Puppy Luvuuuuv

(admin note: posted for Amanda - who still does not have her computer hooked up at home and can't access blog from work. But we love her anyway!)

Here at HELP FIDO, we love dogs. We love dogs with no tails, dogs with bad manners, dogs with one eye, dogs that can't hold their water, dogs with pedigrees and dogs that resemble a heap of spare parts (admin: we even love dogs with only two legs!). We love ALL dogs. We believe that dogs deserve our respect, understanding and compassion. We believe that every dog should have his/her day. So that's part of the reason why we get so hot and bothered when someone decides to deny any dog those rights, solely based on an impossibly hard to nail down breed ID.
Why, our local Humane Society is still nursing a stinging wound courtesy of an individual in Tennessee. CAHS' very own Batman made his debut national television appearance and in doing so, stole the heart of a Knoxville, Tennessee detective.

We had visions of Batman with his new Dad, donning his uniform and ready to roll in a marked vehicle. His potential new Dad even promised us those darling pics, saying he'd be "tickled" to do so. But alas, his significant other succumbed to the media hype and fear that have us believe the problem is the dog. No home for Batman...yet. We'll keep looking. Meanwhile, Batman continues to show us why we do what we do. Sure glad he doesn't know how close he came to being finally "home."
So, to the naysayers, go ahead and keep up with the lies and myths! We're running on pure doggy Luuuv at HF! What could be sweeter?

ALERT: From CAHS - Please pass along!

For those of you living in central Ohio, or if you know of any cat or dog owner who does - please pass along this frightening alert from Capital Area Humane Society:

The Capital Area Humane Society says two dogs were shot with cross bows in two different parts of town.
By Nicole Franks - 610 WTVNnicolefranks@ clearchannel. com
Saturday, August 23, 2008
The Capital Area Humane Society is warning pet owners after two dogs were shot and killed with what appears to be a cross bow. The latest incident happened Friday evening to a 13-year-old German Shepard dog. Jodi Buckman, the Humane Society's Executive Director says the dog was in a fenced backyard near Sawmill and West Case Road. The first attack happened a week ago to a Rottweiler mix near Rumsey and Lockbourne Roads. "We cannot make any assumptions as we continue the investigation as to whether or not these two attacks are related," Buckman said. "Or if they could possibly be related to similar attacks on cats with arrows earlier this year." A reward is being offered that leads to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator. To report information people can call the Capital Area Humane Society's cruelty investigations division at 614-777-PETS ext. 250.

More here on WBNS 10tvHarly, the Rottie mix, did not survive. Readers - this incident follows on the heels of the two cats shot with arrows in April. That crime is still unsolved. If you own a cat who normally goes outside, please consider keeping them indoors for the time being. If you own a dog, please do not leave them out unattended. Protect your family, including your 4-legged members. And if you have any information please call CAHS!

The Dogs of HELP FIDO

(admin note: This is the second in a series of stories about the dogs who belong to the members of HELP FIDO. These stories will help you to understand why we do what we do. Also - this was written by Amanda Spires but because she STILL hasn't hooked up her pc at home and her work won't let her see blog's - it has been posted by Admin. Maybe someday we will be able to convert her posts over to her name - if she EVER gets online at home!)

Diamond Dog's Story:
Diamond's special. And when I say special, I mean short bus special, different special, backwards special and silly special. He's all sorts of special, folks. He was one of two dogs that bravely took me in a new direction that changed my life. If that sounds overly dramatic, that would be accurate. Even before I met my little alien, I had raised my hand to help a few deserving dogs from our shelter find a new home who would otherwise be put to death for just being something that “could be identified as” a pit bull. "Yea," I thought, "we’ll transfer these guys to all those awesome pit bull rescue groups that are just aching for more dogs to place. It’ll be really easy." Yea, real simple. That bubble didn’t take long to burst. After a few months of disappointing news from inundated pit bull rescue groups, and other groups that couldn’t get involved with “those dogs”, we went back to the drawing board and I found a new passion.

