Elise Able – Page 9 – Fox Wood Wildlife Rescue

The Responsibility of Dog Ownership

Being in dog rescue, it never ceases to amaze me what humans do to animals. There are responsibilities to pet ownership.

These responsibilities include:

The proper feeding of nutritious foods to their pets- not the cheapest junk one can find at the Big box store. Just because your dog eats it doesn’t mean it can be converted to something their bodies can use. There is some pretty nasty stuff on the market, filled with soy, corn, cheap vitamins and minerals that are basically nutritionally unavailable

Proper socialization. Most dogs at shelters are there because the people failed to socialize and gently teach their dogs which behaviors are appropriate and which are inappropriate. Then , they turn their dogs into the shelter and say the dog has no manners! They turn in dogs that jump on people, don’t walk on a leash without pulling hard, dogs that are shy because they haven’t been around people and different places. Dogs that are aggressive with other dogs and cats because they haven’t been taken out and properly learned to meet and greet other animals. Dogs that don’t know how to sit, stay, lay down or come when called because they were never taken to puppy training class. Dogs that knew nothing because the family members were all doing something different to “train” the dog because they weren’t taught that consistency is the key. Some dogs are actually taught obedience through punishment rather than reward! Total lack of education on the part of the owners.

Getting your pets spayed and neutered is also a responsibility. Whether pure bred or not. A lot of people don’t neuter their purebred dogs thinking they will breed it and make some money. This practice is simply greedy, irresponsible and harmful to all animals. It more creates more unwanted dogs, more dogs in the shelters that end up being euthanized.

People that don’t spay their mixed breed dogs because they don’t want to spend the money on them shouldn’t have a dog. Here is a simple rule: If you can not afford to properly care for your dog, and that includes good food, spay or neuter, vaccinations, medical care when the lack of fencing allows them to be hit by a car – then don’t get a dog! Some people actually allow their females in heat to run loose, get bred with a male that is also running loose, then when there are puppies born, they either advertise “free puppies” or they simply dump the newborn puppies. What is wrong with people??

Giving away unwanted puppies or even adult dogs is a irresponsible act. You committed to the situation, deal with it. One may think they found good homes, but what they really got in many cases where another irresponsible home from someone who doesn’t realize the responsibility of pet ownership. Does one really think their free puppy will be properly fed, spayed or neutered or kept from being hit on the road? Another thing that people don’t know is there is a whole underground world of experimental laboratories and dog fighters actively looking for free and low cost puppies. A Rochester man and woman regularly advertise for wanting puppies. He says he gives them all of their shots and then places them in loving homes. It is widely suspected that these puppies actually are sold to labs to be used for experiments. This , and other people in this trade are very crafty and good at making themselves look like a family wanting a puppy. They even bring kids along with them to look real. Free dogs and puppies often end up as bait and practice for dog fighting rings. People “adopting” these dogs are masters at deception.

When a dog is suddenly unwanted or inconvenient, people often take the dogs out for a ride in the car and dump them, assuming that some kind person will come along and care for their dog. This is tragic and irresponsible. I have seen a lot of these dogs slaughtered on the roads, or shot by people who are afraid of them. Many, when picked up by the dog warden are then euthanised when no one claims them. It is rarely the idyllic end that people think their dog had.

Here is a favorite…. an ad in the paper that says “moving, can’t take dog”. If you know you rent, or you know your future is insecure, then don’t get a dog! If you have to move, then find a place where you can move with your dog, don’t just throw the dog out. What if the new place said “no kids” would you dump the kids? Hopefully not, but honestly, I wonder about a lot of people. If you have to move, you made the commitment, take your dog too.

If you know you have a large breed puppy, then expect the dog to be very large when it grows up. I have seen over and over again “the dog is too large, it has to go.” In Great Pyrenees Rescue, we see this a lot.

If you don’t have children yet, and decide when the baby comes along you will give the dog away because of myriad reasons, you should not get a dog! “New baby and the dog must go!” this is a common one for the dog rescues. Very irresponsible. Have some foresight folks.

If you live near a road, and most people do, have a fence or a tie out, or invisible fence and keep your dog off the road and away from the neighbors homes. It is your responsibility. The cost of a fence is far less costly in most cases than that initial vet visit when your dog is hit by a car.

