One Sweet and Very Tired Cat

So long, everyone. A week of vacation is mine. And like this kitten, my tired body and mind need to be refreshed.

Mouse Patrol Unleashed This Weekend

If you've been thinking about adopting a kitten or cat from a shelter, this is a primo weekend. Faithful Friends, along with Petco stores, are hosting a Super Cat Adoption Weekend today through Sunday.

"All of our cats will be sporting our Mouse Patrol T-shirts," says Jane Pierantozzi, executive director of the no-kill shelter on Germay Drive near Wilmington.

That's Jasper, a 2- to 3-year-old domestic short-hair, modeling one of the shirts. "He went with a small because he's hoping to lose weight," one of the volunteers says. (Join the club, Jasper.)

Jasper was a stray who has adjusted quite well to indoor life at the shelter. He wanders the place, stealing a peanut butter & jelly sandwich from Pierantozzi's desk, flopping on the floor for belly rubs or meowing for even more human attention. "He's got a lot of personality," Pierantozzi says.

So do the other Mouse Patrol cats up for adoption. Pierantozzi plans to have 15 kittens and cats at the Petco locations, and a like number at the shelter. All have their vaccinations, have been spayed or neutered, and have microchips. They're ready to go.

Adoption prices are: $50 for a cat 5 years or older; $60 for an adult age 1 to 4; $85 for a kitten age 7 months to 1 year; and $100 for a kitten up to age 6 months. There also are discounts for adopting more than one.

Win Cody on DelawareMoms

How's this for cross-promotion: You can win Cody, the surfing penguin and the star of the movie "Surf's Up," on our sister Web site, http://www.delawaremoms.com/. Here's how:

Visit the contest category on DelawareMoms. To enter, you'll have to register on the site, but that's simple and your user name can be anything you want. If you win, we'll private message you about collecting your prize.

Tell us in 50 words or less why your home would be the perfect summer (and the rest of the year, too) hangout for Cody -- a talking and surfing penguin from Build-A-Bear decked out in stylin' beach gear. May the most creative and imaginative reason win. (You might want to get your kids to help with the entry.) Enter by July 2.

Why Every Fire Company Has a Pet Oxygen Mask

Remember when the Wilmington Kennel Club donated pet masks to all of the fire departments in New Castle County? That covered upstate, and almost immediately -- in late May 2006 -- there was a benefit when the masks were used by the Minquadale Fire Company to save cats at a house fire.

Earlier this year, the Mispillion Kennel Club partner with the Cat Fanciers' Association to buy pet oxygen masks for every fire company in Kent and Sussex counties. That made Delaware the first state to have the specialized masks -- in small, medium and large -- in every fire station.

Those masks were used Tuesday when the Felton Community Fire Company was dispatched to a two-story house fire near Felton. Cheryl Costello of the Wilmington Kennel Club (that's her in the photo demonstrating the masks) shared this account from Tucker Dempsey, president of the Delaware State Fire Chiefs Association, about what happened next:

"After the fire was knocked down, an unconscious dog was located inside the home. It was covered in soot and barely breathing. Firefighter/EMT Glenn Whitt attempted to revive the pet with a special pet oxygen mask that had been donated recently by the Mispillion Kennel Club" and the Cat Fanciers' Association.

The dog was revived and taken to a vet, but its injuries were too severe and it had to be put too sleep. It's a sad ending, but the dog wouldn't even have had that chance without a pet oxygen mask.

The new goal is to get a set of pet oxygen masks on every firetruck and emergency responder vehicle in Delaware through a program called Adopt-a-Truck. If you're interested in adopting a station or company, or firetruck or emergency vehicle, call Phyllis Roby at 945-6634 or e-mail her at saveourpets@yahoo.com

The Great Iguana Invasion of 2007

On southwest Florida's Gasparilla Island -- vacation hot spot for the Bush clan and home fix-it guru Bob Villa -- the iguanas have invaded.

