Senate okays 1 year delay for spay/neuter license plate

The California Senate unanimously passed AB610 yesterday, a bill extending the chance that an animal-related specialty license plate will be made available. Sales of the Pet Lover’s license plate would help provide funding for spay and neuter programs in California.

To become a reality 7,500 plates must be pre-sold; to date around 4,000 of the $50 to $98 plates have been reserved and paid for. Santa Ana Democratic Assemblyman Jose Solorio’s AB610 bill would provide a 1-year extension for the plate’s presales. The bill will be heading to Governor Jerry Brown after some minor editing is done.

The bill is sponsored by the California Veterinary Medical Board; a CVMB spokesman said today that funds from the proposed plate’s sales would be available for municipal agencies that apply. The local agencies would then determine how best to distribute the funds within their community.

Any 501(c)3 nonprofit that administers spay and neuter services may be eligible to receive funds as well, generally when there are not municipal services for such available in the area.

Funding of spay and neuter programs is critical, supporters say, to address a massive pet overpopulation problem. More than 1 million pets are reported to enter California animal shelters each year and around half are ultimately euthanized, due in part to the lack of adopters.

Pet overpopulation is particularly a hot-button issue this time of year, when “kitten season” has just begun filling shelters with the end results of unspayed animals. According to Nikki Barnett of the City of Sacramento’s Front Street Shelter, 13 litters of kittens have ended up at the facility just within the last two weeks.

Cats as young as 4 months old can get pregnant and they can have up to 5 litters per year. In other words, all of one mother cat’s female kittens could be weaned and pregnant themselves by the time the mother delivers her second litter.

For more information about pre-buying a California Pet’s Lover’s License Plate click here. Donations to the 501(c)3 nonprofit fund can also be made on the site; people donating $25 or more can receive a Pet Lover’s Pack which includes 6 items made with the license plate’s artwork.

Teens facing felony charges for alleged cat killing

Residents of a South Sacramento neighborhood became concerned recently when the stray cats they had been feeding began to disappear. On Monday, two teenagers were charged with allegedly stabbing one of the cats multiple times until it died.

The male subjects, aged 14 and 16, were transported to juvenile hall after being arrested. Their names have not been released due to their ages.

Sacramento Police were contacted on Monday by a resident of the Greenridge Apartments on 47th Avenue stating that two juveniles were prowling around the complex wearing ski masks and hoodies. When officers arrived on the scene the suspects were carrying a box that appeared to have a number of knife punctures.

In the box, says Laura Peck of the Sacramento Police Department, the officers found the dead body of a cat with apparent knife wounds.

Peck says that the two teens were found to be carrying “multiple concealed knives”.

Each of the suspects is facing one count of felony animal cruelty, penal code 597, and an additional charge of penal code 12020(a)4 for procession of concealed weapons. The case has been referred to the office of the Sacramento District Attorney.

Residents of the apartment complex say they have been feeding the stray cats for a number of years and that the cats cause no problems and help keep rodents off the property.

When police were initially contacted, the complaint was not related to the cats at all, only to the  suspicious behavior and appearance of the suspects. It was while questioning the two males that officers discovered the dead cat in the box.

Sacramento Police and Animal Control officers have handled all too many disturbing animal cruelty investigations during 2011, including the case of Robert Deshields who was convicted recently for raping and attempting to strangle a 5-pound Chihuahua dog.

Convicted animal molester gets maximum sentence

A Sacramento man was in court today to learn his fate after a jury found him guilty of felony animal cruelty. Robert Edward De Shields was sentenced to 10 years in state prison and told to pay restitution and register as a sex offender.

Dispassionately stated, the basic fact is that Deshields was convicted by a jury of one count of felony animal cruelty and one related misdemeanor. But the details, consequences and emotional response to that fact go far beyond what is written on paper at the courthouse.

Deshields has been in a wheelchair for several years due to a degenerative health problem; however his history over the past 20 years in Sacramento is littered with crimes due to his equally deteriorated, or perhaps chronically ignored, sense of right and wrong.

The disturbing details of the current case are these. Deshields partially strangled and then anally raped a young, 5-pound Chihuahua dog named Shadow.

Deshields was renting a room in the garage of a local family that included two dogs and four children. One of the family members alerted authorities after finding Shadow with Deshields, unmoving and in shock and obvious pain.

