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Michigan Representative Introduces Important Legislation to Help Prevent Animal Cruelty, Violence Against People
Please click here for more info.
Spring Cleaning Around Your Pets
A recent article titled "High Levels of Household Chemicals Found in Pets" really disturbed me. It is actually something I have worried about before and I do everything I can to make sure I don't use cleaners around my pets or near their food bowls. When I mop the floor, I only use water because I don't want to take any chances that my little fur kids will get sick after walking across the floor and licking their paws.
I started wondering what a person could do in order to keep their house clean but make thing safe for their pets. I found two answers: vinegar and baking soda. These are two things that you can use around your pets without having to worry about them ingesting chemicals into their lungs. You can find many useful tips about cleaning with vinegar by clicking here. For baking soda uses, including cleaning pet toys, please go to armandhammer.com or click here.
Keep your pets safe - and happy cleaning!
Wild Horse and Burro Adoption
The Bureau of Land Management will hold their Wild Horse and Burro Adoption event on Saturday, May 17th and Sunday, May 18th at the Midland County Fairgrounds in Midland Michigan. Satellite Adoptions are open to the public on Friday, from 1:00- 5:00 pm for viewing. Auction starts at 9:30 am on Saturday. Hours on Saturday: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm. Hours on Sunday: 8:00 am - Noon.
The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 directs The Bureau of Land Management to manage and protect wild horses and burros on public lands. With no natural predators and a reproduction rate of more than 20%, wild horse and burro populations have increased dramatically since the Act went into effect. They administer the Wild Horse and Burro Adoption Program throughout their 31 state jurisdiction, conducting approximately 40 adoption events and finding good homes for 2,000 to 3,000 animals each year.
There are two ways to adopt a Wild Horse or Burro - in person or online. For more information about the event, please click here.
Midland County Fairgrounds is at 6905 Eastman Road, Midland, MI 48642. Directions: From I-75 take Hwy 10 West towards Midland. From Hwy 10, take Eastman Rd Exit (also Business Hwy 10) & go North to Fairgrounds.
ACPaw to Offer "Rescuing Orphaned Kittens and Puppies" Session
On Saturday, May 10, AC Paw will give you a chance to learn all you want to know about their group and you'll also get a chance to learn how to rescue orphaned puppies and kittens. They will host a volunteer recruiting session followed by an educational session on rescuing puppies and kittens. These sessions will take place at the Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City on May 10th. The schedule is below. You can attend either session or both. There is no fee but advance registration is recommended.
Volunteer recruiting sessions at
11:00, 1:00, 3:00, and 5:00
Orphaned Rescue training at
12:00, 2:00, 4:00, and 6:00
For more information call 231-587-9640 or e-mail at acpaw@torchlake.com
Meijer to Offer Pet Insurance in Pet Aisles
Click here for more info.
Tag Your Pets
April 5th kicked off American Humane's "Every Day is Tag Day". Click here for more information on how to protect your pets from getting lost.
Disaster Preparedness
Are you and your pets ready for a local or nationwide emergency. Click here to take the test and click here to read more about how to prepare your family.
What Can One Person Do to Help Stop Puppy Mills?
Many of you saw Oprah's recent show about puppy mills and want to know how to help stop these terrible places from being in operation. Please click here for some great information from Best Friends Animal Society. And some more GREAT news...there was an increase in pet adoptions in shelters after Opra's show. Click here to read more about it!
Most Popular Pet Names
What are the most popular pet names? According to research by Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI), these are the new top pet names:
Top 10 Male Pet Names
1. MAX
2. BUDDY
3. JAKE
4. ROCKY
5. BAILEY
6. BUSTER
7. CODY
8. CHARLIE
9. BEAR
10. JACK
Top 10 Female Pet Names
1. MOLLY
2. MAGGIE
3. DAISY
4. LUCY
5. SADIE
6. GINGER
7. CHLOE
8. BAILEY
9. SOPHIE
10. ZOE
MPAW Holds Regional Meetings in Boyne City
and Marquette
In the spring of 2007, the Michigan Partnership for Animal Welfare (MPAW) premiered its first series of Regional Meetings, held in Detroit, Grand Rapids and Sault Ste. Marie. Over 60 animal welfare organizations from around the state gathered to gain valuable knowledge from fundraising expert Carol Pence, to network, as well as assess the main challenges for animals in Michigan.