OK, back to Diamond. Diamond lived out an estimated 1-2 years tethered to a chain-link fence in a dusty backyard. His "shelter" was a Vari kennel (the type OK'd to transport dogs in airplanes). As an outdoor dog in Central Ohio, he endured rain, snow, freezing temperatures, broiling temperatures, fly strikes, fleas, sunburn, eye infections and probably some not so nice treatment from our fellow two-legged types. A friend of mine refers to this type of existence as "bird bath terriers" (pit bull terriers plopped in a yard and left to rot there much as an unattended birdbath would). Enter a few amazing animal cruelty investigators (two women that he worships to this day), a search warrant and the local police. Diamond’s fate took close to 1 year to be determined. Since then, over the past 2 and half years, he's been a huge part of my life. I tend to say he adopted me, but truth is the first (and last) time someone inquired about adopting him, I had to turn them down. The idea of him living with someone else was just something I couldn't bear! So, he became my "foster" dog. I think we all know the rest.

He's put on about 10 pounds since then (so he's close to 70 pounds currently) and has clothes now (which he loves, especially the rain coat and his fleece). He's been beaten up by no fewer than 2 cats and has been reduced to a shivering mess by a feisty Shi Tzu. He's my shadow and has learned to put up with a lot of changes in the past 12 months. My dude that loves . . . no . . . clings to routine lost the first real home he ever knew when I didn't renew my lease last summer. I put our life in storage, quit my job and stuffed him and his large dog bed in the car for a road trip that took 4 days to finish. I think people wondered where I found such a backwards, unidentifiable character, but he loved the West Coast sun and we found quiet spots to enjoy together. We're settled once again and his life now includes a new-ish canine lil' bro and a bratty foster puppy. He really does love to wrastle with the youngsters, but every once in a while (like when he gets clobbered by two teenaged pit bulls reenacting the Indy 500 at 11:30PM) I swear I see a look in his eyes that seems to miss that dusty Vari kennel. I know I'll never have another dog like him, and I love him to teensy weensy neurotic white dog pieces!

(Admin note: Amanda started and coordinates the bully breeds adoptable program at the Capital Area Humane Society. )

Busy Weekend!!

The crew of HELP FIDO was busy this weekend! In addition to our booth last Tuesday for National Night Out, we had a booth at the Whitehall Family Fun Night on Saturday! In total we have signed up more than 70 owners of more than 100 dogs for the planned fall micro-chipping clinic! We are tentatively looking at Saturday September 13th in Whitehall. We are also looking into the possibility of offering low-cost vaccines (including rabies), and Franklin County dog licensing. Additionally, for the two-legged folks, we may be offering voter registration! If you are interested in participating either as an owner, a volunteer (we will need many!), a vet or vet tech to help, or as a donor or sponsor please contact us!! Or if you want to make sure to hear about this and any other upcoming events, volunteer needs, or just stay in contact with us - sign up for our mailing list and Join the Pack!!
We also connected with the folks at Whiskers Animal Welfare. This rescue group shares many of our same goals and has some gorgeous kitties up for adoption. (Believe it or not, reducing the numbers of feral and intact cats can also lead to improved quality of life for dogs!!) They will be hosting a car show fundraiser September 21 in Lancaster and we hope to post more info soon!
While we were busy enjoying the beautiful weather, food and music outside, HELP FIDO treasurer and rescuer Lisa was speaking at a local pit bull expo. Lisa was invited to speak about responsible breeding practices (spay neuter contract!), image control (do you REALLY need that spiked collar?), and BSL. Lisa reports that the dogs were precious and the owners were excellent listeners. We are so thankful she was invited to speak and we look forward to more opportunities to spread this information!
Dog owners unite! Several folks in the blogosphere are reporting on what our friends up in Lucas County / Toledo are doing to get rid of the maniacal Tom Skeldon. Not only are they looking to ditch the dog warden - they are demanding low-cost spay neuter services and educational programs! If you would like to sign their petition go here and consider sending the link to anyone you know who lives in or around Lucas County. The group spearheading this movement is called 4 Lucas County Pets. Also, via comments below from Caveat via KC Dog Blog, Lakewood residents are also starting a petition - this time to repeal their recently approved ban. Go Bucks!

National Night Out

National Night Out in Whitehall, OH was held on Tuesday August 5th, and HELP FIDO was there.

What a wonderful event it was! Hundreds of Whitehall residents came out to promote safety in their community and we were happy to provide them with a boatload of information on topics like dog bite prevention, spaying and neutering and our upcoming microchip clinic this fall. I am happy to report that we had more than 50 people sign up for the microchip clinic at the event! The Whitehall City Council members all seemed thankful for our participation and many of them visited our booth to thank us personally. We are certainly grateful to them for giving us the opportunity to provide our services to the good people of their city.

