After talking to my husband, we came to the conclusion that she should tell her son when he gets home. I don’t lie to my son, and my first thought was for my friend to tell her son outright. But, my husband convinced me that it would be best to wait. In hindsight, I think he was right.

It is hard dealing with the loss of a pet, and it is especially hard on children. I remember when my dog died. I was in fifth grade, and got summoned into the principal’s office. Back then being called to the principal’s office evoked a lot of “uh-ohs.” Basically, I was a good kid who didn’t get into trouble.

My mom was at the principal’s office, and she and the principal told me the news. I just sat and sobbed. My mom sobbed too. It took me a while to get over the loss.

My Son and Loss
This past October, my dad died. My son, who is 9, was extremely close to his grandpa. My son, Jordon, still asks “Why did Grandpa have to die?” Then he will ask about Earl, our cat, and about other people and their pets. Earl is 16, and Jordon has known him forever. Jordon worries about Earl every so often. He sometimes gets mad and asks, “Why do people and animals have to die?”

Kids understand death differently than we do. I still can’t answer all of his questions about what happens after we die. I just don’t know. My husband, Steven, and I are honest with him, and that is all we can be.

Kids and Death
Children between the ages of 2 and 5 see death as temporary. I remember watching the Sesame Street episode where Mr. Hooper died. Big Bird was sad. Then the next day, he asked why Mr. Hooper was no longer at his store. When he was told that Mr. Hooper died, Big Bird got flustered and then mad. It was a moving show that really explained how kids that age feel about death.

Children between the ages of 5 and 9, start understanding death as permanent, and from 10 on up, children know that all living beings will eventually die. They also understand that death is final. Understanding death and accepting it are two very different things.

5 Tips on Explaining Death to a Child
1. Don’t tell a young child that you are putting an ill animal “to sleep.” That term is too vague, and it can make a child too afraid to go to sleep. Instead be honest. Explain why euthanasia may be the most humane option.

2. Ask your child what “death” and “dying” mean. Then as best as you can, explain it to him, and let your child know that the pet is not coming back.

3. Talk to your child, and let him know that he can talk to you about his feelings anytime. Ask him to write down his feelings or draw pictures. You may want to hold a memorial service to say goodbye, and have your child share his feelings at this ceremony.

4. Don’t hide your feelings from your child. You are grieving too. I know when my dad died I wanted to be strong around Jordon. I tried to hold it together as best as I could. I became incredibly cranky, until I finally fell apart. I think it is important for a child to see his parents cry; it actually encourages children to open up.

5. Tell you child’s teacher that the family pet died. This can clue your child’s teacher into your child’s behavior—especially if your child is acting differently.

Losing a pet is hard on everyone. The best remedies are to talk about the loss and the sadness, and to allow time for healing.

Andrea Arden with Nora, one of her rescues.

PNAV: Why did you become a trainer?
Andrea: My father was incredibly passionate about animals, in fact he called one of our dogs his number one son. Being a business owner, he was super busy. The time we shared usually involved walking the dogs, or playing with the goat or pigs. Teaching others about animals and animal care brings me incredible joy. It’s also a continuing reminder of the time with my father.

PNAV: I know you are on Animal Haven’s Board of Directors. What do you do there?
Andrea: I help support the overall mission of Animal Haven Shelter in any way I can. This includes increasing awareness through the media and events, fundraising, assisting with behavior assessments, training, and yes, cleaning up. There is nothing like trying to clean a litter box with five little kittens crawling all over you. Each time you scoop something out, they pounce in to be sure to give you something else to clean.

PNAV: Why did you pick Animal Haven to volunteer your time?
Andrea: I chose to work with Animal Haven Shelter because I liked that it was small enough to feel like a family, but large enough—in regards to the many volunteers—who provide a wonderful support network. We have amazing, dedicated people working with us and wonderful volunteers. Every person makes a difference in the lives of the animals in our care, and we all realize we make a greater difference in more animals’ lives working as a team.

PNAV: What makes Animal Haven one of the more successful shelters?
Andrea: Animal Haven’s success lies in its welcoming atmosphere at a place that most people imagine as cold and sad–an animal shelter. In doing so, Animal Haven attracts more of the general public to choose adoption over purchasing a pet. In addition, Animal Haven is located in a high-traffic area. These two elements work well together to offer another option to potential new dogs or cat parents.