Witnesses say that he had previously been observed with one of the family dogs under the bed covers between his legs and also sitting naked with a dog in his lap.

Shadow suffered severe injuries to his rectum and internal organs which required surgery. While he is physically healed now, the effects of the emotional trauma still remain. He has been in foster care for 9 months and continues to be terrified around most people, particularly men.

The woman fostering Shadow says that he will likely have life-long effects of his treatment by Deshields; she feels that he may not ever “recover from what he suffered”.  This is similar to the long-term impact on children and adults who have been raped and violently assaulted.

In this case, Shadow only survived his physical injuries due to the swift actions of Sacramento Animal Control and the VCA Sacramento Veterinarian Referral Center.

Deshields’ defense attorney Jennifer Stoneburner argued that while animal cruelty was “bad”, he should not be labeled a sex offender or be forced to register as one. She expressed her belief that his actions were motivated only by loneliness; another factor she cited in the argument against sex offender registration was that the dog had not died as a result of the rape and choking.

Animal rescuers observing in the courtroom visibly reacted to the supposition that a sexual predator should only be counted as such if the victim dies, and that loneliness is a sufficient reason to accept aberrant, violent behavior.

A report from defense-hired psychologist Dr. Jeffrey E. Miller included many strongly negative statements, including that Deshields has “schizoid and antisocial personality traits” and is likely to always behave in an “irresponsible and sociopathic manner”.

That his attorney used this report in his defense – probably because of the few less derogatory statements included in it – is perhaps a clue to how little she had to back up her claims that he deserved more sympathy and less sentencing.

In the end Superior Court Judge Tadd Blizzard sentenced Deshields much more strongly than Stoneburner had wished.

The maximum sentence for the charge of animal cruelty is three years in prison, but Judge Blizzard added on one year for each of Deshields’ seven prior felony convictions for a total of ten years. Deshields will get a credit of 404 days for time already served while awaiting this trial and sentencing, and for “good work time”.

He will have to register as a sex offender wherever he goes and will have to wear a court-ordered GPS unit for the rest of his life.

Deshields must pay $2,000.00 restitution to the Sacramento County Animal Shelter’s nonprofit affiliate TEAM (Teaching Everyone Animals Matters) for the surgery performed on Shadow; additional monies must be paid to the County shelter itself for Shadow’s subsequent care and to the County jail and court for various legal costs.

Among the County volunteers and staff present at the sentencing was Paula Shimnoski, an 11-year veteran of the County animal shelter’s volunteer program.

“This feels so good” said Shimnoski, echoing the sentiments of other observers who had dared to hope for such a strong sentence.

Comments from this reporter – As an animal rescue volunteer and journalist covering family and animal issues, I hear all too often about people treating children, adults and animals in cruel and inhumane ways. I believe that as a society we begin to feel less connected to these crimes as the number of reports of such violence escalates; in order to emotionally survive we must become a bit less reactive to them.

Occasionally however, a situation is so perverse that it reaches in to sicken and outrage even the numbest of hearts. Robert Deshields’ actions towards a small, defenseless dog is one such disturbing example of this.

Those of us observing at the sentencing broke into weary smiles and silent applause as Deshields was taken away to prison in handcuffs. The ruling by this fair-minded judge was a welcome gift, as were the exhaustive efforts of Deputy District Attorney Hilary Bagley-Franzoia. Sacramento County Animal Control Officer Rueben Hernandez is to be commended for his tireless work seeing this case from start to finish.

While there will likely continue to be disturbed individuals who commit crimes against the small and the helpless, we in this small corner of Sacramento are very grateful to have so many talented, motivated people working on the “side of the angels”.

I welcome your comments and responses to this case.

County shelter tells how to get what you want in life

As of this morning, the Sacramento County animal shelter is caring for 368 animals, including cats, dogs, rabbits, horses, chickens and more. Although some are sick, injured or otherwise not ready for adoption, there are plenty of healthy, fixed and loving pets that need to find homes before their time runs out.

With so much to do and so little time to do it in, our lives can be very stressful these days. Sometimes it seems like there is no time to just get a little happiness for ourselves.

The County animal shelter wants to help you get what you want out of life, while helping some of the needy animals at the same time.