The event was such a success we decided to do it all over again this Saturday, August 9th!! HELP FIDO will be at the Family Fun Day/Music in the Park event in Whitehall from 2-9 pm. We will again be providing citizens with tons of information on various doggie topics like those mentioned above as well as others like shelter adoption, vaccinations, pet insurance and many many more! We hope to see everyone there!!!

This is Dr. Mandi signing out!

Shame, Shame, Shame

A local apartment complex will be added to the Wall of Shame.

Two days ago I received an urgent call for help. A man disabled by mental illness is facing immediate eviction. Is he being evicted because he is a disruptive tenant? No. Is it because he doesn't pay his rent on time? No. The reason for his eviction - his 9 1/2 year old prescribed, emotional service dog looks too much like a pit bull according to the complex manager. This dog wasn't identified or evaluated by any animal professional in order to make this determination. In fact, the dog's Vet states the dog is nothing more than a mutt. The complex manager has made this determination which will greatly impact the life of this man and his dog. (Perhaps I should ask her to do the locking jaw test)

The details of this situation makes it that more shameful. This man has lived in this apartment for NINETEEN years. The dog, who is recovering from mammary cancer and spends her days laying on the couch watching tv, has been living in this apartment for nine years. In nine years there has never been any type of aggression issues with humans or animals.

When this gentleman renewed his lease in November 2007, he thought he was renewing the same lease that he had signed for the past 18 years. The manager pointed out the changes in monthly rental fees but never mentioned the newly added breed restrictions or that his dog would be considered one of the disallowed breeds. Instead, seven months later, he is slapped with an eviction notice.

What is even more shameful - the Department of Fair Housing allows this type of treatment of disabled tenants.

Shame on you CSC Apartments and shame on you Department of Fair Housing.

Domestic Violence Forum 6/25

HELP FIDO members were in attendance at a public forum provided by Columbus City Councilman Hearcel F. Craig yesterday evening. It was the first of several forums, focusing on offering help to victims of domestic violence. Also speaking were:

Kristi Timbrook: Legal System Task Force Director, Columbus Coalition Against Family Violence
Anne Murray: Assistant City Attorney, Director, Domestic Violence and Stalking Unit
Detectives Gauthney and Coleman: Columbus Police Department

Columbus Police respond to over 23'00o calls and make around 5000 arrests regarding domestic violence on an annual basis. There is overwhelming evidence that animal abuse and domestic violence go hand in hand. Pets are often used by abusers as means to gain power or control over the victim. 40% of victims delay seeking help because of this. We learned that the Capital Area Humane Society has partnered with several other organizations to create a program called “Safe Haven” that assists victims of domestic violence, providing temporary foster homes for pets in these situations.

Read more about animal abuse and how it relates to domestic violence as well as the “Safe Haven” program HERE.

Realizing the relation between domestic abuse and animal abuse we (HELP FIDO) wanted to learn more about what resources are currently being implemented and are interested in showing our support, and seeing if we can assist in connecting any resources. HELP FIDO hopes to use these meetings to open lines of communication with representatives and organizations involved and will continue show our support and offer any assistance we can .

Sign up to get Columbus City Council E-mail notifications HERE.

Related Columbus City Council initiatives:
Animal Abuse and Family Violence Task Force
Preventing Domestic Violence

"Well, we wouldn't want to discriminate."

That was a quote from one of the council members at the Whitehall (OH) City Council meeting last night. Any statement against discrimination would obviously come from someone opposed to BSL, right?? Of course, you say, that makes sense, that's logical. Well, while logical, that would be incorrect. The above quote was from everybody's favorite council person - Jacquelyn Thompson in reference to an off-topic discussion about banning all dogs in a park during an outdoor concert. And that's a big part of the problem right now - most of the pro-BSL and bully ban proponents are woefully short on common sense and logic. Whether it's Lakewood (OH), Kansas City, Cincinnati, or one of the other communities currently debating these issues, the root of the problem is publicity hungry local politicians with way too much time on their hands and the ability to ignore all evidence and logic contrary to their uninformed positions.

Thankfully, there are many council members and others in Whitehall government that are logical people, that truly want what's best for their community and realize passing a ban or restrictions on dogs simply based on what they look like will accomplish nothing. Wait.... wouldn't that be discrimination? Ms. Thompson? "Well, wouldn't want to discriminate." Hmm.