Also, Animal Haven follows up with training and an open door policy on advice and help to all of our adopters. In essence, Animal Haven is building a community of pet families. Of course a love of animals is at the core of any successful rescue effort. But, it also comes down to having a dedicated, educated team.

They also have to like another species of animals other than dogs and cats…people! After all, they are the ones we are counting on to adopt and to help support the rescue efforts. Being good time managers and being able to stay focused on the positive is also vital. Working in rescue is incredibly rewarding emotionally, but it can also be draining to deal with the daily reminders of how many people don’t treat animals well. People involved with rescue have to be able to develop mechanisms to cope with this so as to stay focused on the mission. There is often a massive effort involved in saving the life of one animal (round the clock care for elderly or newborn dogs or cats, costly veterinary expenses, etc.) so rescue staff and volunteers need to reserve their energy as best they can for what is important…focusing on their part in helping the animals to thrive and find homes. And that is something everyone at Animal Haven does very well.

PNAV: Any up coming special events?
Andrea: I am incredibly proud of our Caring Kids Program run by Kendra Mara. It introduces kids and teens ages 4-17 to the basics of animal care and issues related to animal welfare. They help bathe the animals, clean up, teach basic manners, and create adoption signs for each animal. Plus, when they sit outside with dogs (supervised by adults, of course) and chat with people passing by about why they should adopt and/or donate, we couldn’t ask for better ambassadors!

Volunteers at Animal Haven's Caring Kids program give a fur friend a bath.

On Saturday, September 18 from 2 to 4 p.m., the Caring Kids will take over the shelter. The public is invited to come by and see our adoptable pets and also watch as the kids run the show.

PNAV: Tell us about your pets.
Andrea: I currently have ‘just’ two dogs, as one of my rescue Dobies passed away last year. I have a little terrier mix named Nora and a Doberman Pinscher named Moka.

PNAV: Any other comments?
Andrea: I wish I could convince every celebrity who is featured in magazines like Us, OK, Star, etc. to choose the adoption option. We are such a celebrity driven culture that I think this would play a major role in furthering public awareness about the many benefits of adopting. I also wish I could encourage parents to enroll their children in a program like Caring Kids at Animal Haven Shelter. Early education about animal welfare is vital to bettering the lives of animals in the future.

Earl had a foul odor coming from his mouth, and he was dripping saliva. What I found strange was that the day before he was fine. When we got up in the morning, I noticed his breath and the wetness around his mouth. When we went downstairs for breakfast, he wouldn’t eat.

Open wide!

At the Vet
We were lucky. The vet dentist was in. He removed Earl’s rotten teeth, and Earl was fine. That happened last year.

Well, about a month ago, the same thing occurred. This time we saw the partner of the vet we usually see. Since she didn’t see a rotten tooth this time, she thought his foul breath was kidney related. I didn’t believe her. I said it was the exact same symptoms from last year when he had two rotten teeth.

Since she didn’t see a rotten tooth or any inflammation, she seemed convinced it was kidney disease or feline leukemia. I was firm and told her, no, I think it’s his teeth. But since she is the expert, I started to worry. She said, it could possibly be a tooth that fell out, but she wanted to run tests.

Bad Breath and Disease
“A healthy cat’s breath should not be offensive,” says Eric Davis, DVM, a fellow of the Academy of Veterinary Dentistry and director of the Dental Referral Service at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. As my vet said, bad breath can be the result of periodontal, kidney, respiratory, liver disease, or even diabetes. “However, by far, the most common problem associated with bad breath is periodontal disease,” says Dr. Davis. “Just think how your breath would smell if you didn’t brush your teeth for a week, months or even years.”

It’s important to check your cat’s teeth and gums regularly. If you see any blood, inflammation, or if your cat winces—and not because he doesn’t want you checking his mouth—but because he feels pain, then take him to the vet.

Test Results
Fortunately, the tests for kidney disease and feline leukemia came back negative. It was Earl’s teeth, as I had thought. The situation resolved itself because the tooth had fallen out, and the area in his mouth that was inflamed healed—just like in the wild. It saved us money too. The dental visit, tests, and complete exam added up. A tooth extraction would have cost more. The vet said Earl was quite healthy for a 16-year old cat.