Multiple studies over the years have shown the emotional and physical benefits of pet ownership, and there is no better time than now to bring some fun and peace into your life.

There are plenty of dogs and cats available at the shelter that can do just that for you.

According to volunteer Barbara Bowen-Doty, there are especially plenty of cats available to meet your individual taste and interests.

Bowen-Doty says they have a declawed cat named Paws and several polydactyl felines; the latter have more than the five standard toes on their paws. Ernest Hemingway enjoyed polydactyl cats, and his estate still reportedly has 26 such animals living there.

The shelter has “many breed-specific cats like Siamese, Maine Coon, Russian Blue, Turkish Van, Turkish Angora, Bengal, just to name a few”, reports Bowen-Doty.

Check out the video to the left of this story to see just a few of the beautiful cats and kittens from the Sacramento County Animal Shelter that are currently looking for homes.

To learn more about the shelter, their pricing, gift shop and other services, visit www.saccountyshelter.net.

•    Sacramento County Animal Shelter
• 3839 Bradshaw Road, Sacramento
• Open Wednesday through Friday – 12:30 P.M. to 5:30 P.M.
• Open Saturday & Sunday – Noon to 4:30 P.M.

Barks or bites – changes to L.A. animal control law

For many dogs, barking is part of their job description; they bark to warn off intruders and to keep their human and animal family members safe. But spending a little too much time on the job can land the pet and their owner in the dog house, at least for some living in Southern California.

On Tuesday the Los Angeles City Council amended the city’s existing law about barking dogs. The original version, similar to statutes in Sacramento and other cities across the country, referred to “excessive barking” without explaining exactly how much is too much.

The amended version defines barking for ten minutes, or for 30 minutes during a three-hour period, to be excessive.

The first citation issued to the owner of an excessively barking dog in the city of L.A. now comes with a minimum penalty of $250.00; by the third citation the cost is up to a minimum of $1,000.00.

By contrast, L.A. County’s barking dog statute carries penalties for the owner of up to six months in jail on misdemeanor public nuisance charges.

Some complaints are true cases of disturbing the peace; other complaints appear to be made for the sole purpose of getting a disliked neighbor in trouble. Regardless, the complaint and resolution process requires a large amount of time on the part of an Animal Control Officer (ACO).

City of Sacramento Chief Animal Control Officer Dan Torres says that the staffing needed for such complaints locally is “a resource I don’t have”.

Torres leads a team of seven ACOs handling issues in the city, far below the 22 to 30 officers needed for the area according to a study done in 2000 by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).

The population of the city has grown by more than 60,000 residents since that determination was made.

Funding cut-backs have caused the low number of ACOs for the city, but the number of issues they need to handle has done nothing but grow.

Torres says that the most critical issue that City ACOs must respond to is dog or cat bites, due to the possibility of fatal rabies infections. Next are reports of “loose, aggressive strays at schools”, another immediate and serious safety concern.

Then there are sick and injured animals on the roadways, coyotes, raccoons and skunks in residential areas, potential abuse and cruelty cases, strays on the street, getting animals out of locked vehicles, transporting injured strays and wildlife for veterinary care, removing deceased animals and assisting the Police, Fire Department, Highway Patrol, SPCA and Sacramento County Animal Services with larger cases. Just to name a few.

Oh, and complaints about barking dogs. Many hours of an ACO’s time must be used for the investigation, follow-up and required paperwork of a barking dog complaint, particularly if an appeal is filed by the pet owner.

Each Sacramento City ACO is responsible for a specific area and each officer’s typical day starts with a list of 40-60 calls they must respond to. More issues and complaints come in throughout the day and night.

It is understandable then, why complaints about how much noise an animal is making had to be looked into after public health and safety issues are handled.

As of July 1, 2011 City complaints about barking dogs are routed to Sacramento Mediation Services; doing it in-house was simply a poor use of very limited resources.

Unless Los Angeles has a full contingent of Animal Control staff and a small number of issues to handle – which are highly unlikely – the newly amended barking dog law may not help solve any problems.

Click here for tips from the City of Sacramento Animal Shelter on how to help your dog bark less.

