Victorie FNPA pentru animale si detinatori la Curtea de Apel Targu Mures!

Dragi colegi 
In mai multe orase exista de ani ori adoptate de curand HCL-uri prin care se conditioneaza detinerea de animale de companie, caini si pisici, de acordul locatarilor sau asociatiei de proprietari. Cu precadere in ultima perioada, in baza acestor HCL-uri multi cetateni au fost hartuiti si amendati.
Un asemenea HCL a fost adus la cunostinta Federatiei Nationale pentru Protectia Animalelor - FNPA, precum ca functioneaza cu mult “succes” si in Targu Mures, un caz de notorietate fiind cel al unei familii amendate de 25 de ori in decurs de 4 luni, caz pe care l-am adus si in atentia Comisiei Europene.
Dupa ce am parcurs caile normale si legale, diplomatice, ca si etape initiale, Primaria a sustinut in continuare acest HCL asa ca FNPA a atacat in instanta cateva prevederi ale hotararii, printre care desigur si aceasta. Tribunalul ne-a dat castig de cauza doar partial, am facut recurs impotriva Hotararii Tribunalului Mures, iar la Curtea de Apel am castigat pe deplin, pentru toate prevederile atacate!
Dupa un an de procese, Curtea de Apel a decis ca prevederile HCL 265/2010 art. 1, lit. a), b), e) prin care se interzicea:
- detinerea de animale de companie fara acordul majoritatii locatarilor;
- detinerea a mai mult de 2 caini/pisici chiar in conditiile acordului majoritatii
- detinerea de animale in anumite zone ale orasului
- intrarea cu caini in sali de spectacole, parcuri, zone de agrement, stranduri, cladiri publice, unitati comerciale
sunt ILEGALE si ca atare au fost ANULATE!
Hotararea Curtii de Apel Targu Mures nr 6124/2014 din 03.12.2014 este definitiva si irevocabila!
Targumuresenii pot detine acum animale de companie fara sa fie conditionati si limitati, fara teama persecutarii si pot fi insotiti de cainele propriu, in cladiri publice, parcuri si chiar la cinematograf!
O Hotarare (nr 1345/2014 din 05.11.2014) asemanatoare a Curtii de Apel a fost obtinuta de catre un grup de trei persoane fizice si laConstanta, un alt oras cu un primar puternic.
Si la Pitesti FNPA a atacat un HCL similar iar procesul este in derulare.
Aceste Hotarari ale Curtilor de Apel vor putea fi utilizate ca si jurisprudenta de oricine dintre Dvs, care doreste sa initieze un demers asemanator impotriva unor astfel de decizii ale primariilor!
Desi stiu ca pentru multi dintre Dvs asta va fi poate singura veste buna de Sf Nicolae va urez sa fie doar una din multele frumoase care sa va impodobeasca ziua!
Toate cele bune!
Carmen ARSENE

Cat Aggression Due To Trauma and Fear

source: http://www.our-happy-cat.com/cat-aggression-truama.html

Cat Aggression Due To Trauma and Fear

Cat aggression can sometimes be due to upset or fear and not real aggression at all.
Many owners have come to me asking why their loving cat has suddenly started to hiss and act aggressively towards them, or another family pet that they previously got on with just fine.
The answer is not always apparent at first, but in most cases it is due to some sort of upset which has made them feel afraid and the normal reaction to fear for a cat is to attack.
Quick guide to this page:
  • Possible causes of sudden fear
  • Aggression Trauma - What is it?
  • Treating the symptoms of this sudden aggression

Causes of Sudden Fear

Cat aggression can be triggered by all sorts of things that may trigger a response of fear and sometimes our feline companions can become hyper-sensitive to all sorts of frights and surprises (occasionally it can help to use a mild calming medicine or herbal supplement such as Calm Care to help sooth our kitty down until they learn that there is nothing to be afraid of).
The trick is to find out what the cause of their fear could be and if possible to try and stop it from happening again. Or at the very least to be able to recognise the causes of your cat’s aggression next time.
Some possible causes are:
  • A sudden loud bang or other noise
  • Having their tail stepped on or pulled by a child
  • New and strange smells in the home
  • Changes in the home, e.g. furniture being moved or building work happening
  • Changes in the smell or behaviour of other animals (e.g after a visit to the vet)
  • New born babies and all the new smells, sounds and things coming into the home.
  • Changes in the owners behaviour; e.g. due to illness, arguments, changing work patterns etc
  • New pets moving into the area
This is just a short list of some of the possible causes of cat aggression but there could be many more which we may simply not notice.

