Dogs! In the News!
Irma and Dogs
Hurricane Irma swept across Florida last week, forcing the largest evacuation in the history of the state. We left Miami Beach along with other city residents and headed north. But many animals weren’t so lucky, the storm left untold numbers of pets stranded and homeless. Miami-Dade Animal Services is trying to avoid euthanizing animals after the storm. Read more here.
Miami’s Chanel Ten News reports:
“The biggest impact has been seen in shelter population going up because as the storm was approaching, people aren’t adopting animals, rescue groups aren’t taking animals, but animals are coming in throughout those days,” said Alex Munoz, director of Miami-Dade Animal Services.
To help Miami-Dade Animal Services click here.
Royal Caribbean
One very Hurricane Irma bright note: Royal Caribbean, which is based in Miami, invited its employees to evacuate on one of its vessels. When the company’s Enchantment of the Seas pulled into port last Wednesday, there were some unexpected passengers along for the ride: several dozen dogs!
According to USA Today:
Miami-based Royal Caribbean on Friday used the 2,446-passenger ship to evacuate it employees and their families from the city as Hurricane Irma approached, and for some employees, family meant Rover, too. Pets normally aren’t allowed on Royal Caribbean ships. But this week, no one was complaining. In fact, the pooches got a taste of some of Royal Caribbean’s trademark pampering. Among other treats, the ship’s crew threw together a first-of-its-kind “yappy hour” for them and their owners.
To read more check out USA Today.
Hurricane Harvey
And it’s not just Hurricane Irma that’s causing problems for pets, the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey which struck Texas in August, continues to produce incredible tales of survival. Aol reports one story:
Some animals were the first to be evacuated by their owners. Others, however, were abandoned and left to ride out the 130 mph winds and rain on their own. Slowly, heartbreaking footage of these animals emerged on social media in an effort to draw attention to Texas’ plight. One of these viral shots included a dog, alone, carrying a bag of dog food in his mouth in the small town of Stinton, Texas. Amazed by the dog, who was unwilling to part with his food, Tiele Dockens took a photo of the scene and posted it to social media.
Don’t worry though, the dog, named Otis, wasn’t abandoned, he was just carrying his food with him as he wandered around the neighborhood!
The New York Post reports on dogs being taking from Houston, where Harvey hit to other parts of Texas and the county for adoption:
At least 100 homeless dogs that were awaiting adoption in San Antonio, Texas, shelters are being relocated to facilities in the northeast to free up space for animals displaced by Hurricane Harvey. The canines, ranging from puppies to older dogs, are slated to arrive at the Morristown Municipal Airport in New Jersey on Tuesday night before they’re transported over to St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center in Madison, NJ. While at St. Hubert’s, the dogs will be fed and cared for until they’re moved to one of 12 shelters in either in New Jersey, upstate New York, New Hampshire, Delaware or Canada, said Debra Miller of the St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center.
And in non-hurricane dog news…
New York is Getting its First Dog Cafe
New York is finally getting a dog-friendly cafe in the East Village. It’s going to be called Boris and Norton after the prospective proprietors’ dogs. The location of the cafe is minutes from our apartment in Manhattan!
One side of the cafe will serve food and drink to humans, the dog side will be walled off with plexiglass for the canines. NY Eater reports:
The wall is per guidelines set by the DOH, which allows the cafe side to serve food and beverages, while the other side of the wall will have space for dogs to run around. There’s also photo booth and a retail portion selling pet supplies. Human visitors will be allowed to move between the two spaces but dogs will only be allowed on their designated side. And yes, the dog-less are welcome, too.
The prospect of dog cafe makes me both happy and a bit annoyed. For several months I was contemplating pursuing such a venture. I even went so far as to consult chefs and an architect. I am bit put out someone beat me to the punch!
Most Dog Friendly City
The GoBankingRates website reports that Washington DC is the fourth-most expensive market for apartment rent, behind only San Francisco, San Jose and New York City… but… the District is also the most pet-friendly among big cities, with 44 percent of rental apartments allowing pets.
For more pet news from GoBankingRates, click here. They have some really interesting stuff there!
Sleeping with Fido
Once again we revisit the “things-all-dog-owners-already-know-but-now-study-confrims-it” department!
WebMD reports: the Mayo clinic just released a study saying that humans who sleep with their dogs don’t get a good night’s sleep.
Duh. Bodhi doesn’t ANYONE get a good night’s sleep. The beast stretches out… changes positions… and wakes at odd hours.
I love this description of the study:
The small study focused on 40 pet owners with a single dog in their bedroom. The researchers evaluated the amount of sleep and wake times over seven days. The study participants comprised mostly women (88 percent). The average age was approximately 44 years old. Humans wore an activity monitor on their wrist to detect both movement and light. They also kept a sleep diary. Dogs wore a “FitBark” activity monitor that detected movement only. Pet owners were not given access to their dog’s activity data so as to not affect the outcome.
But even more, I LOVE these conclusions: “Researchers concluded that a human’s sleep efficiency was higher and wakefulness after sleep began was lower when the dog was in the room, but not in the bed.”
and…
“The quality of the dog’s sleep did not change based on its location.”
The Tail: Walking and Chewing Gum at the Same Time? Try THIS One!
So, you think you’re accomplished because you can walk and chew gum at the same time? Let’s see if you can do this!