Daily Brushing
Following my friend Andrew’s advice: “You need to make your cat comfortable with having his teeth brushed; so start early and make it part of his daily routine,” he explains. “First you will need to “introduce” your cat to the toothbrush. The earlier your cat is introduced to the toothbrush, the easier it will be for him to accept the brushing routine later on.”

If you are going to brush your cat’s teeth, you can buy a toothbrush that will fit on your finger. You can also buy a cat toothbrush with a handle. Both versions have extremely soft bristles. And whatever you do, don’t use toothpaste designed for humans. It will upset your cat’s stomach. You can buy tuna or chicken flavored toothpaste at your local pet shop.

According to Andrew, his cats enjoy their daily toothbrush routine. For Andrew, it’s more time for him to bond with his fur kids.

When the animal control officer caught it, he also wanted to let it go. However, he said it needed to be tested for rabies since we have a small child and a cat living in the house. Within the last two weeks, eight bats were found in homes in South Orange and Maplewood, NJ. One in Maplewood came back positive for rabies.

Rabies is found in the brain of an animal. So, it has to be destroyed in order to find out if it is positive or negative. A few days later, we got a call, and were told the bat tested positive, and that we were the first family living in South Orange to have a rabid bat in our house. I really didn’t believe it. I also didn’t want to go for rabies shots, and I was sad that the bat had to be destroyed.

First, I took Earl Gray, our cat, to the vet. He was due for a rabies shot. Then it was our turn. Steven and I picked Jordon up from camp, and told him we needed to head to the emergency room.

A Series of Rabies Shots

The staff at Saint Barnabus Medical Center in Livingston, NJ, is great. The nurse who administered the shots was painless. Steven and I had to get a Tetanus shot. Jordon recently had one. Next was the rabies vaccine. While we waited, we played games and entertained Jordon. I felt so bad that he had to get three shots. I had three shots (plus the Tetanus). One in the arm and one on each butt cheek. Because he’s a big guy, Steven had to get five shots—plus the Tetanus—one in each butt cheek, his arm, and his thighs.

That marked day zero. Three days later we went back to the hospital for one additional shot. Tonight, which is day seven, we each get one more shot. And on day 14, we get our last shot.

We felt so bad for Jordon that we let him eat dessert for dinner. He ordered an ice cream Sundae.

Bats and Bites
I was almost going to nix the shots. However, the animal control guy said we needed them. I was certain we weren’t bitten. As a rule, bats don’t bite people, unless you handle them. The majority of bats eat insects and some eat fruit. The vampire bat, which this wasn’t, feeds on the blood of animals—mostly cattle. Vampire bats are mostly found in South America.

The bat in our house was a brown bat. Brown bats are not endangered, but many are being decimated by White Nose Syndrome. This disease is spreading rapidly throughout the northeast, and is killing bats in large numbers. I like bats. Any animal that eats its weight in mosquitoes is good.

How Is Rabies Spread?
According to the Center for Disease Control, “rabies is a viral disease that affects the central nervous system. The rabies virus can be passed to humans via the bite of a rabid animal, its salvia, or feces.” This means that you have to touch the rabid animals’ salvia or feces. I don’t know how anyone would not know if they were bitten or came in contact with salvia or feces.

Every doctor, nurse, and the animal control officer all said that if you are sleeping you would not know if you were bit. Apparently bats’ teeth are quite sharp; the puncture holes are tiny, and because they are so small, you don’t feel it.

We were also told that a bat can brush up against you, and if you had a cut on your body and that cut came in contact with the rabid animal’s salvia, you could get rabies. It seems a bit of a stretch to me, but that is the truth.

As I said, I like bats, and I don’t want to start a bat scare. According to the State Health Department, each year between two and three people in the U.S. contract rabies.

Protecting You and Your Pets
If you see a bat in your home, call animal control, and have the bat tested. If the tests come back positive, go for the series of rabies shots. The odds of getting rabies are slim to none, but it is best to make sure.

And make sure your pet’s rabies vaccinations are up-to-date.

