs the same closure they get following human loss.”

Yet Pet Friends is just one of the businesses that take up Averil’s time. From her home in Alexandria, Ontario, she rescues and attempts to find good homes for Golden Retrivers, but with a major caveat attached: “I will not take a Golden that is less than eight years of age,” she told me at her home, where I was host-ed by Averil and husband Harry Halls, as well as Retreivers Mi-sha, 10, and Bella, 11, both older dogs Averil had previously saved from extremely cruel fates. She had five dogs living with her not so long ago, but three have since


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Seeing an owl can be quite a hoot! If you have already seen one in its natural habitat, you were quite

privileged!! Their plumage blends so well with their surroundings that it makes it almost impossible for predators and curious humans to spot them.

Most owls are nocturnal birds. They will sleep during the day in a tree cavity or in a quiet roost and will hunt mainly at night.

The majority of them have a very poor sense of smell but they have amazing hearing. Some owls can hunt in total darkness, using just their hearing to guide them to a potential meal. Incredibly, they can hear prey even if it is covered under the snow or a layer of leaves.

Their skeleton is strong and fairly light. It makes up about 7 - 9 per-cent of their body weight.

Did you know that most of their bones are hollow, which helps re-duce their weight? If only I could have hollow bones like the owls: I would be so much happier when I stand on my scale!

Another hoot to toot about is that their wing structure and plumage makes their flights almost silent, even when they are cruising at top speed. That stealthy flight will help them hear their prey better.

Owls have exceptional night vision but they have difficulties

seeing things that are close to their eyes. The little tactile bristles around their beak compensates for that. Also, their bills are curved downwards (a bit like a hook) in or-der to keep their visual field clear.

Another interesting feature about their sight is that they can view objects in 3D and they have three eyelids protecting and cleaning their eyes. Also note that owls are unable to move their eyes in the sockets and cannot freakily turn their heads 360 degrees as a lot of people might think. But their long, flexible necks will enable them to turn their heads as much as 270 degrees in both directions.I truly wish I could do that! Can you imag-ine how I could impress - or per-haps freak out- my family with this amazing ability (ED. NOTE: You`d

be a bit like Regan in The Exor-cist, Chantal… if so, please audi-tion for our Halloween issue)!

Another fascinating feature about owls - and careful now, readers, because what follows might be a bit gross, albeit natural - they can only digest the soft tissues of their prey. The rest will be expelled by their beaks as pellets a few hours after their meal. Those pellets are made of indigestible material, such as bones, fur and feathers. As dis-gusting as it might sound to us hu-mans, it is part of an owl`s way of life and it also provides valuable in-formation to scientists about what the owls have been eating.

I hope that you learned some fun and informative facts about these amazing birds and that you have a hoot watching for them in your area!

Owls: More than mere `hoot machines`Birds of aFeatherwith Chantal Gargano

Email your best picture of your pet in Halloween costume and we will award the

winning entry (with voting done by us) a nice prize. Here’s a little cheat suggestion: Those who LIke us on Facebook first will receive an

automatic vote to start with.

Spookyfor Readers

ContestA


The Irish Wolfhound is known as the heart break hound, because they will break your heart. Their av-erage life span is 8 years. Though it does lift my spirits to see the 10 to 12 year old hounds in Veteran Group, taking place at the Que-bec Regional Specialty Show, held yearly in St. Jean sur Richelieu.

When out walking with my hounds, we hear lots of questions: He’s so big, how much does he eat? Does he need a lot of exercise? Are they good with children, cats, hamsters, rabbits???????? A few years back at the Latin festival my boy was even mistaken for a Lama – yah, go figure. I guess the individ-ual had too much sun that day, or he recalled this fellow from one of our parades. There is a clear differ-ence between a Lama and an Irish wolfhound.

