ohmidog!

Given as I am about to meet some cloned dogs that are being trained to detect cancer in humans, I shouldn’t be so amazed by simple Internet technology that allows me to view and talk to my dog from the other side of the globe.

Yet I am.

Last night, or whatever time it was or is, there or here – I’ve lost all track — I hooked up with my dog via Skype, which I just recently signed up for and used for the first time.

It’s pretty comforting to see your dog and other significant others when you’re far way; it’s also a great way to confuse the dog, who when he hears me call his name or whistle, looks into the computer, than back at the front door, then at the computer again. I was able to get several confused head tilts out of him, and at one point almost got an overseas cyber lick.

He doesn’t quite get it, then again, until recently neither did I.

I won’t torment him like that again … well not too much. anyway, here’s my picture of Ace at home in Baltimore, taken by me in Seoul. Ain’t technology grand?

That’s it from Korea for now. Keep up the good work, Anne.

Coalition of animal welfare groups applauds North Carolina’s aggressive prosecution of dog fighting;
But protests planned mass euthanasia of canines seized,
including 60 puppies

A coalition of animal welfare groups has formed  to protest the court-order to kill all the 127 American Pit Bull Terriers—60 of them puppies—seized from the Wildside Kennels in Wilkesboro, N.C.

Led by Best Friends Animals Society, the coalition includes BAD RAP (Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pit Bulls), Animal Farm Foundation, Villa Lobos Rescue Center, and Downtown Dog Rescue.

Monday’s Wilkesboro Superior Court order announced by Judge Ed Wilson would put all of the dogs down after their owner, Ed Faron had been sentenced to jail for 8-10 months. The dogs were seized Dec. 10, 2008 during a raid on Faron’s Wildside Kennels.

Ledy VanKavage, an attorney for Best Friends Animal Society said, “With Faron’s conviction North Carolina’s law enforcement and judicial system sent a strong message that dog fighting will not be condoned in their state. We applaud their courage. Now, we ask them to show the same courage when it comes to innocent victims of dog fighting, the dogs themselves. We have ample evidence that the dogs from these situations should not be stereotyped and deserve an opportunity to be evaluated for potential adoptability.”

The coalition is urging North Carolina, and other states, to let go of old, discredited policies that assume all such dogs are inherently damaged or dangerous. The most publicized example are the rousing successes of the dogs seized from Michael Vick’s dog fighting operation: many of those dogs are now honored members of family, therapy dogs or making great strides with their rescue groups.

Best Friends is urging citizens to contact their state legislators to change North Carolina law and  delete the clause in the law that makes it possible for dogs harbored for fighting to automatically be deemed “dangerous” dogs.

“Dogs should be judged as individuals,” VanKavage said. “Their adoptability should be judged on their behavior and not their breed.”

“Our experience has shown that every custody case reveals highly adoptable individuals that do not reflect the tragic circumstances into which they were born. Without evaluations, these dogs are lost,” said Donna Reynolds Executive Director BAD RAP.
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If you’ve lived in Baltimore City, and especially in West Baltimore, you may have heard the jingle of harnesses and a familiar call from the street: “Watermelon! Strawberries! Fresh Peaches and Red Ripe Tomatoes!” It is the call of Baltimore’s fruit and vegetable peddlers, known here as “Arabbers.” (And that’s pronounced with a long “a.”) For more than a hundred years, these African-American entrepreneurs have brought the freshest produce into the streets of the city in colorful small carts drawn by sturdy horses.

A street Arabber cart

In the old days, when horses provided the major form of transport for both humans and their goods, there were small stables all over the city, and the Arabbers’ horses were housed with others. These stables were abolished one by one as the need for them vanished, until all the horses were housed in a single stable on Retreat Street. Two years ago, the city condemned that facility due to some pretty grave defects, and the horses found themselves without a home.

The horse community in Maryland responded in droves–everyone from private individuals to rescue groups to the Jockey Club–and the horses have been housed and cared for at tent stables located at the Bowie and Pimlico race tracks. Because the horses are draft animals, it would have been easy at that time to become suspicious, to think in terms of neglect or other bad practices. But it is pretty clear to even the most casual observer that the Arabbers are true horsemen and horsewomen who love and understand their animals and provide the best possible care for them. Many families have followed this trade for generations, their lives and well-being intertwined with those of their horses. Unfortunately, the distances between the temporary housing and the city meant that there were a lot fewer Arabbers plying their trade.