Dr. Ernie Ward and friend

1. Transition Time
About a week before the kids return to school, begin getting your dog used to their absence. This is best accomplished by leaving your dog home for short trips. Ideally, leave them inside early in the morning to simulate school time. You only need to leave them for thirty minutes or so. The idea is to get them accustomed to the fact that long, lazy summer mornings are coming to an end. Also, start getting out the lunchboxes and other items your dog associates with leaving for school in the morning. The idea is to de-sensitize them to any anxiety-producing cues prior to school starting. Do this several times a day and your dog’s nervousness will begin to diminish.

2. Break Out the Crate
For indoor dogs that will be spending several hours alone, a dog crate may be your best bet. A crate is not a punishment device; it is a play pen. Placing your dog in a crate should be thought of as putting a toddler in a play pen or crib. The purpose is to prevent your dog from getting into accidents and injuring himself. In addition, the security of having one’s own space is comforting to many dogs. Be sure to leave food or a treat, fresh water, a blanket and favorite toy. Try to come home at lunch to take your dog out for a break. The ideal crate size should be just big enough for them to comfortably stand up, turn around and stretch out. Rotate the toys you leave and use those that you can stuff with vegetables or dog food to keep your dog engaged while you’re away. In many areas doggie daycare is an excellent alternative to “home alone.”

3. Turn on Some Tunes
Whenever your dog is left alone, the sound of human voices or music can be soothing. I recommend leaving slow (50 to 60 beats per minute) and soothing music playing whenever your pet is left alone.

4. Pass on the Piddle Pads
Many people think that if they leave their dog indoors, they should leave out a piddle pad. I don’t recommend putting down newspaper, training pads or other substances for your dog to urinate on except in very special situations. While you may think you’re telling your dog to urinate on a piddle pad in an emergency, your dog interprets this as it’s okay to tinkle on your tile. The goal with house-training is that your dog doesn’t go to the bathroom in the house–period. This is another excellent reason for using a dog crate.

5. Avoid Anxiety
Changes in routine can also lead to anxiety in many dogs. Some dogs will experience separation anxiety or become frightened by loud noises or sudden thunderstorms. In addition to great pharmacologic treatments to help relax your pet during these stressful times, there are non-prescription remedies that may help. Rescue Remedy, valerian, melatonin, SAM-e, fish oil, dog-appeasing pheromone (DAP) and other natural products may also help some dogs and cats. Gradual desensitization using storm recordings work remarkably well for most pets. One of the most overlooked treatments is to increase the amount of exercise your dog receives. Several studies have shown increasing aerobic activity to as little as 30 minutes a day reduces the signs of separation anxiety in dogs.

Enriching the environment with a constantly rotating selection of interesting and interactive toys is also helpful in making your dog feel at home when he’s alone.

Talk with your veterinarian about how to calm your best buddy with an anxiety problem. There’s no reason anyone should have to cower in a closet or destroy the furniture to get relief.

6. Quality Time Counts Most
With school back in session, your dog may not get as much time playing with your family as during the care-free days of summer. If this is the case at your house, be sure to make the most of the time you have with your pet. Long walks at the park, lounging around on the couch, whatever it takes to re-connect at the end of a busy week. Remember that even though your dog wasn’t at work or school all day, he still needs time to unwind. As the days grow shorter, be sure to find time to walk your dog daily and enjoy this unique relationship.

Dr. Ernie Ward has spent his entire career practicing, writing about, lecturing on and encouraging better care for dogs and cats. Whether he’s discussing the dangers of obesity, how to perform a physical examination, dealing with behavioral issues, answering pet owner’s questions about surgery or how to provide better care for aging pets, Dr. Ward’s unifying theme is “do what is in the pet’s best interest.”

Black Labs are so handsome. It is inconceivable that they are often overlooked at shelters.

In case you don’t know, Black Dog Syndrome is when people don’t adopt dogs with black fur. I grew up with a German Shepherd/Collie/Beagle mix who was mostly black and dark brown. He was extremely handsome, and quite intelligent, which made me think that Black Dog Syndrome just couldn’t exist.

Yet, I kept on hearing about it on chat rooms, on the Internet, from friends who do rescue work, and from people who work at animal shelters. One person told me that when she was looking to adopt a Labrador retriever, she was astounded at the disparity between available yellow dogs versus black dogs. The wait for a yellow lab from a rescue group could be months or years, while there were plenty of black labs available.

Many shelters are showing black dogs with colorful collars.