They are large hounds with an el-egant gate, majestic stance, warm eyes, button nose and they do think they are lap dogs. Mine is 170 lbs., and he will sit in my lap and watch the TV with me and my husband. He does eat about 3 lbs of raw meat, he likes his frozen smelts, tuna, salmon, yogurt, and loves strawberries. “Hooligan”, once stole the B-B-Q chicken off the counter, and shared it with his brother Kuri. Yes, this is annoying, as I had to make alternate dinner plans that evening. To make things worse, Hoolie went upstairs to the guest bed room, and wiped his beard on

the blanket. I only went outside for a second to plant one of my chry-santhemums, and well, they have no problem reaching your counter tops. In fact, Hoolie counter surfs regularly, and forget the top of the refrigerator because he can reach that too.

It took me 6-months to train Kuri not to eat the family cat. In the in-terim, I had bruised ribs, skimmed knee, and my manicurist made a fortune on me, at that time. Wolf-hounds are sight hounds, and if it moves, they will chase. Like any

dog they are curious, and the cat has to confront the dog, before they are on common ground to-gether. My eureka moment came when “cat-man” pushed aside the baby-gate, and chased 135lbs, standing 6’5 on hind legs, most sur-prised “Kuri”, down the stairs to hide behind me for protection. From that point forward, they were the best of friends, and they even shared the pillow together.

Hooligan had no issue with cat-man what so ever. Hoolie was sound asleep on the pillow one evening until cat-man sneaked up on him, let out his cat-roar. I have never seen 170lbs of dog in the air, on all fours so fast. The relationship was established. The cat rules!

Aotearoa Whero Kuri, my boy (Maori for: Land of the Long White Cloud’s Red Dog), was my beloved first hound. Hooligan, (Windseeker Wayward Son) is Papa’s boy. The best way to describe them as Kuri is the Rock Star, and Hooligan as Le Fonctionnaire. We were out at Pointe-du- Moulin walking one day, and this is the description a passer-by had blessed them with. Kuri was slender with that beauti-ful hound figure, graceful and a bit on the shy side, while Hooligan is very outgoing, and sometimes quite comical. Hooligan loves to show, and is a regular in the St. Patrick’s Parades.

Sometimes there is the possibility that there might be rivalry between

males, but both our boys got along fine with each other, the cat, and they just loved to be with us. Both hounds are CKC champs.

I lost my Kuri last year the end of October. He suddenly turned ill, and he died in my arms in the K-911 Ambulance. Our technician tried hard to resuscitate him that day, and I will always be grateful to my ambu-lance technician who was with me. The autopsy proved inconclusive.

To this day we all miss Kuri very much, but mostly cat-man, as he still checks the vestibule, where Kuri used to sleep, and guard the front door. In the morning my ani-mals would bow and greet each other, and us with a wagging tail and the wolfie lean. The dogs lean into you as though they own you. My husband purports that they do own you! They are pack animals and you are a part of the pack. The pet guardian, the pack leader, or what-ever term you would label yourself, these magnificent beasts have a heart of gold, gentle demeanor, but don’t piss them off, as they were the brave souls that chased the wolves from Ireland!

For more information on Irish Wolfhounds you may consult The Irish Wolfhound Club of Canada: www.iwcc.ca. A non-profit organi-zation that was created to protect and advance the Irish Wolfhound in Canada.

Gentle when stroked – Fierce when ProvokedBY JULIANA PAVELKA-JOHNSTON PRECIOUS PETS EXCLUSIVE


It is no secret by now that I am extremely proud and impressed to live in a community that is the envy of others across Canada... and that pride extends to the City of Cote Saint-Luc’s concern for the welfare of animals. The councillor for my district (No. 2), Michael J. Cohen, saw to that when he led the way and helped cre-ate a Cats Committee, which under-takes the task of trapping, neutering or spaying and releasing or adopt-ing out ferile cats on our turf. Mike’s committee, headed by the hardwork-ing Shelley Schecter of EduChat and her enviable team of volunteers, organizes an annual fundraiser that I have had the privilege of attending the past two years.

This year’s third Cat’s Meow Con-cert (August 26, 2014) was no differ-ent and the bar may even have been raised a bit, as veteran world-class conductor Joseph Milo led his tal-ented Musicians of the World sym-phony orchestra through a first-half melange of crowd-pleasing classical tunes, including:

Thus Spoke Zarathustra (Strauss), Overture – The Barber of Seville (Rossini); Hungarian Dance No. 1 (Brahms); Peer Gynt, Suite No. 1: Morning Mood, In the Hall of the Mountain King (Grieg); Quan-do M’en Vo, from La Boheme (Puc-cini, featuring Soprano Brigitte O’Hal-loran); Sabre Dance (Khachaturian); The Swan (Saint-Saens, Babich and Bellomia); The Jewel, from Faust (Gounod) and Espagna (Chabrier).