Aggression Trauma

The thing about aggression trauma is that it can trigger a very strange response from cats. For instance they may suddenly attack your other pet just because they have been frightened by a loud noise. The cause of the fear was not the other animal, but they seem to get blamed for it. This is a normal response and is one of the main reasons why owners become confused when this cat aggression occurs.
We notice this behaviour ourselves when our Byron is scared of something outside. Our other cat, poor Shelley, gets hissed and scratched at by Byron even though Shelley has done nothing wrong himself.
Cats don’t rationalise things in their minds, all they know is that they feel afraid and (often like some humans) will lash out at the nearest thing. Once this has happened, the association of fear and the object of attack are fixed and this aggressive cat behaviour can continue long after the initial fear has gone.
The risk is that it becomes an ingrained habit and an ongoing behaviour problem.
A natural product to:
  • Maintain balanced behavior
  • Supports the nervous system
  • Assists with hyperactivity

Building Bridges To Recovery

So what can we do to help our cats get over their fear and to help them return to normal happy relationships with other pets and people? Discipline is not the answer, instead we need to help rebuild our cats confidence once again.
Over the years I have seen this cat aggression happen many times and in all cases the only thing which seems to work is a period of re-introduction with other animals in the home and bonding techniques with humans. This is not a quick fix and does take some time and effort, but in the long run it really is worth it for a happy home.
The re-introduction process is the same technique for introducing new pets to each other and should be carried out over a period of a week depending on your cat’s response.
You need to:
  • Keep the cat which is behaving aggressively in a separate room by themselves for a day. This gives them time to relax and calm down without having to worry about other pets. This room should contain their toys, bed, litter tray and water. Visit them regularly for a little play and to feed them.
  • Rub the non aggressive cats scent onto a fresh clean towel and then rub the towel around the confined pet’s room on day two. This will introduce the other animals scent again and help the aggressive cat to become used to this smell.
  • On day three put your aggressive cat into a carrier and allow the other pet to come into the room for a few minutes. There may be some hissing but stay calm and quiet. Repeat this process until the hissing stops.
  • This introduction process can be done several times a day and over as many days as needed for your pets to become used to each other again.
  • When you feel that the cats are no longer reacting to each other in an aggressive way you can allow them to meet each other under your supervision without the pet carrier. Rub and stroke both of them and perhaps play a game with them or offer them treats to help distract them from any possible remaining fear they may have with each other.
This process may seem a little long, but when cat aggression caused by fear takes hold and if it is not dealt with correctly in this way, it can lead to having very unhappy cats which never fully relax with each other again.

Gli, the loyal cat at Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey

http://lovemeow.com/2013/06/loyal-cat-lives-at-the-hagia-sophia-in-istanbul/

A devout cat lives at a fourteen hundred year old museum Hagia Sophia in Turkey, guarding and preserving its religious and cultural history every single day. His name is Gli.
He is a loyal feline that resides in the 1,475 year old museum. He is slightly cross eyed but a whole lot of cute.
Gli is one of the many cats that were taken in by Hagia Sophia. According to source, Gli is around 7 years old and has lived at Hagia Sophia since he was a kitten. Besides watching guards, gardeners and keeping them supervised, Gli greets tourists and enjoys being photographed by them at the museum.
Meet Gli, the loyal cat at Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey
gli the cat from Hagia Sophia museum In Istanbul turkey
via flickr.com/photos/7594928@N04/5222195178/
He is slightly cross-eyed, but a whole lot of cute
gli the cat from Hagia Sophia museum In Istanbul turkey
via 500px.com/photo/454267
gli the cat from Hagia Sophia museum In Istanbul turkey
via flickr.com/photos/14145390@N05/3366692140/
Gli particularly loves basking in light and warmth.
gli the cat from Hagia Sophia museum In Istanbul turkey
gli the cat from Hagia Sophia museum In Istanbul turkey
gli the cat from Hagia Sophia museum In Istanbul turkey
via wildlifephotography.tv
Gli is contemplating about something
gli the cat from Hagia Sophia museum In Istanbul turkey
via 500px.com/photo/1821248
His favorite pedestal
gli the cat from Hagia Sophia museum In Istanbul turkey
via flickr.com/photos/kradeki/3386211201/
Taking a break from supervising the tourists
gli the cat from Hagia Sophia museum In Istanbul turkey
via flickr.com/photos/kradeki/3386205761/

Why I’ve Had A Change Of Heart About Spaying And Neutering - Misha Abbenhouse

http://retrieverlife.com/ive-change-heart-spaying-neutering/

I Was Once a Huge Advocate of Spaying or Neutering Every Dog at an Early Age

I started volunteering at an animal shelter when I was 13 years old. I started working there when I was 14. I cleaned cages. By the time I was 17, I had become certified as an euthanasia technician by the Iowa State College of Veterinary Medicine. The ten years I spent working at a kill shelter and the exposure to certain clients and cases in my veterinary practice over the years have taught me more than I ever wanted to know or could share in this video about abused, neglected, and unwanted pets.
When I first opened my animal hospital, I was so adamant about my clients spaying their female pets before the first heat cycle, that if they didn’t follow my advice, I really became upset. I tried not to show it outwardly, but I suggested that those clients might be more ethically aligned with another veterinarian who didn’t feel as strongly about the subject as I did.
That was my politically correct way of saying, “Maybe you should go to another vet,” because I would literally lose sleep over having intact patients in my practice. I spayed and neutered thousands of my patients when they were very, very young, assuming I was completing my moral task as an ethical veterinarian.