There have been a lot of dark times and confusion associated with all the moving around. There have been several false starts on building a new stable, and the city has pledged, withdrawn, and re-pledged its support. Only six teams–twenty horses and six drivers–now remain.

Thanks to a change of heart by the city and some creative thinking by one of our premier museums, the Arabbers and their horses are about to have a new base of operations, and it will be right in the heart of things. B&O Railroad Museum Director Courtney Wilson came forward to say that the museum has some 40 acres of land in Baltimore, much of it underutilized. A long-term lease has been signed, and construction is about to begin on a brand-new facility for the twenty remaining horses. They’ll be close to downtown, close to their traditional neighborhoods, and most importantly, they’ll remain a part of the culture of the city.

If you live in Baltimore and you hear that familiar call of “Watermelon! Strawberries…”, grab your wallet and head outside to purchase some fresh, delectable, and seasonal produce. You can buy an apple at the same time as a treat for the horse–neither he nor his human will mind a bit.

This morning I’d like to introduce Dr. Maggie Wood. Dr. Wood is a veterinarian with a lifelong interest in, and love of, the creatures who crawl and slither–reptiles and amphibians. When I thought about bringing some snakes to visit Ohmidog!, I immediately thought about Maggie, who has kindly answered a few questions:

Lucy, a ball python, was photographed by her owner/rescuer Mokele

Anne&Spencer: I’ve noticed that youngsters seem fascinated by reptiles and have a great attitude towards them–as long as they haven’t been pre-conditioned by their parents. What kinds of snakes make good pets for families with kids?

Dr. Wood: Many snakes can make good pets for older children.  That said, small children who have the tendency to put their hands and other things in their mouths shouldn’t handle reptiles unless very closely supervised since they can carry bacteria like Salmonella that can make people sick.  Make sure to wash your hands thoroughly after handling them.  If the snake is going to be a child’s pet, it would be best to get a species that stays fairly small and tends to be more laid back and easy to handle.  A ball python would be an example.  Snakes can be easier to care for than some of the other reptiles.

Anne&Spencer: Often, you see a snake living in an aquarium sort of arrangement with some sand, gravel, maybe a couple of rocks and a green plant, and that’s about it. Is that a suitable arrangement? What would go into creating the ideal snake condo?

Dr. Wood: The cage setup can be pretty simple as long as you have the right temperature and humidity.  Make sure the substrate is not something that the snake could ingest and have trouble digesting.  Snakes don’t tend to actively eat the substrate on their own (this can be a problem with some lizards though), but if you feed the snake in the cage it might eat some of the material by accident.  You just need something absorbent on the bottom of the cage that is easy to clean (newspaper is the simplest), a water bowl, a hide box, and something to climb on. You also need to look up the proper temperature and humidity for your species of snake, and you need thermometers and a humidity gauge in your enclosure to make sure you are doing a good job of providing the right environment.  There should be a mild variation in temperature range within the cage so that the snake can choose how warm it needs to be by moving around.  Heat can be provided in a variety of ways.  The overhead heat bulbs work well and are generally quite safe.  You can provide a day and night cycle by alternating between a “day bulb” and a “night bulb”.  If you have a large enclosure or a cool house, you will probably need to provide additional heat on the bottom of the cage. You do need to be careful with things like heating pads since they can overheat so you always want to buy a reputable brand and attach it to a temperature control device.  You should also test it by hand frequently by placing your hand on the cage bottom-if it’s too hot for you, it’s too hot for the snake.  I have seen bad burns from heating pads.  Hot rocks are not recommended since they only provide focal heat, and if a snake’s enclosure is cold it may wrap around this and get burned.  You can provide humidity with automatic or hand misting.  The enclosure could be as simple as an aquarium for a small snake all the way up to large elaborate enclosure for a larger snake.  Some people create a naturalistic environment which is great, as long as the enclosure is easy to clean and durable.

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