Because of the tremendous success last year’s meetings had, MPAW is excited to announce the expansion of the 2008 regional meeting schedule! Throughout this upcoming year, MPAW will host five regional meetings in the following cities: Kalamazoo, Frankenmuth, Charlevoix, Ann Arbor and Marquette. This year, animal welfare professionals will be able to continue their education by learning about more important animal welfare issues facing our communities throughout the state, from a variety of nationally recognized expert speakers. Registration begins March 1, 2008.
Region 6 - Marquette
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Disease Prevention and Sanitation for Shelter and Rescue Groups
(Dr. Grant Gugisberg)
The Shelter Pharmacy - Amoxicillan to Zithromax, What antibiotics are best for URI? What about diarrhea? This workshop will discuss common drugs for symptoms seen in rescued and homeless pets. We’ll consider price, length of treatment, efficacy and spectrum of many common drugs. We’ll discuss drugs that you may want to add to your pharmacy. Educate yourself so you can, along with your veterinarian, make the best decisions for your organization and pets.
Professional Standards and Self Assessment in Animal Welfare
Karen Angell, Golden Retriever Rescue of Michigan
Cruelty Investigation Basics
Debby MacDonald, Michigan Humane Society
Working with Animal Control
Tom Miller, President of MAACO
Click here for more info. on the Marquette meeting.
Protect Pets in Michigan!
Animal dealers, known as "Class B dealers," obtain animals for research facilities through a variety of unorthodox methods and fraudulent practices, including stealing companion animals from yards, cars, and farms.
As pet owners mourn the loss of pets, their dogs and cats are often subjected to abusive handling and exposure to the elements while kept at the premises of Class B dealers. Pound seizure is the practice of releasing or selling unclaimed cats and dogs from animal shelters to Class B dealers or research facilities.
Fortunately, legislation (H.B. 5263) has been introduced in the Michigan state legislature to prohibit animal care facilities from selling animals to research facilities and ensure that dogs and cats used in research and education are not obtained through fraudulent practices.
Please contact your state representative, Howard Walker, and urge support for H.B. 5263. Please make a brief, polite phone call to Representative Walker at
(517) 373-1766 and urge support for
this bill.
When you call, you will likely speak to a staff person who can pass your message along to your legislator. Remember to be polite and professional, and leave your name and address so it is clear that you are a constituent. You can say:
"Hello, my name is [your name] and I am calling from [your city] to ask Representative Walker to support H.B. 5263 to regulate Class B dealers and pound seizure. Thank you."
After making your phone call, please make a follow-up email to your representative to reiterate your support for this legislation by clicking here.
Don't forget to tell your family and friends too!
Network Offers Michigan News
Please click here to read Michigan Animal news brought to you by Best Friends Animal Society. The Best Friends Network is a community of volunteers all over the country who are connected through kindness to animals. Best Friends has an animal sanctuary in Utah and is on the forefront of a movement to bring about a time when there are no more homeless animals.
Pet Food Recalls
The FDA has recalled many different pet foods over the past few months. To keep up with the recalls, please click here for more information.
Be a Voice for the Animals Who are Suffering
Please click here for information on pending animal legislation in Michigan. One of many bills pending includes an Animal Welfare Fund to provide funds to support spay and neutering of cats and dogs in Michigan.
For information on federal legislation, please click here.
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info@petfriendsmagazine.com and put "mailing list" in your subject line.
Have a Story to Submit?