Talking dog makes shocking confession; Sacramento listens

During a packed press conference in California’s capitol city today, the world’s first English-speaking dog made a brief, direct and indisputable statement. Rupert Smithson, a handsome pooch of undetermined lineage, spoke firmly and without need for a microphone.

“I’m hungry”, said the reddish-brown canine, “and I expect that I will want to eat again tomorrow as well”.

California’s “First Dog” Sutter Brown stepped in to add his support; the Corgi manfully admitted that he also felt the urge to have food on a daily basis.

A petite Persian cat in a flowing white fur coat, dark sunglasses and jeweled collar joined  Smithson and Brown at the podium and faced the crowd defiantly.

“I have an eating disorder”, she said. “Trust me, if I don’t get food every single day I become disorderly in the extreme”.

Although none were asked, she left the podium insisting that she would not answer any further questions.

Upon her departure a stream of pets surged onto the stage in solidarity, confirming that they share the same addiction as Smithson. Despite failed attempts at rehabilitation, all of the animals admitted to craving and essentially requiring food every day of the year in order to survive.

Smithson announced that he was going to a 12-step meeting and left the audience in shocked silence.

Okay, so maybe a bit of the above reporting isn’t completely accurate. In the interest of full disclosure, the Persian’s sunglasses weren’t actually very dark and the press conference wasn’t really all that packed.

But those little fibs did get you to read this far, so please stick around for a moment more.

Real or not, the message of the press conference comes through loud and clear. Just like people, pets need food every day, no matter what the weather is like or how the economy is behaving.

The need for food, whether for children or kittens, has a way of leveling the playing field. As living beings we all need it, and as a community we can help each other get it.

In this community, pet owners needing a little assistance can turn to The Sacramento Pet Food Bank.

Also known as Titanic’s Pantry, the all-volunteer-run nonprofit has helped thousands of families get a portion of their pet’s monthly food at no charge. Without assistance from the Pantry, many would have been forced to surrender their pets to already overburdened animal shelters and rescue groups.

This Saturday there will be a special pet food drive for Titanic’s Pantry, hosted for the third year by the Sacramento Cat Hospital.

Donations of unopened and unexpired cat and dog food (both canned and dry), leashes, collars, cat litter, bedding, and other pet supplies will be gratefully accepted by volunteers at the event. Monetary donations are also welcome, as they can be used to purchase whatever items are most needed.

By the way, Rupert really is hungry every day and the Persian diva can be difficult even after being fed.

• Pet Food Drive for Titanic’s Pantry
• Saturday November 19, 2011
• 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.
• Sacramento Cat Hospital
• 4115 Manzanita Ave. Carmichael 95608
• For more information about the pet food drive, contact the Sacramento Cat Hospital at (916) 488-4161 or email info@sacramentocathospital.com.

City animal shelter gets a new leash on life

Municipal animal shelters often get the wrong end of the stick reputation-wise, while private shelters such as humane societies and SPCAs are viewed as the top dogs. Sacramento pet lovers, however, have many positive options in both public and private rescue groups.

The City of Sacramento Animal Shelter has recently undergone a facelift of sorts, although in this case no nips and tucks were made in the physical structure. Instead, and more importantly, management is overhauling the whole attitude of the place.

Acting Shelter Manager Gina Knepp has only been in that role since July 2011, but there have already been clear improvements in the shelter’s adoption rate, public image and services to the community.

A free rabies clinic in September brought a long line of customers to the City shelter even an hour before the gates opened. In addition to getting their rabies shots, many pets were licensed and microchipped at the event; these are important steps to getting an animal home safely if it gets lost.

In another example of thinking outside the box, twelve City shelter cats competed in a Jazzy Cats cat show in early October. The two-day show, a sanctioned event held for The International Cat Association (TICA), was attended by 1,000 people. The City cats won 50 awards against seasoned professional show cats, and all twelve cats have been adopted.

The City shelter manager, staff and volunteer have received international acclaim for the health and socialization of the cats that participated in the show. None of the twelve cats had received any special treatment or grooming before the show; they had simply received the same high quality care that the other City shelter cats get.

Click on the video on the left to see some of October’s fun events with the shelter.

Local television station Fox40 does a weekly segment with Knepp to highlight adoptable animals; prior management reportedly declined even positive attention from the media. In addition to increasing adoptions, being regularly featured on local television helps reach more people who may not have been familiar with the shelter previously.