There should not be a such thing as an “outside dog”. People actually chain their dogs to dog houses and there they stay. Out of sight and out of mind. Imagine being locked in a room for your entire life. Dogs are bred to be companions to man. To chain them out to a dog house away from the home and way from interaction with people is sentencing the dog to a life time of torture. I have seen dog houses at the farthest end of peoples property. The dogs are always chained out there, living their lives in solitary confinement and often in brutal weather conditions. They live like that and die like that, chained outside. If that is how you intend to keep your dog, then why not just get a stone dog statue to look at instead? There are groups that bring awareness to dogs chained like this. If you know of a dog chained out, and you have Internet access (and I know you do!) a simple search will reveal groups in your area that can help.

There are many more examples of irresponsible pet ownership, and if you would like to comment on this blog and post your “pet peaves” I will gladly post them.

Taking Chances on Internet Rescues

A year and a half ago, a fellow “Great Pyrenees person” sent me a picture of a Pyr in a shelter in Kentucky. New to Pyrs, and totally in love with them, I was obviously a clear target :0) This particular Pyr was probably featured on a internet group list . He had been surrendered for the third time to a shelter and was likely slated for euthanasia shortly as his time had run out. I saw a rather unflattering picture of him, and decided that if transport could be arranged from Kentucky, that I would take and foster this Pyr until a good home could be found. A week later at 1:30 am, the transport had arrived and I made the 25 minute ride to the meeting point. A tired couple loaded a cooperative Pyr, and a funny looking Mexican Hairless dog that had missed his connection, into my car. I talked to the dogs all the way home, and was impressed with what a good listener the Pyr, named “Bear” was. The Mexican hairless, on the other hand, was quite vocal and not a good listener at all. When we got home I settled in the Mexican Hairless dog and decided to take “Bear”, the Pyr for a walk to stretch his legs out after his very long trip from Kentucky to Virginia to New Hampshire to New York. I was impressed with Bear’s gentle, intelligent demeanor and his willingness to make the best of any situation. We had a fun walk and I found myself thinking about ways to fit him into the family. As you can probably guess, Bear is now a permanent member of my family. We have, in fact turned down quite a few offers of homes for him, and even a tidy amount of money from people who saw in him as the “perfect dog” . When people come to see other dogs that I am trying to place, I now have to hide Bear because once they see Bear, they want him or a dog just like him and the other dogs suddenly seem less desirable. He is the perfect combination of intelligent, fun, protector and companion. When I look back I can’t help but marvel at the way he came to me. A picture on the internet and a plea. Who would have thought that this magnificent animal ever could have been in such a place in his life? I guess the moral of the story is that if Bear could have been there, there surely must be others just like him out there too, needing someone to just say “Yes” and take a chance. In return, there is is much that they give us.

Check out Bears pictures in our photo gallery from the list on the left.

A new group that will help you find the perfect Great Pyrenees dog for you has recently been formed. It is the National Great Pyrenees Rescue. They will have a web site up and running soon and I will have a permanent link to their page on my blog as well as my website shortly.

Trapper Sets traps in a field and then stops checking them

A woman walking her dogs noticed a beautiful Red fox in a field seemingly held to the ground, unable to escape. When she observed him, he was frantic and had worn a wide circle of blood in the snow and dirt below as he struggled for hours, unable to free himself from the painful jaws that held his foot. This was a far cry from “sleeping peacefully” like the trappers tell us animals do when held in a trap. His mate had also worn a path in the snow as she paced nervously, wondering why her handsome mate couldn’t continue loping along with her, stopping occasionally to hunt for rodents.

Set like a mine field, the area behind the church is full of traps like this. The trapper set the traps there without permission, and when he had his fill of killing and skinning his catches, he just abandoned the area- leaving his traps behind, still set. The pile of skinned foxes and other dead wildlife in the corner of the field is proof of his selfishness and lack of compassion. These are large traps, suited for catching coyotes. A trap like this will destroy the foot of any animal that steps into it. Fortunately though, for every man lacking compassion for animals there are at least 10 people that do care and will try to undo the damage that this one person caused.