I have mentioned Soprano O’Hal-loran and she is worth much more than merely a footnote. This stunning performer with a nightingale voice charmed us last year as well and, attired in a lovely evening gown, she was as radiant as ever, both vocal-ly and visually. Alexandra Cohen, a Cats Committee founder, also per-formed two terrific vocals, including an exceptionally-inspired rendition of Defying Gravity, from the long-run-ning hit Broadway musical Wicked. This song is about realizing your goals against all odds and that is ex-actly what Cote Saint-Luc is doing to benefit their cat community and pet

lovers, too. Representing the municipality,

councillors Mike Cohen and Sam Goldbloom (“Dogs have owners, cats have staff,” he joked) tendered open-ing remarks, Mayor Anthony House-father also brought greetings and Cohen also spoke glowingly about former CSL mayor Bernard Lang, an early supporter of the Cat Committee who passed away recently. Although recently-elected Member of Parlia-ment David Birnbaum (Mount Roy-al) was unable to attend, it was an-nounced that his riding was donating $500 to this cause.

The second half of the show fea-tured more entertainment from the Musicians of the World Symphony Orchestra, as well as a special pre-sentation to Diane Leibling, “an an-gel,” according to Councilor Cohen. “We have a small group of volunteers and every now and then we get a new member. Diane joined the group a few years ago and quickly stepped into a leadership role, giving up her family garage— their cars suddenly located on the streets -and keeping it heated or cooled so she could fos-ter homeless cats. She goes out and traps and seeks out adoptees. I do not know what we would do without her.”

The 2014 Cats Meow Concert, an-other sold-out affair numbering over 300 attendees, raised some $2,800 to benefit the Cote Saint-Luc Cats Committee. Precious Pets looks for-ward to next year’s event with tre-mendous anticipation.

NOTE: Loyal reader Gail Gold-stein sent in a link for cat lovers everywhere: http://www.lifebuzz.com/cat-guide/ Thanks, Gail!

Cats Meow Concert 2014:CSL puts on third annual fundraiser to benefit cats

Editorial Board

THE EDITORIAL BOARD OF PRECIOUS PETS IS COMPRISED OF INDIVIDUALS

CONNECTED TO THE PET FIELD IN SOME

MANNER, WHO ARE READY TO ADVISE THE PARTNERS AND/OR STAFF WHEN

ASKED FOR THEIR OPINIONS. THEY ARE:

MICHAEL J. COHEN, COUNCIL-OR, CITY OF COTE SAINT-LUC

(QUEBEC)AND FOUNDER OF ITS CATS

COMMITTEE

AVERIL ROBINSON, OWNER OF PET FRIENDS (VAUDREUIL,

QUEBEC)

GERDY GOURON, OWNER OF GERDY’S RESCUES AND ADOP-

TIONS (QUEBEC)

DR. WOJCIECH WYBRANOWSKI – VETERINARIAN (MONTREAL’S

WEST ISLAND)

GABY DUFRESNE-ST. CYR – OWNER OF DOGUESHOP

(MONTREAL)

SUZANNE VILLENEUVE

– PRESIDENT: SUZANNE VIL-LENEUVE ASSOCIATES INC. &

SVBIZ INC.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY BRAM D. EISENTHAL PRECIOUS PETS EXCLUSIVE


MAPAQ ( Ministère de l’agricul-ture, des pêcheries et de l’alimenta-tion du Québec)

had promised that the Province of Quebec would be rid of “gassing pounds” by 2014. Yet there are still pounds that gas dogs and cats. It is still going on. Why?

In a day and age when we are supposed to have evolved beyond using such barbaric methods, it is still in use in municipalities which contract out animal control to these terrible places. People often think that a pound is a place of refuge for lost or stray cats and dogs, to be “re-homed” or in cases of severe sick-ness or injury, to be euthanized with kindness, compassion and concern for the well being of the animal. This is not necessarily so.