Why Black Dogs are Overlooked
When you place a bunch of black dogs in a shelter amongst tan, red, yellow, mixed and other colors, people’s gaze goes towards the lighter or brighter animals. “As a brand marketing professional, I can tell you color is a powerful perception tool,” says Steven Vena, owner of The Nimble Group, Inc., a brand marketing and advertising agency. “If I am walking down the street, I would bet more people would pet the tan dog versus the black dog.”

I was able to see his point—even though I didn’t like it. I grew up in New York, and have a lot of black clothes in my closet. I remember attending an expo at the Javits Center; the majority of men dressed in black suits and the women wore black dresses. I came along in a bright orange blazer, and got lots of comments. Many people thanked me for wearing a sunny color.

Still when it comes to fur or skin color, I think black is more interesting because it’s not just black. Look at a cat, dog, or person with black coloring and you will see reds, browns, and a nice mix of other tones thrown in. Maybe because I’m extremely fair skinned, I appreciate other colors. I was thankful for my freckles; otherwise I would have a ghostlike complexion!

Photos of Black Dogs and Cats
Take a look at photos of adoptable dogs and cats on line; the black ones are often blurry. Thankfully, many shelters are using professional photographers to show off these dogs and cats. Some are showing black dogs and cats with colorful collars to make them stand out.

Black Cats
Black cats also have a hard time getting adopted. A lot of that has to do with superstitions. Personally, I had a black cat, and everyone loved him. He was the sweetest, and had a playful personality. His green eyes stood out against his expressive face.

Even half asleep, this black cat is incredibly beautiful.

And I know this is going to sound screwy, but some people believe that vampires transform themselves into black dogs as a way of traveling unnoticed at night. (I just don’t get some people.) So unfortunately, black cats and dogs are the last, if at all, to be adopted.

Black Dog and Black Cat Syndrome are real. The next time you are looking to adopt a dog or cat, take personality into account. Talk to the shelter workers or the volunteers at the rescue group, and make an informed decision.

To My Readers: Thanks for alerting me to Black Dog and Black Cat Syndrome. Many of you have posted stories on LinkedIn and at other sites regarding this topic. I appreciate the many e-mails you have sent me. If you want to write about your experience with a black dog or black cat or with Black Dog/Cat Syndrome, please do so in the comments section of this post. And keep your story suggestions coming! I really appreciate all of you!

I’ve stood by at night while he drinks. It usually takes 2-3 minutes, and then we both go back to sleep. I’ve tried fountains and we have a water bowl in the bedroom, which he never touches. His water has to come from the sink–pencil thin.

The cat in this video wants breakfast, and will resort to any means to get it. It was written and drawn by Simon Toefield. If you check out his site, you can find more wonderful cartoons.

How do you accommodate your cat or dog?

Jackie Herships and her fur kid Daisy won the Bamboo Care Pet Shower Massage.

Leslie Kaufman and her cats won Bamboo Care’s Perfect Paws Cat Nail Trimmer. Leslie runs On All Fours Cat Sitting®. She has been providing reliable, secure, and comprehensive cat care throughout Manhattan and Queens since 1998. Leslie adores cats, and writes about cat care on her website.

Erin Siders recently adopted a dog. She and her son, Isaiah, also share their home with a cat. They won the To Go Bowl, a bowl for families that travel by car with their pets. It is manufactured by Furry Travelers.

Andrew Garfinkel, a fur dad to two cats, won the FURminator for Cats. Andrew recently shared info on how he brushes his cats’ teeth. I hope to share some of those tips with you soon.

The FURminator for Dogs goes to Ty and Buster, fur kids to Rod and Amy Burkert, who write the popular blog Go Pet Friendly. They can be spotted driving their RV throughout the U.S. and Canada checking out pet-friendly destinations and sharing their adventures with all of us.

Fat Cat’s Squeak-A-Zoids stuffing-free dog toys goes to Neatha Jennings and Linda Eckhardt, author of The Dog Ate It: Cooking for Yourself and Your Four-Legged Friends.
Linda also writes the blog The Silver Cloud Diet, which is for people.

The Scratch ‘n Shapes scratching pad goes to Faith M. Cohen, mom to a tortoiseshell rescue cat named Lizzie.