We accept unsolicited photos and stories and reserve the right to edit and reject any material submitted.
Do you have an event coming up? Is there a story that you'd like to write about? Submit stories to: stories@petfriendsmagazine.com
The opinions expressed by contributors or writers do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher.
Meijer ends Humane Society Contest after Sportsmen Complain
We recently posted information on entering the Meijer Pet Photo Contest. However, they are no longer donating any proceeds to the Foreclosure Pets Fund run by the Humane Society of the United States. Read more about it here.
If you'd like to send Meijer an email with your opinion about this, please click here.
Posh Pet Boutique Opens at the Village at Grand Traverse Commons
Are you looking for some fine jewelry or cute outfits for your cat or dog? Posh Pets is the place to go. It's a new pet boutique located at 800 Cottageview Drive Suite 25 in Traverse City. It is situated among upscale specialty shops in the historic and charming Mercato Marketplace.
Their store specializes in luxury pet products for your pampered pet. Please visit their website by clicking here.
Pet Abuse Website Very Informative
There's a great website online where you can check out animal abuse cases in your area (and submit them) by clicking here. It helps people keep an eye out for animal abusers in their state, county and city.
Nation's Largest Rabbit Sanctuary Keeps 600 Hoppers Happy in Washtenaw County
WHITTAKER, MI – What was once an average-sized rabbit sanctuary and rescue in a rural spot just 25 minutes outside of Ann Arbor has now become the largest organization of its kind in the United States. Thanks to Best Friends Animal Society in Utah and an adventurous cross-country rescue, the Great Lakes Rabbit Sanctuary was able to give a happy new home to more than 500 neglected rabbits.
"No one's ever done what we're doing," said GLRS Board President Tim Patino of the large-scale rescue and record-breaking sanctuary. "We're still learning more from the rabbits every day."
The organization's facilities had to grow along with their new houseguests. Previous to the mass bunny arrival, Best Friends helped GLRS to renovate their handful of barns and yards to create a spacious and healthy environment for "The Reno 500." Among the clean, spacious buildings are the Adoption Barn for the most social, adoptable rabbits; Happy Hollow, the hospital ward; and Binkyville Barn. They even created an assisted living barn for those rabbits who need extra human help enjoying the rest of their days. Seeing so many rabbits living together is a sight to behold!
The rescue and sanctuary now hosts more than 600 spayed and neutered bunnies – some for adoption, and others to just live out the rest of their lives in peace and safety. To help keep all of those rabbits happy and healthy, GLRS relies on volunteers, donations, grants and fundraising events throughout the year. Their next event will be a Garage Sale Fundraiser on May 16th-18th. To find out more information about how to help out or find a bunny to adopt, visit www.rabbitsanctuary.org, call GLRS at 734-461-1726, or contact them via email at info@rabbitsanctuary.org.
Fighting for Pets in Northern Michigan – And Beyond
A lot of you might not know that we have our very own high powered animal advocate right here in Northern Michigan. Catherine Wolfe is one of the creators of Wolfe Pack Press, Inc., a non-profit corporation dedicated to preventing animal cruelty and promoting animal welfare through education. She is also an attorney and author of "Get the Edge in Fighting Animal Cruelty Cases."
She received her law degree from the University of Detroit School of Law in 1984. After passing the bar, she served as an attorney for a Circuit Court Judge in Oakland County, Michigan, for 12 years. In 1997 she moved to Northern Michigan where she currently has her own law practice. As part of her practice she handles a wide variety of animal related cases. Her clients include numerous animal law enforcers, humane societies, animal rescue leagues, animal shelters, animal sanctuaries, and animal rehabilitators.
Ms. Wolfe has had a life-long passion for animals, beginning as a young child and continuing through to the present. In college she studied animals and earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Biology. Ms. Wolfe served on the Board of Directors for an animal shelter near Detroit, Michigan, and as Chairperson of the Animal Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan. She is currently the State Bar of Michigan's Coordinator for Media in Northern Michigan on animal issues and is a former board member of the Animal Welfare League of Benzie County. She was also instrumental in saving her local animal shelter.