Gassing as a means of euthanasia is ugly and barbaric. The animals to be gassed are without food for three

days previously, presumably to make them weaker so they don’t fight the gas. It often does not work that way. Dogs and cats can all be thrown in together, alive, to capacity. Then the gas is turned on. At the end, some-times one or two are still alive, to be gassed again with the next batch.

This inhumane way of disposing of unwanted domestic pets has to stop. The municipalities are paying so much per animal to the pound to euthanize them. That is how they make money. And the only concern of the municipality is that certain non-domestic pets are on the street, whether they be cats or dogs. There is no worry or care, apparently no questions asked as to the humanity of this way of disposal.

In fact in a case a few years ago,

Demanding an end to gassing pounds

In memory ofJaspurr

DEMAND CONTINUES PAGE 13

OH DEEP ANGUISH AND SORROW,YOU’VE SPARED ME NO EXQUISITELY SAD DETAIL.

MY PAIN FOR YOUR PASSING SEEMS WITHOUT END,BUT YOUR LAST TEACHING OF UNCONDITIONAL LOVE,

SWEET JASPURR, IS FULLY RECEIVED.I SHALL HONOR YOUR MEMORY… OUR SWEET BRAVE LITTLE SOLDIER,

AS YOU’RE SUFFERING IS NOW FINALLY OVER.

JASPURR FLOYD - 2013-09-09

EDITORIAL

BY GERDY GOURON, GERDY’S RESCUES, QUEBEC


A nationwide survey conducted by the British Veterinary Associa-tion (BVA) of over 700 small ani-mal practitioners showed that 98 percent of them believe that their clients are influenced by the infor-mation found on the Internet. Had it been conducted in Canada, I think the results would have been very similar. It is true that the In-ternet has given everyone access to a lot more information then we have ever had before, but unfortu-nately not all information is good information.

As clients spend time search-ing the Internet and applying the home remedies they find in an ef-fort to help their pet, they are un-fortunately delaying the delivery of proper medical care for their pet. Dr Google can be helpful, but you cannot compare him to your veterinarian that has a universi-ty degree in veterinary medicine, years of experience and knows your pet. If medicine would be so straightforward that you could go up to a vending machine, plug in your Medicare card and your signs of disease and… out would pop some pills to cure your malady, I am very sure the RAMQ would like to install these in front of every doctor’s office. Think of how much money we would save as taxpay-ers!

That day is not here and probably will never be found in the human healthcare field, but this is an even more unlikely scenario in the de-livery of pet health care. Our pets don’t speak - they suffer in silence. Hundreds of thousands of years of evolution has taught them not to show signs of disease in order to escape predators or from being picked on by other pack members. Understanding what ails your pet requires medical skills. It starts from taking the proper history, ask-ing the right questions, examining the patient, performing the right di-agnostic tests and only then com-ing up with a diagnosis followed by a treatment plan.

The BVA survey concluded that 81 percent of veterinarians felt that patients were being brought in too late. I strongly agree with this posi-tion and see that happening in my practice every day. People delay the delivery of veterinary medical care primarily because they don’t see the problem. Either the pet does not look sick, is not com-plaining or, besides that, functions relatively normally. Always ask yourself what you would do if you

had these symptoms, no matter what your pet is acting like. If you would normally seek a doctor’s ad-vice, please call your vet: Delaying will only make things worse.

So, go ahead and search the Internet, but please go to reputa-ble sites such as: American Ani-mal Hospital Association (AAHA), American Association of Feline

Practitioners (AAFP), Animal Health Institute, and Pets Mat-ter by AAHA, all good ones. Also, all veterinary school universities have owner-friendly information sites, but please leave Dr Google alone-- he flunked his vet school.

For a more complete list of sites that offer credible client oriented pet health information go to our

website at www.animal911.ca

ED. NOTE: As we are all guilty – most of us, anyhow - of self-di-agnosing our own illnesses, this is sage advice for humans, too. If you feel unwell, seek medical advice immediately.