Knepp worked with the Midtown Business Association and the Sacramento Youth Commission to coordinate October’s “Pooch Parade”. The entertaining dog costume contest raised funds for the shelter and helped introduce the City facility’s services to a new and appreciative crowd.

The day before Halloween, Knepp held the first open-house party that had been done at the shelter in a very long time. More than 300 people attended and 25 animals were adopted during the four-hour event.

Under Knepp’s leadership the City shelter found good homes for 183 animals in October; more than a 50% increase over the same period last year.

Having the right people involved proves that a municipal animal shelter truly can get a new leash on life. Woof.

Oak Park residents offered reward for conviction of dog mutilator

A small group of people went door to door in Oak Park yesterday afternoon, speaking with residents about a horrific act of violence that had been committed in their neighborhood.

Volunteers and staff from the City Of Sacramento Animal Care Services spread the word about the crime and about a $2,500.00 reward being offered for information leading to the conviction of the perpetrator.

In September the owners of a small, deaf Jack Russell Terrier mix named Geezie contacted the City shelter, saying that their dog was injured and needed help. When Animal Control officers came to the scene, what they found shocked even the most seasoned professionals.

What was done to Geezie was particularly cruel and perverse; the following is graphic in nature and may make some readers uncomfortable.

Someone had put the metal clip from a dog leash directly around the base of the dog’s penis; a veterinarian later determined that it must have been clipped there while the dog was mating with a female.

Neither Geezie nor the two female dogs owned by the couple were spayed or neutered.

By the time officers were contacted the clip appeared to have been there for hours; Geezie was in intense pain and was unable to walk. The owners relinquished their rights to the dog and he was immediately taken in for veterinary care.

Surgery, anesthesia and a power saw were required to remove the metal clip that was imbedded around the dog’s penis.

Geezie survived and was taken on Tuesday to a foster home that specializes in caring for special needs dogs. While his physical wounds are healing, it may take time before Geezie feels safe around humans again.

Studies have repeatedly shown a link between animal abuse and extreme violence towards children and adults.

“Abusing an animal is a way for a human to find power/joy/fulfillment through the torture of a victim they know cannot defend itself“, according to a 1997 study done by the Massachusetts SPCA and Northeastern University.

In a case as severe as this one, the concerns for public safety are great.

Red Rover, a non-profit rescue group, has put up the $2,500.00 reward.  Tips can be called in to City of Sacramento Animal Care Services at (916) 808-7387.

Doing the math for Black Cat Appreciation Day

Think for a moment – how many people do you know reasonably well in the Sacramento area? Then, how many do you know well enough to ask them to adopt a cat?

Simon has a wide circle of friends and close acquaintances, so he can name 50 people that he is close to. That’s great! His task for the day – convince each one of those 50 people to adopt a cat that is black (or black and white).

Simon knows that black cats are sleek and silky, playful, loving and a lot of fun at parties. Scientists have shown that they may even be less prone to certain serious health problems than cats of other hues.

Unfortunately it is extremely difficult to get black cats adopted, mainly due to ancient superstitions passed down from old wives and old sailors.

So Simon talks his friends into adopting. Success! By getting each of his friends to take one, there are 50 less cats in Sacramento that will have to be euthanized today. Problem solved.

Oh, wait.

More than 200 adoptable black cats are waiting at Sacramento rescues just today, according to Petfinder.com, the preeminent pet adoption site.

And those numbers do not include any black or black/white cats at the City of Sacramento Animal Shelter, the Sacramento County Animal Shelter or the Sacramento SPCA. Those places also probably have more than a few black cats waiting for homes today.

But let’s just focus on those 200+ cats on Petfinder. Do you think Simon could go back to his 50 friends and ask them to each adopt at least another three black cats? After all, everyone wants four or five cats of their own, right?

They all said yes? Simon truly has some GREAT friends. He can rest easy knowing that he has done an amazing, wonderful thing by helping 200 animals find permanent, loving homes.

But Simon can’t sleep; he keeps thinking about the uncounted number of black cats at the three big shelters. He also knows that more cats come to rescue groups every day, so the cages his friends emptied today will be full again within a day or two.

Simon loves black cats and it tears him up to know how many will die tomorrow, next week, and next year.

