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6A Daily News – Saturday, April 28, 2012 healthPetsactivities & Animal Island: Are your animals TV critics? viewers' dogs, cats and even birds sitting in front of the TV and watching pet shows. The movement seems to fascinate them. Yet none of my own pets have ever even noticed the TV when it is on, even when I am appearing on TV and my voice is coming from it. My brother's springer spaniel, though, used to watch TV so intently that when the show changed or went to a commercial, he would get up and look behind the set as if to see where the characters had vanished to. I am curious what your pets do when the TV is on, and I welcome your comments and stories. ___ By MARC MORRONE Newsday (MCT) I have a whole stack of letters with photos of my use Wee-Wee Pads in the house. The puppy seems to have the correct idea. She runs right over to the pad when she has to go, but she does not like to walk to the center of the pad. She stays on the edge and, as a result, she does not always hit the pad every time. I have tried to pick her up and place her in the middle of the pad when she runs over to it, but she still backs right off it. Can you give me any other suggestions? A: I think you might be able to persuade her to go to the middle of the pad if you put a small, heavy rock or a paperweight in the middle of the pad scented with a few drops of perfume. When she runs to the pad to relieve herself, she will see the rock in the middle of it as a visual cue and then she will catch a whiff of the perfume. This will draw her right to the middle of the pad to sniff the rock more closely and then hopefully she will eliminate while she is there. Most animals are fascinated by the smell of perfume, and many zookeepers will dab it on random objects in the enclo- sures of wild animals to give them something to seek out and sniff as part of their environmental enrichment programs. ___ Q: I am trying to train my 6-month-old Yorkie to Q: I was just cleaning the area under my bushes and found a nest with four newborn bunnies in it. They were all covered up with hair and grass, so I covered them back up with it all and left it. Now it is six hours later, and I do not see the mother rabbit anywhere near the nest. Should I take the babies inside and bottle- feed them? Owners of 3-legged dogs learn to seize the day MILL VALLEY (MCT) — There was plenty of yip- yapping, tail-wagging fun going on in one particular park this month, and Sadie, Shelby and Dilly Two-Step didn't much care that they romped on three fast legs instead of four. All manner of purebred and mutt — sleek, fuzzy, tall and small — converged on Mill Valley Dog Park for the monthly meeting of the Northern California contin- gent of Tripawds, an online community for canine amputees and their owners. Cindy Sipple, of Dublin whose chocolate Labrador Ruby had her right front leg amputated in December, said, "They don't think, 'Boy, I wish I had that other leg that I used to have.' They're so much in the moment." MCT photo John Hollenbeck, center, of Orange County, takes a photo of dogs during the Tripawds annual three-legged dog party at the Mill Valley Dog Park in Mill Valley. Joanne Ferris of Sebastopol helps with the posing. Ralph Kanz, of Oakland who cares for three, three- legged German shepherds, said Northern California members of Tripawds, including many from the East Bay, began getting together in Mill Valley about three years ago. One couple traveled all the way from Southern Cal- ifornia for Saturday's event. Carla Ocfemia of San Fran- cisco prepared a cake for the dogs made from peanut but- ter, bananas and bacon. A few of the dogs — referred to as tripods by many own- ers — lost a limb due to a traumatic accident; but many more had a leg removed because of a can- cerous tumor. A: That is actually the worst thing that you can do for them. Mother rabbits never stay near their babies in broad daylight. They do not want to draw any atten- tion to them. Rabbit milk is very rich, and the babies do not need to be nursed as often as a dog would be nursing her puppies. The mother designs the nest with her thick fur that she pulls out to keep the babies warm. She will stay far away from them until dark. Then she will return to the nest to feed and care for the babies when she is certain nobody is about and watching out for her. The only time a baby would be in need of care by humans is if the nest was destroyed by a dog or if the babies were carried away from the nest and you can no longer locate it. In these cases, the babies must be taken to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Bottle-feeding orphaned bunnies is a hard job, and must be left to professionals. ___ diagnosed with osteosarco- ma in 2006 and had to have his left front leg amputated. Agredano said she and her husband, Jim, created a blog to chronicle their expe- rience dealing with Jerry's cancer. Agredano said that when readers of the blog began asking them medical questions they couldn't answer, they added a discus- sion forum to the website in 2007. "All of a sudden people from all over the world started finding our site," she said. "Nature" program. sergeant with the Orange County Sheriff's Depart- ment, said, when his dog Max had his leg amputated because of cancer, "It felt like we were the only peo- ple in the world who had this problem. Then my wife happened to find the forum online, and it was a lifesaver for us." John Hollenbeck, a cer." Karen Riley, of Liver- more whose three-legged pug, Maggie, died of cancer two years ago, said one of the things that Tripawds does best is help people decide whether to amputate or euthanize. Jim Nelson and Rene Agredano created Tri- pawds.com after their Ger- man shepherd, Jerry, was MADISON, Wis. (MCT) — Though she probably wouldn't mention this on her business card, Liz Perry is a chicken matchmaker. Nelson and Agredano sold their business and house in Eureka and trav- eled the country in a recre- ational vehicle with Jerry until he died in 2008. Their story was included in a doc- umentary titled "Why We Love Cats and Dogs," which