They Call Me Dr. W

Dr. Google (BY DR. WYBRANOWSKI, B.SC. DVM CCRT)

Dr. Wybranowski and Willow


What do you do if your cat starts peeing outside the litter box? Is it the litter or is it the box? Could there be stress in your home, or could your fur baby have a med-ical issue needing attention? We have to ask ourselves a few questions before we know the exact answer.

The first question to ask is: Am I keeping my cat’s litter box clean enough? At a bare minimum, you should be scooping your box on a daily basis, as there is no need for your cat to trample in its own waste. If you have a multi-cat household, you may need to up the frequency depending on your cat-to-box ratio… which leads me to my next point.

The second question to ask is: Do I have enough litter boxes and does my cat like them? Usually, any vet will tell you to have as many litter boxes as cats, plus one additional box. I have five cats and yes, I have six boxes. It might sound like a lot, but the truth is, it’s better to have more than not enough. A lot of cats ei-ther don’t like sharing boxes, or

just prefer a certain box for one purpose and another for the sec-ond. An extra box also helps in situations where one cat has had a messy accident. Now, knowing whether or not your cat actual-ly likes their litter box is a bit of a trickier puzzle to solve, so put on your Sherlock Holmes cat hat and start observing.

There are many different fac-tors to account for during your litter box investigation: Box size, wall heights, lids or no lids, box placement and litter type includ-ed. It has always been my expe-rience that bigger boxes are bet-ter. A bigger box decreases the chance that your cat accidentally pees out the front or back. It will also decrease the frequency of excessive digging in litter. Dig-ging around is your cat’s way of either finding a spot to “go,” or trying to cover up where she “went.” More digging increases the chance of clumps of urine being broken up. No doubt you’ll end up missing these broken bits when you’re scooping and therefore you will leave odours

behind. If you have a kitten or an older cat, you may have to take into account their lack of mobil-ity and adjust your litter box ac-cordingly… an entrance to a box that is too high (wall height) can discourage your cat from using it if she is having trouble getting in and out of it. Lids can also be discouraging as some cats may feel trapped. If your cat does bet-ter “sans” lid, then – take it off!

If you are cleaning your box on a daily basis there shouldn’t be much of an odour to filter or visu-al or a charming view that needs to be covered by a lid. Another way to avoid looking at the fe-ces is to put the box in a well-lit but low-traffic area of the house. This is good for both you and the cat, ‘cause who likes to go to the washroom with everyone look-ing?? Not very relaxing , eh?!

The last factor is the type of litter you are using. Without go-ing into detail about litter (that’s

a whole other column) I will tell you that, yes, some cats are very easy and will use just about anything you will give them, but some won’t. If you notice your cat coming out, spreading her toes and dropping a whole bunch of litter out, that is one sign that that the litter isn’t working for her and that it’s time to give her options. Present her with two litter boxes with different litters and use your judgment. It is truly a trial and er-ror situation to find what works best for both you and your cat, but stay away from strong per-fumed litters….remember that their sense of smell is 14 times stronger than ours!

Here’s your chance to get a leg up on the litter battle and win a brand new litter box, lit-ter locker, refill and bag of my favorite litter. Go to www.west-islandcats.com or visit West Is-land Cats on Facebook for full contest rules and regulations!

Litter box woesChattyCattywith Samantha Havill

THE MANAGEMENT AND STAFF OF PRECIOUS PETS, THE ULTIMATE PAPER FOR PETS AND THEIR OWNERS, WOULD LIKE TO

WISH OUR JEWISH READERS A HAPPY NEW YEAR (L’SHANA TOVA) AND OUR CHRISTIAN

READERS A HAPPY THANKSGIVING.MAY WE ALL FINALLY REALIZE AND

CELEBRATE PEACE AND GOODWILL AROUND THE WORLD, WHATEVER OUR SPIRITUAL

CONVICTIONS.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!


Ace Dog TrainingMontrealAFFIRMATIVE CANINE EDUCATION

Jayne DeLuca DOG TRAINER

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• Obedience, All Levels• Behavior Consultations• Temperament Evaluations

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Doggie Dowith John Truss

Tools of the trade

One of the main issues I hear from dog owners is that their dog pulls on the leash. Walking your canine friend is supposed to be a relaxing and bonding time and con-stant pulling can quickly become frustrating even to the point where some dog owners only walk their dog late at night so they don’t run into any distractions.

