90% of lost cats are never found. Coyotes and dogs and cars are dangers your outdoor cat faces every day. Neighbors get upset when loose cats spray their bushes and scratch their cars. Cats do not “run away” from home. If your cat is missing, immediately start looking for it at the shelter. Please don't wait a few days to see if it comes home. . The safest place for your cat is INDOORS. There are many available educational resources regarding crate training.

There are far too many animals without homes. Hundreds of kittens are be pouring into shelters, there are not enough homes. Please spay and neuter your pets today! ........By keeping a tag on your pets with your current phone numbers on it , you will get your pet home quicker if they get lost .......

THEFT ALERT

Every year many dogs are stolen out of backyards. Pit Bull fighters, puppy mill operators, flea market peddlers, and sale to laboratories for experimentation are just some of the factors. All sizes and breeds or mixes disappear. You can prevent this by locking your gates, and being aware of strangers walking between houses. Better yet, keep your pets inside. Microchip your pets. Report suspicious behavior to the police. If you think your animal is stolen, contact police immediately and file a report. In Texas, your animals are considered property, so you should report it just like you would if your vehicle or TV were stolen. Get a police report # and check back with them often for an updated status. Pet theft is a serious problem.

HELPFUL INFO

Take this questionaire to determine which breed or breed mix is right for your lifestyle. Click DOGS, then Select a Dog.

BEHAVIOR ISSUES

DOG ISSUES or CAT ISSUES

Actions to take against CRUELTY and How to Help an Animal

All that is necessary for evil to succeed is that good men do nothing. --Edmund Burke

I am only one, but I am still one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do. --Helen Keller

DID YOU KNOW???

CITIES BAN THE SALE OR GIVING AWAY OF ANIMALS TO PROTECT PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY. Incidents of people coming in contact with rabies carried by animals being displayed for sale or given away in parking lots or roadsides is just one of many reasons cities have banned this activity. Texas State Law requires that all animals four (4) months of age or older be vaccinated against rabies. From a citizen's/consumer's standpoint it is a very risky proposition to contact or take possession of an animal in this manner. No reputable breeder would try to sell an animal in this manner. Responsible, permanent, loving homes should be found prior to two animals being bred. A reputable breeder breds selectively, and seldom. What identifying information or references does one have from a stranger in a parking lot? Has genetic testing been done on the parents? What is the temperament and behavior history of the parents? What veterinary care has each of the parents received within the year prior to conception? The parents should have been vaccinated against rabies prior to conception. The peddler should be able to verify all health care with veterinary records. Puppies properly bred and cared-for by a reputable breeder DO NOT HAVE COCCIDIA, GIARDIA, FLEAS, TICKS, TAPEWORMS, HOOKWORMS, ROUNDWORMS, OR WHIPWORMS, as some breeders pass-off as being a common occurence. Each of these afflictions are caused by unsanitary conditions, and lack of care of the mother prior to conception and during pregnancy. VACCINES ARE CRUCIAL: Puppies should receive a puppy shot at three (3) weeks of age while still on mother's milk. They should receive a booster three (3) weeks after that, and another booster three (3) weeks after that. By the age of nine (9) weeks, the puppy should have had all three of the series of vaccinations to protect them from Distemper, Parvovirus, Parainfluenza, Hepatitis, Leptosporosis, and Coronavirus. If you are purchasing a puppy, veterinary records should come with the puppy verifying the series has been completed. For socialization and nutritional purposes, puppies should not be completely weaned and separated from mother till ten (10) weeks of age. Do not believe a peddler who tells you that their vet told them the pups were too young for vaccines. We have checked with every veterinarian in Burleson, and others in the surrounding area. Each one told us they have never advised other than the recommended series of vaccines at the appropriate age. The sad truth is that for these peddlers, money is their primary concern. Properly vaccinating would eat into their profits. Offering the puppies in a parking lot puts them at even greater risk for contracting diseases that are then brought into your home if you take one. Without a contract/written guarantee, and verifiable identification of the peddler, one has no recourse when things go wrong and they are faced with large vet bills, and the possibility of their new pet dying, and illness transmitted to animals already at home. Some people try to give away animals born of an untintentional pregnancy. From that standpoint, do you really know into whose hands you are placing that helpless creature? Some of the nicest seeming people could be Pit-Bull fighters who intend to use that puppy or kitten to bait a fighting dog. There are the reptile owners who prefer a free puppy or kitten to a rabbit they must pay for when feeding their exotic reptiles. There are those who will turn around and sell the animal to a laboratory. And there are those who will take the animal on impulse, not care for it properly, not spay or neuter it, and the cycle will be perpetuated. The spends whatever life it has in misery. Some folks will even give animals to children or teenagers. Anything to rid themselves of their "problem." The parents don't want the animal. In many cases they just open the gate and turn the animal loose, or dump it. It doesn't have to be this way. There are many low-cost and no-cost spay/neuter programs available. If one's animal goes into heat before one can get the animal in to be spayed, keep the animal in at all times. If the animal is a dog, walk it outside on a lead supervised at all times. Pregnancy is very preventable. Of the approximately 9 million dogs put to death each year in the United States, 2.25 million are purebred. Twenty percent of all purebred dogs will end up in a shelter at some point in their lives. There is a rescue group for every purebreed from Chihuahuas to Great Danes and everything in between. Including $2,500.00 (yes, you read it right, two thousand five hundred dollar) Coton du Tulears, $1,500 Fila Brasileros, and $1,200.00 English Bulldogs. If you must have a purebred, please consider a rescue. There are plenty available. Statistically for every 10 puppies born, one year after birth only 1 will still be in the home it was originally placed in, 5 will have been put into another home, and 4 will be in a shelter. In order for the cycle to be broken, and animal suffering and the continuous euthanizing of an ever-increasing number of innocent creatures to be brought to an end, everyone must participate in some way. One way citizens can help is when they see someone trying to sell or give an animal away in a parking lot or roadside, report it to the local authorities. One can get the non-emergency number by calling information. Get a description of the vehicle and license plate. If possible, get a description of the animals.