We worked quickly to arrive at the scene and secure the fox so that he couldn’t cause more damage to his foot by pulling and struggling. Unable to free the foxes foot from the frozen, rusty metal, others ran to a hardware store for a heavy duty wire cutter to cut the chain to the stake. Phone calls were made to the local SPCA Wildlife Center to prepare them and their wonderful vet for the patient soon to arrive. By the time we arrived, they were ready for us. Tools had to be located to open the device on the foxes foot. Everyone recoiled at the sight of the trap and the damage it had done to this beautiful fox. At last the foot was free but irreparably damaged. There was a lot of dirt and debris in the wound and infection was a risk. The veterinarian, assisted by many caring individuals, got right to work cleaning the foot, shaving it and preparing the fox for surgical amputation of three of his toes. It was wonderful to assist and watch this skillful and compassionate team help an animal that had been hurt so badly by one selfish trapper. Many folks that were watching this event commented “I thought those things were outlawed- they still use things like this?” Meaning of course, that they were surprised that the practice of trapping still existed. Yes, unfortunately it does. No one makes much money on it, so one must wonder why so many animals have to suffer and die in vain? Surely we don’t need to wear fur still? It is vanity that makes some wear it. Most of the furs go to Russia and China. How can people kill our wildlife for a few bucks- beer, gas and cigarette money is all it amounts to. Isn’t our wildlife worth more than that? It is our wildlife too, and we don’t want it trapped and killed like this for fur. Don’t believe the lousy excuses the trappers make for their cruel hobby- they aren’t controlling animal populations for us! They are creating imbalances. They don’t control wildlife diseases either – they are catching the healthy animals, not the sick ones. Coyote numbers rebound ten fold when members of a local population are killed by trapping and shooting. This creates larger numbers than ever. Don’t be fooled by the trapper cliche’s . There is no use for it and it only creates suffering, death and destruction for our wildlife. Be sure to check out the photo page of the fox and the injuries to his foot. The column on the left lists the different photo albums, click on the one that says “A Trap Injures a Red Fox” to see more photos. We will keep adding photos until the fox is released safely back into the wild to be with his mate. Clicking on the photos will enlarge them.

Fox Wood Rescues a Pot Bellied Pig

We are always up for a challenge, so when we heard about the Pot bellied piglet that had escaped from the Springville Auction, we sprung into action. The pig had been loose for three weeks and had already been very lucky that the weather was mild, but its luck would soon run out. It had been sleeping in a patch of woods at night and rooting for food in the cemetery by day. No one could catch it and it was wary from being chased.

I decided that a humane trap would be the best thing to try first. Three traps were set up in the area and baited with a trail of cookies. By the second day, we caught our little pig!

I have learned a lot about pigs, including how intelligent they are. We have been having fun getting to know this little guy, who is yet unnamed. More photos will follow, but for now, here are some photos taken of the little guy when he was “living in the wild…”

Merry Christmas to all!!

2006 Fox Wood Newsletter

Here is our annual Christmas letter in a pdf download. We can’t possibly put in the stories of all the animals that Fox Wood has helped this year, but you will get a good idea of what we do.

This time of year is considered “The Slow Season” for wildlife rehabilitators, mostly because people aren’t finding baby bunnies, baby birds, fawns, etc.. However, it is still a very busy time and an expensive time for us because a lot of animals are more actively searching for food, or excited because the breeding season is starting soon and they are getting hit by cars or shot. A lot of animals that are hit by cars are not killed, but suffer broken limbs or head injuries. Slow down when you see those eyes reflecting light on the side of the road.

Have a safe Holiday Season!

Check out the Fox Wood Newsletter, and enjoy!

Vote for Bear and Foofye!!!

“Foofye! Foofye! Foofye!” The crowd roars and there is thunderous applause as The Little Dog takes the stage, center field at SuperBowl 2007 for the half-time show!!!

Well, at least that is how we think it should be, but until her Big Break into show biz, Foofye would sure appreciate your votes for “Cutest Dog”

Please check out this dog contest and vote for “Bear” too, he’s our Great Pyrenees entered in the Working group (though we are not sure exactly how much actual work he’s been doing lately…) We rescued “Bear” in Fall of 2005 from a shelter in Kentucky where he was slated for euthanasia. What a shame it would have been if this magnificent dog had been killed. He has very heavy scarring on both of his front paws where he was held in coyote, possibly wolf traps for days. His left front paw was nearly severed. After being in three bad homes in Kentucky, “Bear” has found his forever home at Fox Wood , where he is gentle protector, guide and companion to us and our other dog rescues. You can vote for Bear by clicking on the link above for the Dog Show USA contest and clicking on Bear for a five star rating. Don’t forget, our Little Dog “Foofye” will be entering the “Cutest Face” category, so if you have a moment, check out Foofye in the “Cutest Dog” category. You will also enjoy checking out our photo gallery photos of Foofye too… :0) AND… If you go to http://contest.dogshowusa.com and do a search for “Foofye” we will bet money that our Little Dog is the Only “Foofye” out there!