There are many reasons why a dog will pull, including overexcite-ment or social and spatial pressure being put on them from other ani-mals. There have been many har-nesses and collars invented over the years to help dog owners deal with puling and there seems to be a new one being marketed every day.All of these devices work on the principle that when the dog pulls they create a discomfort which causes the dog to find a more

comfortable position. They are not magic.

Head halters have long been marketed as “gentle.” The reality is that they are only gentle for the hu-man. They cause a twisting motion to the dog’s neck which is uncom-fortable. No-pull harnesses close across the chest putting pressure on the dog’s shoulders and biceps. This causes a discomfort and the dog slows down to find a more comfortable position. Prong collars also work under the same princi-ple. They put pressure on the dog’s neck and cause him to slow down.

A canine chiropractor friend of mine tells (the human companions of) all of his patients with neck and spinal issues that prong collars place the least amount of stress on the dog’s neck because the pres-sure is spread over a wider area.

Every dog is different and what works for one may not work for the other. There is no magic to these devices. They are all aversive tools used to get the dog to stop pulling. Some may look more menacing and some may be marketed better than the others, but they all work on the same principle and all have dangers associated with them.

If a head halter is being constant-ly pulled on, the dog can develop

neck problems. If a no-pull harness is constantly being pulled on it can cause spinal issues over time. The bottom line is that these are only tools and need to be used effec-tively, along with training and con-ditioning programs intended to de-sensitize the dog to various stimuli.

If you are unsure how to use them properly you should consult a professional trainer.


gone on to loftier rewards. Now, these two fine, affection-

ate and very furry ladies share Averil and Harry’s four-acre abode on a lake and are pam-pered like mad while they are still here with us on this astral plane of existence. I spent an incredible few hours getting to know the two dogs, the Hallses and basking in what is certain-ly the finest example of natural Canadian splendour I have ever experienced.

“When involved in the animal world, one cannot help meeting extraordinary people who are involved in rescue,” said Aver-il. “I met Gerdy Gouron from Gerdys Rescues, from whom I learned the fate of so many old abandoned dogs, who have so little chance of finding a forever home. I opened the door at my country home to old Golden Re-trievers, plus a few other breeds with special needs. We have fostered up to seven dogs at a time. Sadly, when they come to me their lives are not going to be long here because they are al-ready 8-years and up.

“I have consolation that they will be loved here, will have the best vet care and they will leave this Earth with our vet at their home, surrounded by their lov-ing forever family. Their ashes will be scattered on the land they so adored, where they frolicked and found peace and security in their old age.”

Averil ends with a savvy sug-

gestion. “Travel to England even today and see that dogs are al-lowed in restaurants and, when travelling on a bus, do not be surprised to see a dog occu-pying a seat next to his or her guardian.” Now that’s progress. Time to demand of your elected officials, pet lovers, that our var-ious levels of government show the same level of respect, for once.

Pet funeral home Pet Friends is there to offer a secure private cremation or burial and to help families through this difficult time of loss. You can contact them by e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at 514-947-0168. Their website is at www.petfriends.ca.

ED. NOTE: When Tina had to have her beloved family dog Rocco put down two months ago, she contacted Averil, who made all the necessary arrangements and provided the family with tremendous support and caring. Tina talks about the experience to this day, although the pain of her tragic loss is indelible. Please remember that Precious Pets operates a monthly grief group should you or a friend require a special level of support and that this group-subsidized by Little Bear of Westmount- is endorsed by Averil herself.

BLESSINGSCONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

PRECIOUS PETS HAS, SINCE ITS INCEPTION, ALWAYS STRIVED TO GIVE PET AND OTHER ANIMAL LOVERS SOMETHING DIFFERENT AND ALL-INCLUSIVE. WE STARTED THE LITTLE BEAR PET GRIEF GROUP FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE LOST

PETS, FOR INSTANCE. WE PROUDLY BOAST AN EDITORIAL BOARD COMPRISED OF LEADERS FROM THE FIELDS OF GOVERNMENT, POLITICS AND, OF COURSE,

THE PET FIELD.