The population of black spiny-tailed lizards, which can reach 4 feet in length, has exploded from 2,000 to 10,000 in the past five years. That's more than 10 for every year-round resident.

Blame it on a boat captain from the '70s who brought some home from Mexico for his kids. When they grew too big, they were released. With females able to lay as many as 75 eggs per year, you can see why the problem grew so fast.

The reptiles eat people's gardens, threaten beach dunes with their burrows, eat the eggs of gopher tortoises and can carry salmonella. Plus, they look creepy. All in all, not a favorite island guest.

Now, Lee County has authorized a tax to study how to get rid of the lizards. The most likely solutions: Teaching residents how to trap the reptiles, destroying their burrows and eradicating the eggs.

Good luck.

Photo of the Day

Lolita Varites of Newark encountered technical troubles uploading this photo to delawareonline, so I thought I'd give her a little boost on the blog for her persistence.

This is Maximus, who as can you see, is ready for the Fourth of July.

Here's your salute, oh patriotic Maximus. Enjoy our country's independence (and yours too)!

Happy Birthday, Delaware Humane!

Most people aren't that thrilled about reaching their 50th birthday, but for the Delaware Humane Association, it's a time of great celebration.

The year-long festivities continue from 5-8 p.m. Tuesday with Happy Birthday Yappy Hour on the shelter's grounds. Patrick Carroll, the humane association's director of development, says more than 100 dogs already are signed up to attend. (Please bring leashes and well-behaved dogs.)

"It should be quite the crowd," Patrick says.

It wouldn't be a birthday party without cake for people and for dogs, burgers and music. And games, too. Whiskazz and Pawzz is organizing Canine games from 6-7 p.m.

Admission is free to the event at 701 A St., Wilmington. There will be a cash bar with beer and wine. (Now, that's my kind of party!) Parking will be on A Street, and Patrick hopes to have additional spaces at neighboring businesses parking lots, so be prepared to walk a bit. To RSVP, call 571-8171 ext. 301

2 Big Dogs Need Big Home

Meet Phoenix (left) and Phantom, two adoptees at Faithful Friends who need a home together.

Together, that's right. And that's a lot of room, a lot of dog food and a lot of love.

Jane Pierantozzi, executive director of the shelter near Wilmington, says the two have been raised together since they were puppies. "We take them to an adoption day event, and take them down separate aisles, they cry," she says.

Phoenix, the boxer, is more active than Phantom. She is spayed.

Phantom, the Doberman, is the laid-back one and is neutered.

Both are purebreds, both are housebroken and both were surrounded by and raised with children.

If you want to learn more about Phoenix and Phantom, or want to apply to adopt them, call or stop by Faithful Friends, 12-A Germay Drive, Wilmington, or 427-8514.

Dogs (and Their Owners) Out on the Town

Patrick Carroll, director of development at the Delaware Humane Association, sent me these great photos from the shelter's Take Your Dog To Dinner event on Monday at Conley Ward's Steakhouse on Wilmington's Riverfront.

One question: Where are all of the steaks for the dogs? Hmm.

I love the chocolate Lab in the top photo with the Doggles. Looks like everyone, including the dogs, had fun. If you were there, let us know what a good time you had.

True Patriot Winston Wins the Loofa Dog

Winston -- and his owner Brian Selander -- win the Uncle Sam Loofa dog for this entry submitted by Brian:

"After adopting Winston last fall, we learned he has the (enlarged) heart of a true patriot beating in his six-pound, half-blind, four-toothed, twelve-year old body.

"Winston is on the left in the picture. Satchel is in the middle and Teigan (who is camera shy) is on the right. We adopted Tieg and Satch together a few years ago."

Congratulations, Winston and Brian.

Photo of the Day

Talk about a dog's life.

Virginia Brechtel of Wilmington took in the Italian Festival on Sunday, and she wasn't alone. That's Emillio in her tote bag as captured by News Journal photographer Fred Comegys.

Emillio doesn't like walking in crowds, so he hopped in her tote, got comfortable and enjoyed the sights (and the smells) of the Italian Fest.