Five Years into Private Practice, Many of My Canine Patients Began to Develop Endocrine Imbalances and Related Diseases

About five years after my practice opened, many of my patients started to develop endocrine issues. This was obviously very concerning to me, as these animals were not over-vaccinated. They were all eating biologically appropriate, fresh food diets.
The first light bulb went off in my head when I started researching why up to 90 percent of ferrets die of endocrine imbalance, specifically adrenal disease or Cushing’s disease. Mass-bred ferrets that enter the pet trade are desexed at about three weeks of age. The theory behind why most ferrets develop endocrine imbalance is that juvenile desexing creates a sex hormone deficiency, which ultimately taxes the last remaining tissues of the body capable of producing a small amount of sex hormone – the adrenal glands. So I began to wonder… could the same phenomenon be happening with my dog patients?
By 2006, the number of dogs I was diagnosing with hypothyroidism was at an all-time high. Diagnosing low thyroid levels is very easy compared to the complex adrenal testing required to show that a dog has adrenal disease. I started to wonder if hypothyroidism was just a symptom of a deeper hormonal imbalance in many of my patients. Because even after we got those thyroid levels balanced, the dogs still didn’t appear to be vibrantly healthy or entirely well.
I contacted Dr. Jack Oliver, who ran the University of Tennessee’s adrenal lab, and posed my theory to him. I was stunned when he told me that indeed adrenal disease was occurring at epidemic proportions in dogs in the U.S. and was certainly tied to sex hormone imbalance. Now, whether veterinarians were testing and identifying the epidemic was a whole different story.

In a Flash of Recognition, I Knew My Insistence on Desexing All My Patients at a Young Age Had Created Serious Health Problems for Many of Them

At this point, I became overwhelmed with guilt. For many years, I insisted my clients follow my advice to spay or neuter their pets at or before six months of age. It hit me like a lightning bolt that I was making this suggestion not based on what was physiologically best for my patients, but rather what I felt was morally best for their owners.
As all of the patients that I desexed at a young age cycled through, many of them with irreversible metabolic diseases, I started apologizing to my clients. I apologized to my patients as well. Through my blanket recommendation that all pets be desexed because humans may be irresponsible with an intact animal, I had inadvertently made many of my patients very ill. As a doctor, this revelation was devastating.
I began changing my recommendations on spaying and neutering. I advised my clients to leave their pets intact. Now, you must realize my veterinary practice is filled with wildly committed owners. I am not dealing with uneducated, uncaring, or unreliable clients.
Of course, there were and are exceptions to my advice against desexing. But in general, my recommendation as a holistic vet is to perform any surgery – including spaying and neutering – only when it’s a medical necessity and not an elective procedure.
I recently adopted a stray Dachshund who is intact, and I plan to leave him intact. I am an intact female myself. I am proud to say that I have not experienced a single unplanned pregnancy in my personal life or in my career at my practice as a holistic vet catering to thousands of intact animals.
If you are an irresponsible pet owner who allows your intact pet outside without a leash and direct supervision, this video is not for you. Please sterilize your pet before allowing him or her outside again, as you are contributing to the overpopulation problem. Please rethink how you care for your pet, or consider not having pets.

My Views on Sterilization of Shelter Pets

The subject of spay/neuter is a huge one, and if I were to attempt to cover every aspect of it, this video would be three hours long. Suffice it to say that until we get our nation’s shelter systems revamped, animals will continue to be spayed as juveniles. For now, that’s that. We won’t change anything with this video. Are we pushing for shelter vets to learn ovary-sparing techniques that allow for sterilization without sex hormone obliteration? Yes. But for now, that isn’t happening.
I could have made a dozen different choices in my professional career that would have been satisfying, including being a shelter vet. If I were a shelter vet right now, I would be pushing for sterilization techniques that preserve normal endocrine function. I chose the path of a wellness veterinarian because that resonated the most with my personal goals in life. As I’ve explained, I’ve made many mistakes. I’ve apologized directly to the owners and the dogs that I desexed as puppies before I knew any better.
I am as committed as ever to preventing and treating illness in individual family pets. I’m not, however, advocating the adoption of intact animals to people who may or may not be responsible pet owners. Shelter vets don’t have the luxury of building relationships with their adoptive families, so all the animals in their care must be sterilized prior to adoption. I totally agree with this. I don’t necessarily agree with the method of sterilization being used.