Ms. Wolfe has authored numerous articles about animal welfare. She has also given numerous presentations about animal welfare with a focus on the laws that affect animals. Ms. Wolfe was a presenter at the National Animal Control Association (NACA) Annual Conferences in 2005 and 2006.
At the time the book was written, Ms. Wolfe was owned by 6 dogs, all of whom were abused, neglected, and/or abandoned - 2 sweet Chocolate Labs, 1 adorable Brittany, 2 promiscuous Toy Poodles, and 1 tyrannical Chihuahua (pictured above along with the other founders of Wolfe Pack Press).
Pet Friends Magazine interviewed Catherine Wolfe and she discusses Michigan animal laws and how she teaches others to investigate cruelty cases.
Pet Friends: How are the Michigan animal laws compared to other states?
Wolfe: I would rank Michigan's laws as slightly above average from the animals' perspective. Unfortunately Michigan still categorizes animals as "property." That is unfortunate for both the animals and the people who love them. Michigan law requires people who sustain property damage to minimize ("mitigate") their damage. That means, for example, that if you have a chair and someone damages it, you may choose to repair it but if the repair cost exceeds the fair market value of the chair, then you are only entitled to recover the fair market value of the chair, not the entire repair cost or any compensation for emotional distress if the chair was a cherished family heirloom and its damage was upsetting to you.
As "property," animals are treated the same way under the law. If your pet is injured by another person or their pet, you are only entitled to the fair market value of your pet - not the cost of veterinary treatment to restore your pet's health, if it would be less expensive just to get a new pet. As an example, I had a wonderful black lab as a client. He was viciously attacked by another dog and very seriously injured. Because he was about 7 years old his fair market value was $0. The fact that his family viewed him as a family member rather than a pet and spent between $3,000 and $4,000 in veterinary costs to save him was irrelevant. As far as Michigan law is concerned, it would have been less expensive for his family just to let him die, and get another 7 year old lab, than to spend the money they did to give him a full recovery.
As you can see, Michigan law is arcane and should be revised to treat animals as the living, loving, soulful being that they are. There are a number of different theories about the fashion in which that should be done. Some people have suggested that a special category of "property" be created - something along the lines of "living property" which I think is an oxymoron. My preference would be to create another category called "animals." Apparently this is a fairly novel idea but I hope it catches on because it would be an accurate reflection of the state of affairs. Animals are animals. They are not "property" and they are not humans. Therefore, they should not be categorized as "human" or "property," but as "animals." Then we could have laws that would more appropriately treat them as living, breathing, beings who are capable feeling pain, joy, love, sorrow, loss, etc. for which they and their guardians should be compensated if they are wrongfully injured or killed.
Pet Friends: What should someone do if they suspect that an animal is being abused?
Wolfe: If a person suspects animal abuse, he or she should immediately contact the local animal control officer or law enforcement agency. Unfortunately, many animal control officers and law enforcement agencies are overwhelmed by the volume of reports they receive. Video and/or audio recordings, and photographs are extremely useful in motivating them to investigate your case. If they are not willing to pursue the matter you should contact your nearest humane organization to see what assistance they may offer. And, of course, if you are serious, you should purchase the book I wrote to assist people who wish to get involved entitled Get the Edge In Fighting Animal Cruelty Cases. It is available at www.wolfepackpress.org. Wolfe Pack Press, Inc. is a non-profit organization formed to prevent animal cruelty through education.
Pet Friends: Does Michigan law state that the Animal Control has to keep the animal until the case is closed?
Wolfe: No it does not. Michigan is progressive in this area. As soon as animals are seized (taken into custody) the prosecuting attorney may file a civil lawsuit to have the owner's property rights in the animals terminated (forfeited) so that they may be immediately adopted, treated by a veterinarian, etc.