Life as a dog can be very, very good.

Hot Cars and Hotter Dogs

Today's first blast of sweltering summer heat is a good reminder about leaving your dog -- or any pet -- in a parked car: Don't do it.

Cheryl Costello of Newark and a member of the Wilmington Kennel Club sent us all this important e-mail alert:

"Moments ago, I just came from the Suburban Plaza on Elkton Road and someone had a BLACK Jeep 4x4 with only the back passenger windows halfway down (they don't go any further) - there was a black dog in the back behind a barrier - jumping around, barking and panting heavily - when I approached the vehicle you could feel the heat streaming out of the vehicle from the "open" windows........... I was in the process of taking down the DE License Plate number to go back into the store so they could make an announcement - when the owner - a young gal, came out - she had 2 small bags of groceries and as she approached I said " Is this your car?", she then explained she had only been in the store for a few minutes. I explained that it is not only too hot to leave the dog confined in the "way back" (not near the open windows) but it was too hot to even have the dog in the vehicle with the open windows and told her to feel the heat coming out.... she smiled, said thank you and drove merrily off...

"If she had not come when she did I was going to flag down the police officer that had just cruised by in front of the stores to assist in getting the dog out...

"AAAGGGGHHHH!!!"

Aaagggghhh is right. On a mild day, with temperatures in the 70s, the temperature inside a car can reach 110 to 120 degrees in 30 minutes. On a day like today with temperatures in the 90s, the temperature inside of a car can hit 160 degrees in minutes, especially if the car is parked in the sun.

What Happened to Spay and Neuter Fund?

Last year in Dover, legislators passed and Gov. Minner signed a bill to establish the Delaware Spay and Neuter Fund. The state put up $250,000 as starter money, and to build the fund, pet owners contribute $3 each time they take their dog or cat to their vet for a rabies shot. That's a lot of $3's.

The money is targeted to help low-income people and communities pay to get dogs and cats spayed or neutered. The idea is to reduce the number of cats and dogs that need to be euthanized by controlling the population before they breed.

So, what's happening? Word is that the state is in the second round of interviews for someone to oversee this program.

Why do we need it? From 2002 through 2005, the state euthanized 52,962 cats and dogs. That's 52,962 living and breathing creatures.

The next question is, when will the state start putting that fund into practice? When will we start saving the next 52,962 animals from euthanasia?

Who Is Smarter: Cat or Dog?

Starring Tiggy the cat and Wiggy the cat vs. Diddy the poodle. Tell me, why does the dog do all of the running around? Love it when the cat just hunkers down and says, "You're so not worth it."

Contest to Win Grand Old Loofa Dog

One of the biggest hits among dog toy lines has got to be Multipet's Loofa Dog series.

You've seen the original pastels, the Christmas versions with Santa, the Pilgrim, the graduate (in stores now) and the clerk at PetSmart across from Christiana Hospital said the store had three St. Patrick's Day-themed ones that flew out the door.

Now, in plenty of time for the Fourth of July, there's Uncle Sam Loofa ($5.99). This red-white-and-blue funky dog toy with squeaker is sure to bring out your pooch’s patriotic spirit. And if doesn't, remember it's alway good for scratching your back.

WIN UNCLE SAM LOOFA: Send e-mail to pets@delawareonline.com about why Uncle Sam Loofa should be yours, in 25 words or less. Be sure to include your name and a daytime phone number. Deadline is Friday. Best reason wins the patriotic pooch.

Words of Praise for Dalmatian Rescue

Tracey Lynn Corley of Ocean Grove, N.J., wrote to praise the Dalmatian Rescue of Delaware and Molly Paes who helps to runs it -- and to send photos of her adoptee, Chance aka Sir Chancelot. The rescue is featured in the May issue of Delaware Pets

"I adopted my Dal from Molly after I lost my two Dal girls, a month apart from each other," Tracey Lynn wrote. "Everyone at the rescue was great and the foster parents met me halfway (I live in NJ), to bring me Chance."

