Once Again, Do NOT Give a Living Creature As a Gift

A little over a week away from the holidays of Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, I once again implore all of the people who read this: do NOT give a living creature as a present or gift!  This is my usual winter rave and rant....  Any pet - be it a puppy, kitten, bunny, rat, mouse, ferret, bird, spider, snake, iguana, frog, fish, pig, calf, dog, cat, pony or horse - needs a life-time of care and attention.  Care and attention and love.  All three of these things take time, patience, and (unfortunately) money.  There are vet visits, grooming, annual shots, food, treats, toys, collars, halters, cages, aquariums, terrariums, pasture and stalling to consider.
   If you have a good friend or lover that truly loves animals, give a donations in your friend's name to a no-kill shelter, a local Humane Society, or a local zoo.  There are all sorts of refuges around the country that accept donations in someone's name to "sponsor" a specific animal for a certain amount of time.  You can donate to dog and cat and horse and other rescue groups...
   I know a whole lot of people who pass a dog or cat, and say, "Oh, I wish I had one!"  That person usually does not have a pet for a good reason - their job takes them away from home frequently, they have to work odd or late hours, they don't have a "normal" schedule; or they have other commitments that take up their spare time.
   Remember that if you take an animal home, to your home, or someone else's home, as a gift, that you are ultimately responsible for the care of that animal for the rest of it's life.  Believe it, or not, but all creatures form some type of bond with their human care-givers.  Dogs form a pack, cats a clowder, rodents form colonies, and large animals form herds.  If you take a small animal away from it's family, YOU are now it's family and leader.
   If you really, terribly need to give a person a pet, tell them about your need to do so.  If they will accept the full responsibility this entails, then take them to an animal shelter, Humane Society, or rescue center, and let the person who will be the owner/guardian select the pet of their choice...
  Please do NOT give a breathing, living creature as a gift - ever - unless it's to yourself, and you have the time, love, money, and ability to care for it for it's lifetime.

Adopt a Cat - And Fires & Flooding

Cats continue to be available for free adoption at the Humane Society of Boulder Valley though the end of August.  Any cat, aged 6 months or older, is available for adoption at no charge from HSBV - they currently have 80 cats in residence.  These kitties have been spayed or neutered, have all their vaccinations, have been checked out by a licensed veterinarian, and are micro-chipped for identification.  All you have to do is add a loving home with plenty of fresh water and food.  Believe me, the felines will love you forever for saving them.  Not only does HSBV have a surfeit of cats, the Pikes Peak Region of the Human Society has 50 cats that were saved from a hoarder two months ago, that are also ready for adoption.  If you have the money, time, space, and love available, please give one of these cats a good, new, loving, for ever home.  The cats available for adoption at the Humane Society of Boulder Valley may be seen on-line at: http://www.boulderhumane.org/animals/adoption/adopt_cats   The 127 cats available from the Pikes Peak Region may be viewed at: http://www.hsppr.org/cats   I have adopted cats and kittens of all ages throughout my life, and I have to say that they have all given me much more than I have ever given them.

We just can't seem to escape from fires and flooding out here in the West.  In nine western states, there are 95 wildfires burning - and that doesn't include Texas.  California is leading in today's number game, with 20 active wildfires; Idaho comes in second, with 19; and Colorado and Arizona are tied for third with a dozen each.  Utah and Montana each have seven wildfires burning, while Nevada, New Mexico and Wyoming each have six fires raging.  It's amazing we don't go up in smoke.  According to the InciWeb, at noon today, there were 893,390 acres ablaze in these nine states - that equals 1,395.92 square miles....  That's more than the size of the state of Rhode Island (1,214 square miles), and a little over half of the size of the state of Delaware (2,490 square miles).  It's kind of frightening.
   And, now, of course, Colorado is getting the summer monsoon rains - which we really need, don't get me wrong.  But they seem to be falling over areas that have been burned by wildfires over the past 24 months; not long, light rain showers, but real possum pounders that consist of large, heavy rain drops that strike the ground like strafing bullets from a Fokker airplane.  The grass and small undergrowth is just starting to take hold and send their roots deep - this rain drills down into the soil and lifts everything out.  And I do mean everything - young plants, trees, ashes from previous burns, mud, soil, clay, downed limbs, any detritus that can float - it's amazing.  I'm sure you've seen the videos of the mudslides and flash floods in Manitou Springs - that's a heavily traveled area, and, as such, people are there to document the cars sliding away in rivers of mud.  It's just plain old amazing....

Please Do NOT Give A Pet as a Gift...

My cousin Sarah just brought up the fact that she is seeing a lot of advertisements trying to get people to purchase animals for another person as a Holiday gift. Both of us beg you NOT to do so.  A lot of people out there buy gifts for friends and acquaintances, and for those they would like to impress favorably.  The majority of people, and kids, in the world today want to choose their own pet. Kittens, puppies, baby bunnies, etc. all look cute and act cute when they are young, but they also entail a lot of work and money.  If you think someone would like a pet added to the family, first ask.  Second, propose to pay the adoption fee for any critter the giftee would like from any Humane Society, Rescue Group, or any animal aid society.  There are thousands of wonderful animals languishing in shelters around the world, and/or being euthanized on a daily basis because someone could no longer care for the, or no longer wanted them.  Many pets that are given as Holiday gifts - for Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, or Kwanzaa - end up at the animal shelter, on death row, for one reason or another.  And the reasons given are as numerous as the drops of water in all the oceans - someone in the household is allergic; food and/or veterinary care is too expensive; the new pet doesn't get along with older, established pets; the new owner says the new pet "just wasn't what he/she wanted;"  the puppy chews on things; the kitten climbs the curtains;  (I can continue ad infinitum) ....
Brand new pets are cute and cuddly and will usually be greeted with "ooohs" and "aaahs" of immediate appreciation.  Then reality sets in.  There are annual shots, spaying and neutering, training, licensing, food, kitty litter, toys, and all sorts of other expenses that raise their head.  If the new owner is conscientious, there is also the matter of time - one needs to bond with the new pet, and have the attachment grow.  With today's lifestyle, a lot of that is impossible.
Please, whatever you give as a Holiday gift, do NOT give a living creature.  Please ask the recipient prior to giving; and please adopt an animal from a shelter or rescue.  Don't be the cause of more suffering for the pets of our world!