Why I Believe Sterilization, Not Desexing, Is the Better Option

As a proactive veterinarian, I have dedicated my life to keeping animals well. I have learned and continue to learn the best ways to help pets stay healthy and the reasons disease occurs. I am also a holistically oriented vet, which means I view animals as a whole – not just a collection of body parts or symptoms.
I believe there is a purpose for each organ we are born with, and that organ systems are interdependent. I believe removing any organ – certainly including all the organs of reproduction – will have health consequences. It’s inevitable. It’s simply common sense.
There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that desexing dogs, especially at an early age, can create health and behavior problems. When I use the term “desexing,” I’m referring to the traditional spay and neuter surgery where all the sex hormone-secreting tissues are removed. When I use the term “sterilization,” I’m referring to animals that can no longer reproduce, but maintain their sex hormone-secreting tissues.
In my view, I would not be fulfilling my obligation as an animal healthcare professional if I chose to ignore the scientific evidence and not pass it on to Healthy Pets readers and the clients at my practice who entrust me with the well being of their animals.

Health Issues Linked to Spaying and Neutering Dogs

Before I discuss some of the health issues now associated with desexing dogs, first let me point out that there are two medical conditions that actually can be totally eliminated by desexing: benign prostatic hypertrophy or BPH (enlarged prostate), and pyometra (a disease of the uterus). However, a wealth of information is mounting that preserving innate sex hormones, especially in the first years of life, may be beneficial to pets, whereas the risk of pyometra or BPH in an animal’s first year of life is incredibly low.
Recent research has also discredited a couple of myths about the supposed benefits of early spays and neuters, including:
  • A study from the U.K. suggests there isn’t much scientific evidence at all to support the idea that early spaying of female dogs decreases or eliminates future risk of mammary tumors or breast cancer. This has been a much promoted supposed benefit of early spays for decades. But as it turns out, it’s based on theory rather than scientific evidence.
  • Similar to the situation with early spaying and mammary tumors, there’s a common belief that neutering a male dog prevents prostate cancer. However, a small study conducted at Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine suggests that neutering – no matter the age – has no effect on the development of prostate cancer.
And now for some of the disorders and diseases linked to spaying/neutering:
Shortened lifespan. A study conducted and published in 2009 by the Gerald P. Murphy Cancer Foundation established a link between the age at which female Rottweilers are spayed and how long they live. Researchers compared long-lived Rotties that lived for 13 years or more with those who lived a normal lifespan of about 9 years. They discovered that while females live longer than males, removing the ovaries of female Rottweilers before five years of age evened the score. Females who kept their ovaries until at least 6 years of age were four times more likely to reach an exceptional age compared to Rotties who were spayed at a younger age.
I spayed my rescued Rottie, Isabelle, when I adopted her at seven years of age. She lived to be 17, and she was still unbelievably vibrant at 17. She slipped on the floor in a freak accident and became paralyzed, which ultimately led to her euthanasia. But she was the oldest and healthiest Rottweiler I have ever met.
With Isabelle, I provided literally no medical care because she didn’t need it. Her body naturally thrived throughout her life. I fed her a balanced raw diet. I checked her bloodwork every six months, which was perfect until the day she died. Isabelle was a great example of a thriving pet that lived above the level of disease. I believe her sex hormones greatly contributed to her longevity and her abundantly healthy life.
Atypical Cushing’s disease. It’s my professional opinion that early spaying and neutering plays a role in the development of atypical Cushing’s disease as well. Typical Cushing’s means the middle layer of the adrenal gland is over-secreting cortisol. Atypical Cushing’s involves the outer and innermost layers of the adrenal glands and occurs when other types of hormones are over-produced, usually estrogen and progesterone.
When a dog is spayed or neutered before puberty, the endocrine, glandular and hormonal systems have not yet fully developed. A complete removal of the gonads, resulting in stopping production of all the body’s sex hormones (which is what happens during castration or the traditional spay), can force the adrenal glands to produce sex hormones because they’re the only remaining tissue in the body that can secrete them.
Over time, the adrenal glands become taxed from doing their own work plus the work of the missing gonads. It’s very difficult for these tiny little glands to keep up with the body’s demand for sex hormones. This is the condition of atypical Cushing’s. Hormone disruption is a central feature in Cushing’s disease. Any substance or procedure that affects the body’s hormonal balance should be absolutely evaluated as a potential root cause.
Cardiac tumors. A Veterinary Medical Database search of the years 1982 to 1985 revealed that in dogs with tumors of the heart, the relative risk for spayed females was over four times that of intact females. For the most common type of cardiac tumor, hemangiosarcoma, spayed females had a greater than five times risk vs. their intact counterparts. Neutered males had a slightly higher risk than intact males as well.
Bone cancer. In another Rottweiler study published 10 years ago for both males and females spayed or neutered before one year of age, there was a one in four lifetime risk of developing bone cancer. Desexed Rotties were significantly more likely to acquire the disease than intact dogs. In another study using the Veterinary Medical Database for 1980 to 1984, the risk of bone cancer in large-breed, purebred dogs increased two-fold for those dogs that were also desexed.
Abnormal bone growth and development. Studies done in the 1990s concluded dogs spayed or neutered under one year of age grew significantly taller than non-sterilized dogs or those dogs spayed or neutered after puberty. The earlier the spay or neuter procedure, the taller the dog. Research published in 2000 may explain why: it appears that the removal of estrogen-producing organs in immature dogs – both females and males – can cause growth plates to remain open. These animals continue to grow and wind up with abnormal growth patterns and bone structure. This results in irregular body proportions, possible cartilage issues, and joint conformation issues.
Higher rate of CCL ruptures. A study conducted at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center on cranial cruciate ligament injuries concluded that spayed and neutered dogs had a significantly higher incidence of rupture than their intact counterparts. While large-breed dogs had more CCL injuries, sterilized or desexed dogs of all breeds and sizes had an increased rupture rate.
Hip dysplasia. In a retrospective cohort study conducted at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, results showed that both male and female dogs sterilized at an early age were more prone to hip dysplasia.
Breed-specific effects of spay/neuter. A recent study conducted at the University of California Davis involving several hundred Golden Retrievers revealed that for the incidence of hip dysplasia, CCL tears, lymphosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma, and mast cell tumors, the rates were significantly higher in both males and females that were neutered or spayed compared with intact dogs.
Other health concerns. Early spaying or neutering is commonly associated with urinary incontinence in female dogs and has been linked to increased incidence of urethral sphincter incontinence in males.
Spayed or neutered Golden Retrievers are much more likely to develop hypothyroidism.
A cohort study of shelter dogs conducted by the College of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M University concluded that infectious diseases were more common in dogs that were spayed and neutered at under 24 weeks of age.
The AKC’s Canine Health Foundation issued a report pointing to higher incidence of adverse reactions to vaccines in spayed and neutered dogs as well.
Among the reports and studies pointing to health concerns associated with early spaying and neutering, we also find mention of increased incidence of behavior problems, including noise phobias, fear behavior, aggression, and undesirable sexual behaviors.