NOW WE WOULD LIKE TO ANNOUNCE THAT WE ARE STARTING A PRE-CIOUS PETS YOUTH DIVISION, WHEREBY ANY CHILD 12-YEARS-AND-UNDER

CAN BECOME INVOLVED WITH US, WITH THE WORLD OF PUBLISHING AND WITH THE PET RESCUE FIELD. WE WILL SCHEDULE MEETINGS, FUN EVENTS AND GIVE CHILDREN A VERITABLE EDUCATION IN THE PET FIELD BY INVITING SPEAK-

ERS FROM THAT FIELD TO ADDRESS THEM.

FOR MORE INFORMATION. FOR SUGGESTIONS OR TO INDICATE YOUR INTEREST, CONTACT EDITOR BRAM EISENTHAL AT 514-975-7745.

BOYS AND GIRLS, LET’S MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Looking for children who adore pets as much as we do

PRECIOUS PETS • VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 2 • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014 • www.preciouspets.ca

Dogs and cats have a way of ingesting a variety of odd, indi-gestible substances and many can make them very ill. Less ob-vious than the plastics and fab-rics, and just about anything else that lies on the ground, house-hold plants (whether in the gar-den, the home or in the wild) are all potential poisons.

Seven of the most common of-fenders are:

1. Aloe Vera, a wonderful rem-edy for burns but a prescription for vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, anorexia and changes in urine color if gobbled by your pet.

2. Amaryllis, the stunning pot-ted bulb popular during the holi-days that can result in hyper sal-ivation, abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea.

3. Begonias, the popular gar-den plant whose tubers are the most toxic part and can incite oral irritation, intense burning and ir-ritation of the mouth, tongue and lips.

4. Lilies which may be fragrant and delicate but are highly toxic - not to dogs, but to cats -even in small doses. Downing a lily may result in kidney failure.

5. Poinsettia, the one plant

we’ve all been warned about which is actually less toxic than described. Symptoms of this poi-soning include irritation to the mouth and stomach which may cause mild vomiting.

6. Tulip/Narcissus, with toxins most concentrated in the bulb, may invite the Spring but in dogs and cats will induce intense gas-trointestinal irritation, loss of appetite, drooling, depression of the central nervous system, convulsions and cardiac abnor-malities.

7. Tomato plant, which may please a human with its heady, intoxicating fragrance but can provide substantial discomfort to your pet by causing confusion, behavioural changes, dilated pu-pils and a slow heart rate.

Other symptoms of poisoning by plants can include: anxiety, restlessness, coldness of body parts, constriction of air passag-es, wheezing, and retching.

If your four-legged friend has found its way to any of the above, call animal poison control for ad-vice (if you have one in your city) and immediately head to the vet. On the way, take advantage of homeopathy by giving a dose of

one of the two following reme-dies at 5 to 10-minute intervals:

Arsenicum Album 6C or 30C

when the symptoms include: coldness of body parts, constric-tion of air passages, simultane-ous vomiting and diarrhea and fear with cold perspiration.

or Nux Vomica 6C or 30C when

the symptoms include: hypersen-sitivity, digestive disturbances, convulsions, shallow, oppressed breathing, nausea and vomiting with retching, scanty diarrhea, and aggravation from movement and touch.

Barbara Etcovitch is a Clas-sical Homeopath, Interfaith Minister, freelance writer, and lecturer. She has a BA from Sir

George Williams University, a MA in Literature from the Uni-versity of Ottawa, and a diplo-ma in Classical Homeopathy from the School of Homeop-athy in Devon, England. She was ordained by the All Faiths Seminary International in New York City in 2004. She offers naming and funeral services for animals, grief counseling for guardians, and includes the treatment of animals in her homeopathic practices in Que-bec and Ontario. Her services are available worldwide via Skype.

ED. NOTE: A VERY important topic, Barbara, one that can save your pet’s life, readers. Thanks, Pet Healer!