Prior to enactment of that forfeiture law, the animals had to be held as exhibits until the criminal case was closed. That could take years and often caused severe hardships to small organizations that would care for large numbers of animals, without any hope of being reimbursed for the enormous expense. In some cases, where large numbers of animals were involved, the small organizations were impoverished.
Pet Friends: Is the original person who tried to help the animal able to take ownership of the animal if the case goes against the owner?
Wolfe: It is up to the organization that ultimately takes possession/ownership of the animal (I prefer the term "guardianship" because I do not believe that we can "own" another being - we do not "own" our children and I do not believe we "own" animals - we are their guardians during the time were are privileged to care for them). Reputable organizations have established adoption procedures and may, if they wish, give priority to the person who first intervened on the animal's behalf, but that person may not always be the best adoption candidate. The animal should be adopted to the person that will give it the best home - "the best interest of the animal," if you will.
Pet Friends: What led you into animal law? What was your first case?
Wolfe: I went into animal law because I love animals. I do not remember my first case because I have had so many. However, I now travel all over the country teaching law enforcement officers, animal control officers, humane agents, etc. how to investigate animal cruelty cases and I am continually amazed at the level of their professionalism and their love of animals. They risk their lives, literally, everyday to save animals and I am learning and teaching how important video and/or audio recordings and photographs are. The most powerful evidence is evidence that makes the viewer (i.e. prosecutor, judge, and juror) a witness. Showing them a photograph of an animal that includes both its face AND its injury, even if it is dead, gives the animal an identity and evokes to strongest possible emotion from the viewer. Some of the photographs I use are unbelievable. The black lab I mentioned earlier had all of the skin on his hind quarter torn off by a vicious dog, and yet, the lab had such a wonderful disposition that I have a frontal photograph of him smiling and you can actually see the gaping wound where all the skin is missing. I am glad to say that due to the extraordinary care of his guardians, and exceptional veterinary care, he made a full recovery. That was one of the most memorable cases I have ever been involved in.
That case was also notable because it was the first time I sent digital photographs by email to a law enforcement agency and prosecutor in order to alert them to a very dangerous situation as quickly as possible. Their response to the situation was radically increased by the photographs.
Pet Friends: Why did you decide to move to Northern Michigan?
Wolfe: Almost 11 years ago I came for a vacation and never left! My undergraduate degree was in Wildlife Biology and the wildlife in Northern Michigan is nothing short of miraculous.
Pet Friends: Do you have any local Northern Michigan seminars or presentations this year?
Wolfe: At the moment, no. In the last 9 months I have been to Cincinnati, Oklahoma City, Lansing, and Fayetteville (Arkansas) giving national presentations and classes on cruelty investigations and right now I am spending some quality time with my "Wolfe Pack" - 4 unruly toy poodles and 1 mellow chocolate lab.
I periodically give presentations around the state and will post those on www.wolfepackpress.org as they are scheduled.
Thank you for this opportunity to communicate with your readers and I hope this has enlightened them about the plight of homeless, abused, and neglected animals.
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WOLFE PACK PRESS, INC. announces the first ever animal anti-cruelty consultation service!! The WOLFE PACK PRESS, INC. team of experts will do consultations with people and organizations interested in preventing animal cruelty. The team will also do consultations for people and organizations involved in identifying, investigating, and prosecuting animal abusers, including animal control officers, law enforcement officers, veterinarians, humane organizations, rescue groups, animal rehabilitators, and governmental agencies.
Consultations are available by phone,
e-mail, in person, or by mail. Contact information is as follows:
WOLFE PACK PRESS, INC.
PO Box 346
Benzonia, Michigan 49616
(231) 651-0584 (Phone)
(231) 882-5521 (Fax) info@wolfepackpress.org http://www.wolfepackpress.org
© 2007. Pet Friends Magazine, LLC.
All rights reserved.