Options to Traditional Spaying and Neutering

Veterinarians in the U.S. and Canada are trained only to spay and neuter, which is unfortunate since there are less invasive alternatives, such as tubal ligation, hysterectomy, and vasectomy. These techniques are quick and easy and certainly effective. In fact, commonly, once the technique is mastered, they’re faster, less risky and potentially less costly than a full spay or neuter.
But unfortunately, nobody knows how to do them in this country. The reason they’re hard to come by is because U.S. veterinary schools simply don’t teach these alternative procedures. They’ve never had a reason to. And until pet owners start demanding sterilization options beyond spaying and neutering, the status quo will remain.
As author Ted Kerasote and I have discussed on numerous occasions, in many European countries, there are intact free-roaming dogs running about under voice control of their owners. When female dogs go into heat, owners simply manage the situation by removing them from group social events until their heat cycle is complete. They’re kept at home, sequestered away from males. They’re walked on a leash.
Ted tells the story of a British veterinarian he interviewed who said most of the requests he gets to neuter dogs come from U.S. and Canadian citizens who are living in London. Rather than immediately complying with the request, the veterinarian talks with the pet owner about the actual necessity to desex the dog. For example, if the dog is always on a leash and always under the owner’s control, then how exactly would the dog become pregnant (or mate with a female) if it’s constantly with the owner and never off leash? The veterinarian says that he rarely has a British pet owner request a spay or neuter procedure.
Most Americans can’t even comprehend that it’s possible to keep intact pet dogs and not have millions of litters of unwanted puppies. That’s because we’ve been conditioned to believe that a responsible pet owner means spaying and neutering your dog. I was taught to believe the same thing — that keeping an intact pet was considered irresponsible even if the owner is meticulously careful about not allowing the pet to breed.
Of course, our dependence on spaying and neutering as the only form of birth control is the result of generations of irresponsible pet owners and millions of unwanted dogs and cats that are killed annually in our animal shelters.
It is a vicious cycle, and it’s a very frustrating cycle to witness. Irresponsible people need to have sterilized pets. No one’s going to argue that point. Unfortunately, spaying and neutering responsible people’s pets doesn’t make irresponsible people any more responsible. They remain the root cause of the overpopulation crisis in this country.
My problem with the spaying and neutering issue is it’s the only current solution to the overpopulation problem. We’re not just halting the animal’s ability to reproduce, we are also removing incredibly valuable sex hormone-secreting tissues like the ovaries and the testes. These organs serve a purpose.
We’re slowly waking up to the fact that in our rush to spay or neuter every possible animal we can get our hands on – the younger, the better – we are creating health problems, sometimes life-threatening health problems, that are non-existent or significantly less prevalent in intact pets.