Again, thanks for subscribing to Pet News and Views. I wish I could give prizes to all of you. And for those of you who haven’t yet subscribed to Pet News and Views, it’s so easy. You can subscribe via e-mail or RSS feed by clicking on the links at the top right hand side of the screen.

And thanks to those of you who have told your family and friends to subscribe to Pet News and Views. I really am thankful that you are reading and that you care as much about the animals as I do.

Dressing Dogs
Growing up in New York, I had two dogs—a miniature Poodle, who was given to us by an aunt who didn’t want to take care of him–and a mutt, who was also given to us by someone who no longer wanted him. He was part German Shepherd, Collie and Beagle. I dressed Perot, our Poodle, and Mr. Chips, our mutt, in rain coats and winter sweaters.

I’ve since learned that it is important to dress dogs with short hair and fair coats in T-shirts during the summer months to protect them from sunburn.

Dogs on the Cat Walk
If I had a dog today, I would dress him in Rescue Wear by Toru. It’s my way of making a statement. I’m always telling people “adopt, don’t shop” and “spay/neuter your dogs and cats.”

All of the clothes shown here are from Toru's Rescue Wear collection.

Do you dress your dog or cat? If so, send a photo or comment on why, and do you think your dog or cat likes to be dressed?

Emmett the therapy dog

Maggie writes the blog Oh My Dog. She adopted Emmet, a Pit Bull/Plott Hound mix, from Friends of Homeless Animals in Virginia about four years ago—when Emmett was two.

A Pit Bull Service Dog
From the first day Emmett came to live with Maggie, he endeared himself to friends, family, and neighbors. “Everyone just adores him, and he loves everyone right back—especially children,” she says. “When we lived in D.C., I started looking for a therapy dog training program, but didn’t have much luck. There was one facility right down the street from us that did training and boarding, but they told us that they weren’t insured for Pit Bulls, so we’d have to look elsewhere.”

Then, two years ago, Maggie and family moved to Indiana and started her search again. “There is a phenomenal program here through the Monroe County Humane Association,” she explains. “They offer a training session every other week, and there’s a Delta Society evaluator right here in town. (Delta Society is a human services organization dedicated to improving people’s health and well-being by providing positive interactions with animals.) It was the perfect fit. We took classes for about nine months.”

Pit Bulls and Children
“Emmett loves children,” says Maggie. “We do a few programs regularly: Animal Reading Friends at the local public libraries, classroom visits, and pet therapy visits at a local mental health facility with the residential kids. He performs wonderfully in all three situations, but he really shines at the mental health facility. He showers the kids with attention, sitting next to each one in turn. They throw their arms around his neck and plant big kisses on his nose. And he just wags his tail the whole time.”

The first day there, Maggie noticed a quiet little boy sitting with his arms wrapped around his knees, peering out at her suspiciously. “When Emmett walked around to say hello to everyone, this little boy touched him lightly and then retreated,” says Maggie. “While most of the kids elbow, scream, and shove to be the first one to get to play with Emmett, he sat quietly in his spot, never yelling or angling to get a turn. After a few visits, he still hadn’t asked for a turn, so as we went around the circle I asked him, ‘Would you like a turn walking Emmett?’ He stood up and smiled, saying ‘Yes, please’ so softly that I barely heard him.

Since then, each time I ask him if he wants a turn. He never imposes himself, he sits and waits quietly—and grins this huge grin when he takes the leash. We’ve been visiting for several months now, and a few weeks ago we had to miss our visit while Emmett had surgery. The next time we came in, this quiet little boy dashed over and said, ‘I missed you, Emmett!’ He wrapped his arms around him, Emmett leaned in and gave him a big kiss, and made the boy giggle.”

Fear of Pit Bulls
Despite his winning personality, Emmett occasionally meets people who are afraid of him. “We’ve encountered a lot of people who have really bad ideas about Pit Bulls and Pit Bull mixes,” says Maggie. “We do several public outreach events, like working at a booth at the county fair. When people ask me if he’s a Pit Bull, I tell them that Pit Bull is actually a generic term that encompasses a lot of different dogs, and that Emmett is an American Staffordshire Terrier mix. I always add that he’s a very friendly therapy dog who adores children.” Often that works. Some, however, scoff and say, ‘Until he turns on you.’”

Still Maggie is on a mission to educate people about Pit mixes and pure breeds, and to share Emmett’s love with others.