Foofye: http://contest.dogshowusa.com/portal/dog/29771.html

Bear: http://contest.dogshowusa.com/portal/dog/29689.html

Thank you!!!

Deer and Car Collisions on the Rise

It is the second week in November, and it is getting colder. The deer and other wildlife are really starting to be more active at dusk and later. There are countless deer carcasses scattering the roads everywhere. Yet people are still driving the roads as though it is the middle of the afternoon. It gets darker earlier and there is reduced visibility of the peripheral areas of the road and unless deer are looking toward your car, you won’t see the reflection of their eyes. Deer are more likely to bound out into the road suddenly during the Fall rut – they are in a more excited state. For drivers that don’t slow down accordingly to accommodate the chance of a collision with a deer the odds are great that you will hit a deer, wound it, kill it and damage your vehicle as well. Locally, there has already been an early morning fatality this year of a young man speeding through a known deer crossing area. Roads that have trees close to the road on either side are especially risky to travel at a normal rate of speed. Slow down!

Traveling from my home to Rochester, the number of raccoons, opossums, skunks and deer that are slaughtered in the roads is staggering . People seem to be oblivious to the presence of wildlife and they aren’t watching for reflective eyes on the sides of the road, or other signs, such as movement up ahead. A lot of people mistakenly assume that an animal is smart enough to avoid their vehicle. Another mistake people make is not counting on another member of the species to be following in the one that just ran safely across the road. Deer and raccoons often travel in groups. In the summer, youngsters often travel with their litter mates and mothers. A good rule of thumb is, if you see one, there are probably more, so slow down and look!

Remember, most wildlife is most active between dusk and dawn- slow down, travel with caution.

A Fox Mystery

I received a year old female Red fox this summer that had been hit by a car. While looking her over for the first time, there were some things about her that were confusing. I noticed that she was very small – the size of a pup, yet when I looked at her teeth, they indicated a fox one year old. “Why is she so small?” I wondered. How did such a small inferior animal survive all of the coyotes in that area?

The pads of this fox were bleeding and oozing, as though she had never been on rough ground before.

Next, I noticed that she acted as though she could not see me, yet there was no apparent head or eye injury. Hmmm…. weird. Is this fox blind too? Her eyes did not look perfect, but I couldn’t explain exactly what was different.

There was a lump in her back , and her rescuer explained that she was lying in the road. Hit by a car of course. But, she was able to sit up and move her back legs, a good sign.

So, in to the vet for examination and x-rays we went.

X-Rays revealed a broken back, but since she was not paralyzed, we decided to give her a chance. Normally victims with broken backs are euthanized. But, I would be able to keep her very quiet and give the back a chance to heal.

Examining her sight, or lack of, we determined that she might be able to see a little, but we weren’t sure. I suspected that poor nutrition may be the cause of her blindness.

She only weighed 6 pounds – nearly half the weight that she should be, yet she wasn’t overly thin.

The bleeding raw pads were not a symptom of disease here, but rather being on turf that they had never felt before. Rough ground.

I have pieced together her story after much thought and investigation. The previous year a woman in that area had been turned in to the Conservation department for having a young wild Red fox pup. She of course lied when the officers asked her about it. She kept the fox hidden (no sunlight) and fed it all the wrong diet. Improper diet will definitely cause blindness, as well as inferior size, growth and development. By the next spring, this fox had become a nuisance rather than the novelty it once was and the woman decided to release it back into the wild.

Never been outdoors, her poor feet were cut up by the ground that was relatively rough compared to soft floors or carpeting. Blind or nearly so, she was unable to navigate oncoming vehicles. How did she avoid coyotes? I can only speculate that she avoided coyotes because she stayed close to houses, traveling mostly roads.

Why must people kidnap wildlife????? Every year I get countless calls about wildlife people “rescued”, yet only decided to find appropriate help for them when the animal was either dying or they found it suddenly inconvenient. Every year I get calls for fox pups, coyote pups, baby raccoons, fawns, baby skunks… all that people kidnapped from their mothers. Wildlife Rehabilitators can read through the lines pretty well and know when people are not telling us the whole story, or the truth. We can also compare the age of the babies with the story that is being told to us and make a fairly accurate assessment of whether the truth is being told or not. Fawns are a good one… I once had a father and son coaxed into turning in a fawn the boy had supposedly rescued from its dead mother as a newborn. He said he had it 2 days and had brought it home from the boy scout camp. If he had pulled the afterbirth off of it like he said, then why was the fawn clearly two WEEKS old?