Responsible Ownership of an Intact Female Dog

First of all, you should know that not everyone is cut out to be the owner of an intact male or female dog. Part of the popularity of full spays and neuters vs. other means of sterilization is that it’s just plain convenient for pet owners. Not only do spays and neuters render the animal unable to reproduce, but they also remove all of the messiness of female heat cycles and most of the pet’s key mating behaviors for both sexes.
Female dogs don’t have monthly periods like humans do. They have one, or usually two heats a year. You can typically tell a female heat cycle is on its way when your intact female’s vulva begins to enlarge. Just like humans there’s bleeding involved, but unlike human females who are not fertile during menstruation, dogs are just the opposite. Female dogs can get pregnant only during heats for about three to four days as unfertilized eggs ripen in their bodies.
Some dogs will signal during this time by flagging, which means lifting the tail base up and to the side. Some females will stand and can be mounted at any time during their heat cycle, including before and after they’re pregnant or fertile. Others show no behavior signs whatsoever. Owners of intact female dogs must be certain of the signs of heat in their pets, so that they can separate them from male dogs during this important time.
Never underestimate the determination of an intact male dog that wants to mate with a female dog in heat. I’m telling you, if you have a female dog, male dogs will come visit her from across a tri-state area because she’s putting out some very attractive pheromones.
With proper training, reinforcement, and constant supervision, however, male dogs can learn to be in the presence of a female while supervised, even when she’s in heat, without mating. Some people with both an intact male and female don’t want to put the effort into managing male dogs around cycling females and simply ship them off to a friend or relative’s house until the heat cycle is over.
If you have a female dog in heat, you should never leave her outside alone even for a second. It doesn’t matter if you have a fenced-in yard. If there’s an unsupervised male around, there’s absolutely a risk of impregnation through the fence (or over the fence, or under the fence).
The heat cycle of a female dog lasts about three weeks, but the menstrual bleeding can be unpredictable during that time. It’s neither consistently heavy nor is it every day, all day. Many owners of intact female dogs invest in special diapers or panties that can hold a sanitary napkin to contain the discharge.
At my house we just get a baby gate, and we gate our special lady of the month in the kitchen area. We put a dog bed in there, and then we just mop a couple of times a day. Typically, female dogs are incredibly good at keeping themselves very clean. Most of the time, there’s very little mess.

Responsible Ownership of an Intact Male Dog

Intact males should receive positive reinforcement behavior training to stop urine marking in the house as well as any humping behavior that may occur.
The intact, male, adult Dachsie we just rescued – his name is Lenny – became Lenny Loincloth after a few days in our house for obvious reasons. He acquired his last name because he marked absolutely every corner of every piece of furniture we own. To reduce this totally undesirable behavior and reinforce healthy housebreaking, we put a belly band on him. We call it his loincloth. It’s a little diaper that holds his penis to his abdomen. Dogs innately do not want to urinate on themselves; they want to pee and mark on objects. By belly banding him, we reinforce good behavior like going potty outside and not marking in the house. I’m proud to say that in one month’s time, we’ve really helped him kick his marking habit for the most part.
Constant positive reinforcement was really necessary with Lenny, as it is with all dogs. We also discovered the first day Lenny was in our house that he liked to hump everything in sight. He preferred humping pillows and dog beds. We simply picked those pillows and dog beds up. We didn’t give him access to objects that tempted his undesirable behavior. He hasn’t humped anything in three weeks. So there are ways to positively reinforce good behavior and extinguish negative intact male dog behaviors if you put in the effort.
Your unneutered male should never be off-leash unless you are absolutely sure you won’t run into an intact female dog or he’s under constant voice control around all dogs. You also need to be in control of your dog while he’s leashed. If your intact male or female dog is able to jerk away from you when he or she gets excited, then your dog is not under your control despite the leash.
I recommend positive reinforcement behavior training for all dogs, especially intact dogs. And it’s an absolute necessity for powerfully built, intact male dogs. Remaining in obedience class for a dog’s first 16 months of life is an excellent foundation for good manners for the rest of his life.
If your dog becomes assertive, desexing (a full neuter) can be an important part of managing long-term behavior issues. Again, in this instance, if you have an aggressive dog, we must evaluate the risks vs. benefits. The health benefits of leaving a temperamental dog intact do not outweigh the greater risk of this aggressive animal being re-homed, dumped, or abused – or hurting another animal or human. With behavior issues, spaying or neutering can be a logical choice. It’s better to have endocrine disease but be in a loving home, than be disease-free but dumped at a kill shelter for a behavior problem.
Keep in mind that out in the world, at least in North America, you and your intact dog will not have a whole lot of company in this day and age. You won’t be able to take your dog everywhere a spayed or neutered dog is allowed to go. If your dog is a male, prepare to deal with plenty of prying questions and even anger from people who will pre-judge you as totally irresponsible.
When Lenny sees people, he flops on his back and says, “Hello, hello, hello!” Everyone’s comment is, “What are those?” And then “When are those coming off,” pointing to his testicles.
"Neuter" este termenul pentru scosul testiculelor. "Spay" este un "ovariohysterectomy" unde sa scoate ovarele si uterul. La "hysterectomy" se scoate numai uterul si sa lasa ovarele. Idea este ca asa ovarele creeza in continuare hormoni importanti, dar procedura ofera multe din beneficiile pe care "spay" traditional nu le ofera.

