This page is dedicated to "Herbie" a long time and dedicated friend who went across the ranibow bridge after losing a battle with FIP.....feline infectous peritonitis.....

 Vicious dogs in the neighborhood.....

If Kern County Animal Control had to witness attacks by wandering dogs in order to take meaningful action, we may as well forget about it.  Especially if after we call them they don't even want to get out of their vehicle.....

More then 4.5 million Americans are bitten each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Thousands are mauled so badly, they require reconstructive surgery.

And closer to home, the threat of dog bites and loose dogs can affect perceptions of safety in your own neighborhood.  

While pitbulls are clearly a problem as biters, the high number of reported bites by the breed is also a function of its hugh popularity in most neighborhoods.....

With so many pitbulls in area households, its sure to skew the statistics upward.....

But there's also a tendency among some cultures to trian pitbulls to be aggressive.....

DOG BITES BY BREED (kern county) jan. 1, 2007 - sept. 14, 2009

Pitbull.....389

Mixbreed.....254

German Shepherd.....140

Chihuaua.....110

Labradore Retriever.....108

These are just a few reported bites.....How many go unreported.....

There are a few safety rules to restrain your pet.....

Keep him or her behind fences and on leash

Socialize your pet by taking it to the park.....obdedience classes or walks in your neighborhood and allow it to interact with other animals.....

Spay or neuter your pet.....

Supervise.....Any sign of snapping or growling at family members or strangers could be a sign your dog needs behavioral training.....

THESE PEOPLE ARE DOING A GREAT JOB.....

Pilots save shelter animals.....

Pilots N Paws got its start in Feb 2008.....A Knoxville, Tenn., pilot named Jon Wehrenberg had offered to fly his friend, from her home near Greenville, SC, down to Florida to pick up a dog she wanted to adopt from a rescue group.....Jon asked if there was a regular need for such services.....

The reply....."you have no idea of the need for this type of rescue....."  Rescue groups have long moved animal from high kill shelters around the country, but it usually invloves long, exhausing car trips.....

The Web site for Pilots N Paws now serves as a forum where shelters and rescue groups can hook up with pilots.....

680 pilots have already transported thousands of animals all over the country..... Many were plucked from death row at overpopulated, high kill shelters in southern states, where people are less likely to spay or neuter their pets.....

A rescue animal thats had a living hell for a life and now has a warm and loving home.....they look at you differently.....its just hard to explain.....

ON THE WEB.....

Pilots N Paws

www.pilotsnpaws.org/

MOM.....I'M HOME.....

Australian cat stray 2400 miles, then returns home.....

Hobart, Australia.....A cat named Clyde was reunited with his owner after a mysterious three-year odessy in which the long-haired Himalayan strayed 2400 miles into the Australin Outback....

The owner said she had given up hope of ever finding Clyde after he vanished when he was about a year old from her family home near Hobart City in Australis island state of Tasmania.....

A nurse found Clyde wandering at a hospital in the remote Queensland state town of Cloncurry and cared for him for four months before taking him to a local vet as she was leaving town and could not take Clyde with her.....

A vet traced Clydes owner from an identification microchip that was embedded under the cats skin.....

But no one has a clue how Clyde managed the 185 mile sea journey across the Bass Strait from Tasmania off mainland Australias southeast coast, and then about more than 2000 miles overland to Cloncurry, deep in the arid interior of the Outback.....

An animal transport company returned Clyde to Hobart for free.....

'ATTA BOY CLYDE.....

Its about time to put the keyboard to rest and go sit my rear-end on the couch for some serious tv watching.....

What a let down....."Homeward Bound Kittens" had no tricker treaters this year.....guess I'll have to eat all the candy myself.....well, somebody has to do it.....

Ya' all have a great rest of the day.....and a better tomorrow.....ttfn.....Reid and Debbie