We Need Your Smiling Dog Photos!

We're working on a story for a future issue of Delaware Pets about whether dogs smile. To help illustrate the story, we'd like to run a page filled with smiling dogs' faces (it's OK for the owners or anyone else to be in the photos, too). That's where you come in.

To give you an idea of what we're looking for (above) that's Jake Kapcsos of Bethlehem, Pa., who attended Delaware Dog Fest in April with his happy dog Blitz, and Tiffany Banks of Newark with her smiling boxer Maxwell.

Please include your name and city or town, the dog's name and a daytime contact number in case we have any questions. E-mail your photos to pets@delawareonline.com

Solving Your Dog's Mystery Breeding

We've all had dogs that we've introduced to family and friends as "Petey, my All-American pooch" or "Brownie, our beloved mix of a mutt."

You pepper your vet for his or her ideas on lineage. My vet thought my shelter dog Petey was part Dalmatian, part terrier and part whippet, and all-world energetic. (She sure was.)

Now, you can use science to solve one of the pet world's great mysteries. MetaMorphix, a biotech company in Beltsville, Md. (near D.C.) can tell you your dog's breeding courtesy of a $65 DNA test (plus $6.95 S&H) called Canine Heritage. Just like a human DNA test, you swab the inside of the dog's cheek -- using a soft-bristled nylon brush in the dog's case -- and mail it in.

MetaMorphix tests for 38 identifiable breeds, and in four to six weeks, you get a certificate with the dog's primary and secondary breeds, and something called in the mix -- breeds that appear, but have the least influence on your dog's composition. To order a kit, call (800) 362-3644, or go online.

After that, all that's left is the bragging.

Michael Vick, Dog Fighting and Stupidity

I'm not sure who the bigger jerk is: Atlanta quarterback Michael Vick for having a home that was raided in a dog fighting investigation or Washington running back Clinton Portis for saying it's OK if Vick allowed the fighting to happen.

Dog fighting is a felony in 48 states, including Delaware and Virginia, where a police raid of Vick's home -- which he has since sold -- seized 66 dogs (one appears to the left), 55 of them pit bulls (some injured), and equipment that could be associated with dog fighting, including a "pry bar," which is used to pry a dog's jaws apart. To be fair, Vick is under investigation for his role, but no charges have been filed. He says a cousin lived at the home and he did not know he had a large kennel there.

But if you saw Sunday morning's report on ESPN, a police informant who has been extremely reliable in undercover dog fighting investigations, says he saw Vick in 2000 with one of his dogs in a fighting pit. The informant says Vick was betting big money on his dog, which lost its fight. The informant, whose identity was hidden and whose voice was altered, called Vick one of the "heavyweights" of dog fighting.

The Falcons -- Vick's NFL team -- says they drafted him in 2001, meaning the team can't discipline him for something he did before he was drafted.

Portis doesn't even have that as cover. "I don't know if he was fighting dogs or not," Portis said in a TV interview. "But it's his property; it's his dogs. If that's what he wants to do, do it."

Ah, Mr. Portis, dog fighting is illegal. I guess law school isn't in your future after you're finished in the NFL, which if you keep spouting stupid comments like that, might be sooner than you think.

Authorities in Virginia are deciding whether to bring charges against Vick for alleged animal cruelty and dogfighting at the house he formerly owned. Today, the NFL said it would make members of its security staff available to help with the investigation.

At some point, the NFL, Vick and, maybe even Portis, will have to admit just how horribly cruel and wrong dog fighting is to any right-thinking human.

Talk About a Sweet Treat

You know you can't feed your dog real chocolate, but no one ever said anything about fake stuff.

Multipet makes a sweet line of dog toys featuring Tootsie Roll, Dubble Bubble, Charms Blow Pop and Tootsie Roll Pop. The 6-inch Tootsie Roll with squeaker (left) is $4.99 at Concord Pet. We found it at the Chestnut Run location on Faulkland Road.

Let the canine good times roll.