10 Ways Your Cat Shows You Love

1. Lightly touching her forehead against you

Called head bunting, this cat act of affection is given only to the A-listers in a cat’s life. Your cat will face you, lower her head and lean a bit forward so that the top of her head touches your forehead, face or other body part. This loving touch can often release feel-good hormones called endorphins in your cat and you.


2. Cheek rubbing you

This act secretes oils from her facial glands. It’s her way of claiming you as her own. Just be thankful that she does so by cheek rubbing, not spraying.


3. Twitching the tip of her tail

The cats tail acts like a mood barometer. The tail puffs out when your cat is frightened or agitated. Conversely, your cat expresses love to you when she approaches you with her tail hoisted lazily up in the air and the very tip twitches. In cat speak, she is saying, “You are the best!”


4. Holding eye contact and sharing a soft blink

Don’t expect a cat to maintain a steady eye-to-eye stare with a visitor. Cats save eye contact for people they know and trust, jus like you. The bond is accented when she blinks softly at you. This is the equivalent of a kitty kiss. Respond by softly blinking back.


5. Turning on the purr power

This steady, rhythmic sound emitted when your cat inhales and exhales is often associated with contentment. But cats also purr when they need to self-calm or while nursing a litter; however, your cat saves the special full-bodied rumble as a smile directed to you. It is her way of saying, “I love you".


6. Sitting on you or beside you

Cats crave warm places to nap and sleep, but when they bypass a comfy cat bed or your bedroom pillow to perch on your lap, you should feel honored. Your cat has sized up her options and is conveying that she prefers being with you rather than being by herself in her cat bed.


7. Kneading her paws on your lap

If you need a sign it is time to trim your cat’s nails, nothing is clearer than when she perches on your lap, purrs and starts kneading your thighs with her front paws. But this is also a sign of affection. Experts say that this action beckons your adult cat back to a safe, welcoming memory when she was nuzzling her mother for milk as a newborn kitten. She is being affectionate and a bit nostalgic.

8. Licking your hair and earlobes

OK, neither of these actions may rate on your top 10 list of affection preferences, but your cat is regarding you as another cat — albeit a big one — in her inner circle. Only special “cats” are deemed worthy of these special grooming sessions. In a multicat household, mutual grooming is a sign of trust and friendship. Pay attention to which cats, if any, in your home team up for mutual grooming. You may be the only one meriting such a gift!


9. Bringing you dead mice, birds and other so-called gifts

Evolution and domestication have not stripped your cat of her inner hunter. After a successful hunt, she may deposit a mouse head or lizard tail in a place she knows you will visit — like your pillow. Yuck? Yes, but your cat is sharing her prey prize with you, a true sign of trusted friendship.


10. Emitting a high-pitched trill

Cats are capable of more than a dozen vocalizations, ranging from the hiss to the meow. Listen carefully for the high-pitched trill or chirp. These sounds convey affection and attention — not a feline demand for second helpings in her food bowl. Trill back, watch her reaction and enjoy a true cat chat.










Removing Pet Stains and Odors - Accidents happen; here's how to clean up

http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/removing_pet_stains_odors.html

You know how it goes: The minute you turn your back, your pet decides that your new carpet's the perfect place to relieve himself.
You clean and clean, but you can't get rid of that smell. What can you do?

Where'd it happen?

You need to find which areas are soiled, and then re-train your pet to avoid eliminating in those areas. And to do that, you'll have to clean those areas, and clean them well.
Here are the steps you'll need to take:
  • Use your nose and eyes to find soiled areas. You might want to use a black light, which you can purchase at a home supply store. A black light will usually show even old urine stains. Turn out all of the lights in the room; use the black light to identify soiled areas, and lightly outline the areas with chalk.
  • Clean the soiled areas to remove the odors.
  • Visit your veterinarian to rule out medical causes for the behavior.