So Simon is going to help by spreading the word about tomorrow, which is Black Cat Appreciation Day. He’ll share with others his stories of frisky, silly, brave and brilliant felines who come dressed in black and in tuxedos.

He’ll share the attached video, which shows some of the many reasons to appreciate and love black cats.

Simon might also adopt a black cat or two for himself, and will make sure they are spayed or neutered. It won’t fix the problem overnight, but it is a start and is a wonderful way to bring joy to his life and to the life of an animal.

Senate bill – Should tenants amputate or cut out vocal cords?

You need a place to live that is safe and affordable. But would you rip out your dog’s vocal cords or amputate part of your cat’s feet in order to rent a place?

Some landlords require that tenants “devocalize” their dogs or declaw their cats before they will agree to rent to them. A bill prohibiting that practice, AB 2743, will be on the California Senate floor in Sacramento as early as today.

To read the text of the bill, click here.

The Paw Project, a non-profit animal group, is urging the public to call or write members of the Senate to voice their opinions before the vote is taken.

To see sample letters and to get contact information for the Senators, click here.

People who declaw their cats by choice often do so to prevent the animal from scratching the furniture; it is simply a matter of convenience for the owner.

To declaw a cat, a veterinarian has to surgically amputate the animal’s…

Continue reading and access links at http://tiny.cc/o2ie2

Senate reaches bipartisan compromise on pet and human food safety

Shouldn't their food be safe too?

There have been pet foods that killed cats and dogs, and vegetables that made people violently ill.

Food safety is serious business and the U.S. Senate announced today that they’re working together to improve it.

Although the House passed a food safety bill last year, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) Food Safety Modernization Act stalled before making it through the Senate.

A bipartisan committee today reached an agreement that sets the stage for the full Senate to take up the measure later this year.

The AP reports that the bill would give the FDA “the power to order a food recall rather than…

Continue reading at http://tiny.cc/3c8xq

Rescue a pet, go in debt? Update on California AB 2411

Assembly Bill 2411 aims to make pet insurance companies disclose pertinent information to consumers. The bill went up before the California State Senate’s Banking, Finance and Insurance Committee yesterday and was…

Continue reading at http://tiny.cc/lbf7x

Rescue a pet, go in debt? Pet insurance bill goes before key California Senate committee

The Humane Society of the United States reports that there were 171.4 million owned cats and dogs in America last year. The rising cost of vet care has made many California animal owners look to pet insurance to help cover veterinary services, and AB 2411 seeks to improve the insurance they get.

When you rescue an animal, shouldn’t you and the lucky new family member be entitled to a blissful, worry-free life? Sadly pets….

Continue reading at http://tiny.cc/6tsor

Pet lovers rally against potential closure of county shelter

Sacramento County budget woes may effectively end county animal shelter services when the Board of Supervisors makes their final cuts for the fiscal year beginning July 1st. Community members against the proposal rallied and addressed the Supervisors in a hearing yesterday.

Jennifer Fearing, the Humane Society of the United States’ chief economist and senior state director for California, led a rally of enthusiastic pet owners, animal shelter and rescue group volunteers, and representatives from the Sacramento SPCA and City Animal Control.

“We have to make them realize that we need more time to find solutions, that right now is not the time to cut this. Allow us another year to find more solutions”, Fearing told the crowd.

Read more here…

Declaw and the law – your input urgently needed before June 15

Some landlords require that tenants declaw their cats or devocalize their dogs before they can rent from them. The California Senate Judiciary committee is voting on Tuesday on a bill that prohibits that practice.

People that declaw their cats by choice often do so to prevent the animal from scratching the furniture. There is no conclusive evidence that the procedure is ever medically necessary; it is done solely for the convenience of the owners. The Humane Society of the United States offers suggestions on how to stop destructive clawing without surgery on their website.

Read more here…

Sacramento assembly member targets pet insurance companies

With the cost of pet medical care rising, many animal owners look to pet insurance to help limit their costs. The pet insurance industry is not currently regulated, and policies often leave pet owners confused about what is actually covered. Details regarding pre-existing conditions, deductibles, waiting periods and benefit schedules can be difficult to find, and can greatly impact the value a pet owner gets from the insurance. Read more here…