Melba is 60 pounds of love. She's two years old and is a cross of a English bulldog and olde English bulldog. We’re looking for a family with experience caring for all the bully needs. Melba needs to be the only dog in the home.
To learn more about Melba, call the shelter at 860.354.1350
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The AWS Pet Thrift Store
AUGUST 8, 10 AM - 1 PM
EVERY 2ND SATURDAY OF THE MONTH THROUGH OCTOBER. PLEASE BE SURE TO WEAR YOUR MASK AND PRACTICE SOCIAL DISTANCING WHILE ON THE PROPERTY.
PROCEEDS HELP OUR RESCUED PETS.
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Pet Safety Alert: The Rising Dangers of Blue-Green Algae
Alarming reports have recently surfaced of blue-green algae intoxications in pets. Many pet parents don’t realize the severity of the threat these toxins pose to animals, and it’s easy to overlook. During this recent spike in blue-green algae cases, we want to make sure you have everything you need to know to keep pets safe.
What Is Blue-Green Algae and Why Is It Dangerous?
Blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) is most likely to thrive in bodies of fresh water when the weather is warm (over 75 degrees) and sunny. Algae intoxications happen more during the summer because weather conditions promote the growth of cyanobacteria. These organisms are incredibly toxic and are known to cause poisoning in dogs, cats, livestock, wildlife, birds, fish and even humans.
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How to Spot It
Water containing toxic algae blooms will often have the appearance of a pea-green paint or will appear as if there’s slime on the surface.
If certain wind conditions are present, the film will often concentrate along the shoreline in areas where animals may drink or swim.
Symptoms of Intoxication
Dogs can develop poisoning when they drink from, or even simply swim in, contaminated water sources. If blue-green algae is ingested, it can cause severe neurologic or liver damage.
Signs of blue-green algae toxicity include:
- Seizures
- Panting
- Excessive drooling
- Respiratory failure
- Diarrhea
- Disorientation
- Vomiting
- Liver failure
- Ultimately death
If your dog begins to experience any of these symptoms, you should contact your veterinarian immediately.
Stay Alert!
Prevention is key when it comes to any pet toxin. Don’t allow your pets to drink from stagnant ponds, lakes or other bodies of water that have bluish-green scum on the surface or around the edges.
Blue-green algae cells can also stick to a pet’s fur and be ingested when they clean themselves, so take caution before allowing your pet to jump into a body of water and be sure to rinse your pet thoroughly with fresh water after going for a dip.
Many public health departments test water frequently in areas that are known to have outbreaks and will post signs when there is a problem—so vigilance is also important.
If you suspect that your pet ingested something potentially toxic, please call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435 immediately.
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As lock-downs ease, pet parents return to work, and kids get ready to return to school, animal rescue organizations around the world are worried they'll begin to see a rise in pets being surrendered or abandoned.
If your schedule is changing, make sure you allow time to adjust your pet's schedule too. Our pets have given us so much comfort during this trying time. Let's return the favor and ease them back into their old (or new) routine with reassurance and care.
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How to Prepare Your Dog to Be Left at Home Alone (Again)
Whether your dog is new or old, these tips will help ease its transition from lockdown to normal life.
By Jen A. Miller for the NY Times
Did you get a new dog during the coronavirus lockdown? Or has your long-time four-legged companion gotten used to having you home?
“Dogs are highly social, which is why we get along with them so well,” said
Patricia B. McConnell
, certified applied animal behaviorist and author of “The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs.” “If all the sudden, they go from ‘everybody home all the time’ to ‘nobody home all day long,’ it can lead to some serious behavioral problems.”
This can mean accidents in the house, chewing on the furniture when you are away, or worse.
Want to avoid that? Here’s how to transition to a new normal, for both of you.
Start Leaving
The members of your household probably haven’t left the house for an extended period of time for what, weeks? Months? The 17 years this quarantine has felt like? So, start transitioning as cities and states reopen by leaving a little bit at a time. But not for too long. Start “unbelievably slow,” said Dr. McConnell. Leave a handful of treats on the ground and, while the dog is eating them, “everybody walks out the door,” she said. Come back in five seconds. Next time, leave for 10 seconds, then walk to the mailbox and back, then take a longer walk or a long drive.
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Make sure you are mimicking the routine you’ll have when you go back to work: Get your wallet and keys, leave through the door you’ll go through. This way, the dog gets used to the cues that mean you are leaving — and coming back in through the same spot.
Give Your Dog a Safe Space
Make sure your dog is left in a safe space that it knows — and don’t lock it in a room that’s unfamiliar. That safe space might be a crate, though not all dogs like being in a crate. (My first dog, a Jack Russell terrier, loved her crate; the dog I have now, a cattle dog mix, couldn’t be bothered.) Other dogs are just fine being left to lie wherever in the house they want.
The best space for your dog may not be one with a view either, said
Sarah Wilson
, dog trainer and author of “My Smart Puppy: Fun, Effective and Easy Puppy Training,” especially if your dog barks a lot. “When they’re screaming out the window at everyone who’s going by, their brains are flooded with all of this confusing and upsetting brain chemistry, which doesn’t go away on its own instantly,” she said. “It’s not a game for them when they’re barking hysterically out the window.” If a crate doesn’t work for that dog, it may work to use a baby gate to keep it in a room it likes, but without access to a window.
Make a New Plan for Entertaining Your Dog
If your dog has gotten used to walks every four or five hours, what’s going to happen when that’s not an easy option? Can you come home to walk the dog? Will you hire a dog walker, or take your dog to a doggie daycare?
Dr. McConnell suggests you figure out how you’re going to engage your dogs’ brain if the level of physical exercise you are currently providing it is not an option. You can teach them new tricks, or try new walking routes, which engages their brains because dogs will work to analyze new smells.
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