What had happened was he concocted the story , remembering a popular video shown on animal shows of “freeway” a fawn that was delivered on the side of the road. He used this story to create his own fantastic story of heroics. What really happened was that he stumbled on the fawn in the woods, doing what it was supposed to be doing – lying very still where its’ mother had hidden it. Many adult have kidnapped fawns like this. A very selfish act. The bring them home, let their kids play with them , let their dogs sleep with them, and then when the fawn is dying – they decide to make some phone calls to get help.

Oh well… enough of that for a while.

About the Red fox female, we will call her Scarlet – guess what???? Her back has healed AND good and proper nutrition here at fox Wood has restored her vision! She is gaining size and weight and shares a pen with Roamy, a young fox I will write about at a later time. We will evaluate Scarlet in the Spring and see if she is fit for release at that time.

Open Season on Coyotes?

To implement an open season on coyotes to control their populations would be like trying to put out a fire with kerosene.

According to Coyote Biologist Robert Crabtree, widespread control increases immigration, reproduction and survival of remaining coyotes. Reduction causes coyote population structure to be remain in a colonizing state. This creates larger litters, higher pup survival rates and a general population skewed toward the younger, more inexperienced coyotes, which are usually the ones that prey on pets and livestock. Females with larger litters will need larger prey to feed them.

Sustained reduction of coyote numbers can only be accomplished if over 70% of the individuals are removed on a continual basis. This would be impossible, especially since not everyone sees coyotes as a problem. Many people see coyotes as essential to the balance of nature, free rodent control, and as scavengers that clean up weak or injured deer.

Thanks to coyotes, the turkey populations in New York are thriving. It is normal for a coyote to examine a turkey decoy or to be called in by a persistent turkey call – they are investigating an “abnormal bird”. The slow and weak are removed from the populations this way, thus saving the rest of the flock.

The only way coyote numbers will decrease is if we let them manage their own populations in response to available food. Studies show that when left alone, coyote numbers drop faster than when control efforts are implemented. Cars, owls, and angry neighbors cause far more domestic pet deaths than do coyotes. Let’s leave the coyotes alone and use common sense when it comes to letting our livestock and pets roam freely.

Killing Coyotes Not a Solution

I read a lot of complaining about coyotes from deer hunters that think coyotes are killing all their deer. Not so. One big reason that our deer are not in the woods is because they are in farmers fields eating crops and in suburban back yards eating ornamental shrubbery because the browse line is too high in the woods. The browse line is too high because of unnaturally high deer populations for many past years. Hunters wanted lots of deer and they got lots of deer for many years, and now must pay the price. Do you want more deer? Don’t shoot coyotes, plant food plots.

Coyotes are primarily rodent eaters. They will also scavenge the rich supply of deer carcasses produced by year round auto collisions and gun and arrow injuries sustained during hunting season. Small thin deer that can’t reach the browseline may also be taken by coyotes before or after they die – but these weak and injured deer are going to die anyway, something called compensatory mortality. Deer Biologist Ken Koerth is quoted in North American Whitetail Magazine April 2005 as saying “Coyotes normally can’t control deer numbers on their own”

If you want to control coyote numbers the last thing you want to do is hunt or trap coyotes. Billions of dollars, many years of history and biological studies show that coyotes respond to killing by increasing their populations. Killing them causes more females to breed in a territory, breeding females to produce larger litters and more viable pups. Studies also showed that when left alone, coyote numbers declined naturally on their own. It is the people hunting and trapping them that are creating higher coyote numbers. Trying to control coyotes by killing them is like trying to put out a fire with gasoline. Breaking down the social structure of a group of coyotes through the loss of a dominant male or female causes subordinate pairs to breed, where normally they would remain behaviorally sterile. More breeding pairs and breeding by younger members of the group create more and larger litters. Larger litters need larger prey (such as deer) to feed them.

As far as killing fawns, coyotes hunt primarily by movement. Fawns (and nesting turkeys!) stay absolutely still and quiet – this is their natural defense to predation. Any predator must literally stumble on them to get them. However, triplet fawns, ill fawns or those orphaned when the doe is hit by a car or shot with a nuisance permit will be taken because they walk about bleating. These fawns are doomed and is it necessarily bad if they are used by coyotes as food rather than rot on the ground?

Deer hunters , do you want more deer? Leave the coyotes alone. Plant a food plot.