Cleaning up

Make the "accident zone" unattractive and/or unavailable to your pet and the appropriate "bathroom" area attractive as a way to retrain your pet. Then use positive reinforcement techniques to show him the appropriate place to eliminate. To do this successfully, follow our recommendations for retraining your pet.
To be successful, you need to follow all of these steps. If you fail to completely clean the area, your re-training efforts will be useless.
As long as your pet can smell his personal scent, he'll continue to return to the "accident zone." Even if you can't smell traces of urine, your pet can. Your most important chore is to follow these steps to remove (neutralize) that odor:

To clean washable items

Machine wash as usual, adding a one-pound box of baking soda to your regular detergent. It's best to air dry these items if possible. If you can still see the stain or smell the urine, machine wash the item again, and add an enzymatic cleaner (available at pet supply stores) that breaks down pet-waste odors. Be sure to follow the directions carefully.
If your pet urinates or defecates on the sheets or blankets on a bed, then cover the bed with a vinyl, flannel-backed tablecloth when you begin the re-training period. It's machine washable, inexpensive and unattractive to your pet.

To clean carpeted areas and upholstery

For "new" stains (those that are still wet):
  • Soak up as much of the urine as possiblewith a combination of newspaper and paper towels. The more fresh urine you can remove before it dries, especially from carpet, the easier it will be to remove the odor. Place a thick layer of paper towels on the wet spot, and cover that with a thick layer of newspaper. If possible, put newspaper under the soiled area as well. Stand on this padding for about a minute. Remove the padding, and repeat the process until the area is barely damp.
  • If possible, put the fresh, urine-soaked paper towel in the area where it belongs—your cat's litter box or your dog's designated outdoor "bathroom area." This will help remind your pet that eliminating isn't a "bad" behavior as long as it's done in the right place.
  • Rinse the "accident zone" thoroughly with clean, cool water. After rinsing, remove as much of the water as possible by blotting or by using a wet vac.
For stains that have already set:
  • Consider renting an extractor or wet vacto remove all traces of heavy stains in carpeting (get one from a local hardware store). This machine works much like a vacuum cleaner and is efficient and economical. Extracting/wet vac machines do the best job of forcing clean water through your carpet and then forcing the dirty water back out. When you use these machines or cleaners, carefully follow the instructions. Don't use any chemicals with these machines; they work much better with plain water.
  • Use a high-quality pet odor neutralizeronce the area is really clean (available at pet supply stores). Be sure to read and follow the cleaner's directions for use, including testing the cleaner on a small, hidden portion of fabric first to be sure it doesn't stain.
  • Try any good carpet stain remover if the area still looks stained after it's completely dry from extracting and neutralizing.
  • Avoid using steam cleanersto clean urine odors from carpet or upholstery. The heat will permanently set the stain and the odor by bonding the protein into any man-made fibers.
  • Avoid using cleaning chemicals, especially those with strong odors such as ammonia or vinegar. From your pet's perspective, these don't effectively eliminate or cover the urine odor and may actually encourage your pet to reinforce the urine scent mark in that area.
  • Neutralizing cleaners won't work until you've rinsed every trace of the old cleaner from the carpet if you've previously used cleaners or chemicals of any kind on the area. Even if you haven't used chemicals recently, any trace of a non-protein-based substance will weaken the effect of the enzymatic cleaner. The cleaner will use up its "energy" on the old cleaners, instead of on the protein stains you want removed.
  • Your job will be more difficult if urine has soaked down into the padding underneath your carpet. In some cases, you may need to take the drastic step of removing and replacing that portion of the carpet and padding.

To clean floors and walls

If the wood on your furniture, walls, baseboard or floor is discolored, the varnish or paint has reacted to the acid in the urine. You may need to remove and replace the layer of varnish or paint. If you do so, make sure the new product is safe for pets.
Employees at your local hardware or home improvement store can help you identify and match your needs with appropriate removers and replacements.
Washable enamel paints and some washable wallpapers may respond favorably to enzymatic cleaners. Read the instructions before you use these products. You should also test them in an invisible area.

Re-train your pet

Finally, along with cleaning, teach your pet where you want him to eliminate. To do this, make the "accident zone" unattractive and the appropriate "bathroom" area attractive. For help, check these links:
The re-training period may take a week or more. Remember, it took time to build the bad habit, and it will take time to replace that habit with a new, more acceptable behavior.
Treat your pet with patience and encourage him!
Adapted from material originally developed by applied animal behaviorists at the Dumb Friends League, Denver, Colo. All rights reserved.