Next week in Whitehall is the 3rd and final reading of Councilman Robert Bailey's comprehensive, breed neutral legislation that truly will benefit the community. Unless there is a big surprise, that legislation will go to a vote next Tuesday and will likely pass.

How about something on the lighter side? This video has made it's way around so probably not new and I have no idea if the story is true or not, but still cracks me up. The story: "These people were always finding water all over their pool deck and furniture, every time they came home, after being away for a few hours. They thought the neighborhood kids were watching for them to leave, and using the pool. However, they could never catch them doing it. So they set up their video cam and left. This is what they found......." Dog home alone. It is summer after all :)

HELP FIDO's Response to article in The Other Paper

I'm writing in response to the 6/19/2008 article titled "Pit Stop." I want to applaud The Other Paper for delving into such a controversial issue, but I feel compelled to add some points that are critical in understanding and preventing canine aggression.

Karen Delise and her group, The National Canine Research Council, have done amazing work studying dog bites. Delise has authored two books and the work of her not-for-profit, has confirmed what so many of us already knew. There are real factors of canine aggression and those factors are not skin deep nor breed specific.

In the past 150 years, there have been countless interactions between humans and canines. In her second book, The Pit Bull Placebo, Delise breaks down the relatively low, though very important, incidents of fatal and severe dog attacks during this period. What one comes to learn is that there are three categories that are present in an overwhelming percentage of these tragic incidents:

-reckless ownership practices (such as chaining and allowing dog(s) to run at large),
-reproductive status of dog(s) (not spayed or neutered; intact), and
-the function of dog (obtained for a status symbol, breeding, fighting, protection; not a companion animal).

It's when we as a community start to address these issues that we begin to make progress. And this progress is hard work, indeed.

We must love, respect, raise responsibly and control man's best friend in order to protect the rights of all dog owners and keep our communities safe. Please, your community needs your help. Get involved! Such groups as the Capital Area Humane Society, Citizens for Humane Action, the Franklin County Dog Shelter, HELP FIDO, the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, just to name a few, are wonderful organizations to support. Through their work, the intricate connection that is the human-canine bond can be understood, respected, and preserved.

Amanda Spires
HELP FIDO, Board Member

Lending a Hand

**Written by Amanda but posted by admin**

One of the privileges of volunteering for an animal welfare agency is the ability for an individual to help out on so many different levels. I've been a volunteer for the Capital Area Humane Society for about 5 years now and have worn many hats: dog-walker, enrichment care-giver, pooper scooper, doggy chauffeur, match-maker, and many more not so glamorous, but very rewarding roles. At our shelter, a unique opportunity exists for experienced (and willing) volunteers to "ride along" with our Humane Agents while they investigate reports of animals in need. So, every once in a while, I get to hop in a van and support the work of some awesome individuals.

I recently spent the afternoon traversing our seemingly huge county with a Humane Agent while we answered concerns lodged by concerned neighbors, citizens and passers-by. Now that it's not snowing in central Ohio, it's about 80 plus degrees and very humid. For a dog living outside (or even placed outside for extended periods of time), these conditions can be deadly, so there's no shortage of reports to investigate in summer. The animal care-givers we visited were as different as the animals we came to check on. Some were all smiles and tail wags, happy to talk to us about their dog(s)/cat(s), while others got their hackles up and made it clear that a marked vehicle complete with someone wearing a uniform, was not welcome. And who could blame them? How would you feel if you were paid a visit by law enforcement? I think it takes a big person to show us they've nothing to hide and, on top of that, thank the agent for looking out for animals, even if the only reason we're standing on their doorstep is because their neighbors don't like the breed of dog they chose to own.

As much as possible, donated bags of food are given to owners, sturdy buckle collars are switched out for choke chains and people get to hear about the benefits of spaying and neutering. Not everyone is going to listen and certainly many don't want to listen, but education is a huge part of fostering compassion, so no effort to explain the dangers of heatstroke or how painful mats can be is ever wasted. And, even though my small part was feverishly recording each detail at each address, at the end of the day, it just feels good to be in your community—really in your community-- and to lend a hand.

If you suspect an animal is in need (and perhaps even their owners), make the call to your local animal cruelty investigators or the local dog warden.

HELP FIDO wants every outdoor dog to have a comfortable nylon collar, a spill proof 5-gallon bucket, the product SWAT (for fly strikes) and comfortable shelter like a dog Igloo. Your local community needs your help!