13

PetHealerwith Barbara Etcovitch

Beautiful-but-toxic

DEMANDCONTINUED FROM PAGE 8we did a big demonstration along with other groups and individuals, in front of a gassing pound, following a gassing pound complaint made to us. A TV station was called in to in-vestigate. The station flew a helicop-ter over the site and saw carcasses scattered in the back field, later or-dered to be removed. Subsequent-ly the CSST was called in after the gassing apparatus was found to be leaking! The CSST recommended that it had to be fixed as it was bad for the health of employees operat-ing the system used to kill the ani-mals. Apparently any thought about the torture of the animals in an in-efficient gas chamber that would prolong the length of time required

to die, was not expressed. It was all about the health of the employees only.

Is it acceptable to municipalities, which are comprised of people pay-ing taxes, to operate these places? How many residents of a communi-ty know that this sort of thing is still going on? Does their opinion count? People are employed to do this. What kind of person would be able to do this, time and time again, for a salary?

Certainly not a person of compas-sion.

Yet in 2014 this method of killing unwanted domestic pets goes on here in Quebec, in spite of the prom-ise of MAPAQ to have stopped this

barbaric form of euthanasia. If the government officials in this province attended only one of these mass eu-thanasias, they would be sick to their stomachs and might do something about it.

In the meantime, unwanted or un-claimed pets continue to die in this manner, at the hands of people so out of touch with a gentler, kinder and more humane way, such as a

veterinarian, albeit at a higher cost to the municipality.

ED. NOTE: My late mother was a Holocaust survivor. Jews, the men-tally handicapped and other “unde-sirables” were gassed by the murder-ous, despicable, subhuman Nazis. I will not make a comparison here, but it seems to me that the gassing of any living thing is heinous and beyond human acceptance.


THIS WEEKS SOLUTION

Puzzles

I STOOD BY YOUR BED LAST NIGHT, I CAME TO HAVE A PEEP.I COULD SEE THAT YOU WERE CRYING, YOU FOUNDIT HARD TO SLEEP.

I WHINED TO YOU SOFTLY AS YOU BRUSHED AWAY A TEAR,“IT’S ME, I HAVEN’T LEFT YOU, I’M WELL, I’M FINE, I’M HERE.”

I WAS CLOSE TO YOU AT BREAKFAST, I WATCHED YOU POUR THE TEA,YOU WERE THINKING OF THE MANY TIMES, YOUR HANDS REACHED

DOWN TO ME.I WAS WITH YOU AT THE SHOPS TODAY, YOUR ARMS WERE GETTING SORE.

I LONGED TO TAKE YOUR PARCELS, I WISH I COULD DO MORE. I WAS WITH YOU AT MY GRAVE TODAY, YOU TEND IT WITH SUCH CARE.

I WANT TO RE-ASSURE YOU, THAT I’M NOT LYING THERE. I WALKED WITH YOU TOWARDS THE HOUSE, AS YOU FUMBLED FOR

YOUR KEY. I GENTLY PUT MY PAW ON YOU, I SMILED AND SAID “IT’S ME.”

YOU LOOKED SO VERY TIRED, AND SANK INTO A CHAIR. I TRIED SO HARD TO LET YOU KNOW, THAT I WAS STANDING THERE.

IT’S POSSIBLE FOR ME, TO BE SO NEAR YOU EVERY DAY. TO SAY TO YOU WITH CERTAINTY, “I NEVER WENT AWAY.”

YOU SAT THERE VERY QUIETLY, THEN SMILED, I THINK YOU KNEW... IN THE STILLNESS OF THAT EVENING, I WAS VERY CLOSE TO YOU.

THE DAY IS OVER... I SMILE AND WATCH YOU YAWNING

AND SAY “GOOD-NIGHT, GOD BLESS, I’LL SEE YOU IN THE MORNING.”AND WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT FOR YOU TO CROSS THE BRIEF DIVIDE,I’LL RUSH ACROSS TO GREET YOU AND WE’LL STAND, SIDE BY SIDE.

I HAVE SO MANY THINGS TO SHOW YOU, THERE IS SO MUCH FOR YOU TO SEE.

BE PATIENT, LIVE YOUR JOURNEY OUT...THEN COME HOME TO BE WITH ME.

Pet MemorialAuthor Unknown

precious pets vol 2, issue 2

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