was aired on PBS's Max died 15 months after losing his leg. Hollen- beck no longer owns a tri- pod; but he continues to stay in touch with the people he has met through Tripawds. "These people are our friends," Hollenbeck said. "We talk to them online. We know these people a lot bet- ter than we know a lot of people we live near — because you go through such an experience trying to get your dog through can- Agredano said, "For a lot of people, it's a shock to see a tripod. What we do is we try to change their reaction from pity to amazement and get them to see these dogs don't care." Agredano said, "When you see these dogs getting along on three legs and not caring about anything except having a good time, it's a great reminder that we should all live our lives like that." Riley said, "On the web- site, we say: Be more dog. Appreciate every day that you have." Pet store owner hatches poultry adoption business One of the few, if only, people performing the wor- thy service in southern Wis- consin, Perry helps unwant- ed chickens find new homes — homes where they will be egg-producing pets and not end up in a casserole dish. anxiety, and we have a big problem because both my wife and I have had to take on second jobs. My vet prescribed medication, but I am not sure this is the correct thing to do. A: Dogs differ greatly in their abilities to tolerate isolation, and what works for one dog does not work for another. You may want to ask your vet to recom- mend a canine behaviorist to spend some time with you and your dog to go over the different methods of counter-conditioning and desensitization that have been developed over the years. I know this is hard right now with you working so Q: My dachshund suffers from severe separation many hours, but the problem will not go away by itself. The drug therapy your vet prescribed is helpful dur- ing the initial phases of treatment, but simply sedating the dog is not a solution and can provide the dog's keeper with a false sense of security without address- ing the underlying over-attachment problems your dog has. Spring into shape and bronze that bod at TFFC! • 1 month unlimited tanning Free with new membership. EFT • 1 month unlimited tanning only $25 • 3 month unlimited tanning only $60 • No enrolment fee on new EFT memberships Tanning specials limited to one per person Must be at least 18 years to tan Tehama Family Fitness Center www.tehamafamilyfitness.com 2498 South Main St Red Bluff 528-8656 chickens taking roost in cities and suburbs explodes, Perry — who owns two pet stores in Madison — has become the go-to foster mother for unwanted birds. She figures she's found homes for as many as 250 chickens in the last few years. She doesn't have a website nor does she adver- tise her urban chicken res- cue services, but people find her anyway, often by post- ing questions on the website madcitychickens.com. Shortly after she opened As the number of urban her first Nutzy Mutz & Crazy Catz store in Madi- son, customers started ask- ing Perry if she sold chicken feed. She didn't know Madi- son allowed residents to keep as many as four hens in their backyards. Realizing a business opportunity, she began stocking bags of feed. Then, when she and her with backyard chicken own- ers as well as those who wanted to get chickens. Soon, folks who no longer wanted their birds began contacting her. Maybe they ordered four chicks but five or six were delivered by mail, or maybe one of the hens turned out to be a rooster, which is not allowed by many city ordi- nances. She began getting calls from animal shelters to handle chickens that were surrendered or neglected by their owners. husband dropped off trash at a local dump, she saw a chicken running around the landfill. They took the ani- mal home, dubbed the new pet Consuela and were later featured in the documentary "Mad City Chickens." She began networking MCT photo Finch, a rooster, stands on a chair while house- mate Midge licks her lips. an organic chicken farmer in Jefferson, Wis., that she finds homes for chickens. "He called and said 'I She once mentioned to have these girls I need to find homes for, or they'll wind up in the stew pot.' I said sure. He said 'I have 80.' I'm like — 80? But I found homes for all of them," Perry said. To folks who have no idea or don't care where their omelets or chicken Parmesan come from, it might seem strange that anyone would take such an interest in chickens who need new homes. But Perry points out that chickens make good pets, they're hearty, and they lay eggs every day. That's why so many urban dwellers are building chicken coops in their backyards. But invariably some P.E.T.S. 1st WALK YOUR BEST FRIEND Tehama County Animal Care Center 2nd 9:30 am to 11:00 am Saturday - May 5, 2012 1830 Walnut St, Red Bluff, CA 96080 Live Music by the Blackketter Brothers Band Annual Open House 10:00 am to 2:00 pm WIN Disneyland® Mutts & Meows Mercantile ~ Fabulous Food ~ Pup Tent Games for Kids ~ Pet Picassos Dog/Cat Training Tips ~~ Happy Faces Airbrush Tattoos ~ Information Booths Discounted Adoption Rates ~ Get "Frenched" at the Kissing Booth FREE ADMISSION FOR INFORMATION CALL: 530-527-8702 P.O. Box 1174, Red Bluff, CA 96080 EMAIL: rmcsc@cruzio.com One Day Park Hopper® Tickets Save $5 when you register for the Mutts Strutt BEFORE May 5th Registration includes Event T-Shirt and other goodies Registration - Adults- $25 - Child (17 & Younger) $20.00 Annual Mutts Struff owners tire of their flocks. "It's not unlike puppies. The chicks are super cute and fun, but then they grow up and people say: 'My kids aren't taking care of them anymore.' So they'll get dumped," Perry said. Jen Lynch and her hus- band, Scott, were one of the first families recruited by Perry to take in chickens. The Madison couple had talked about getting some chicks but hadn't pursued it until Perry asked them a few years ago to take in two chickens — Flicka and Ricka — featured in the "Mad City Chickens" movie. The Lynches are active in the local food movement and run a mobile wood-fire pizza company, La Fortuna Pizza, and wanted chickens for their eggs. Flicka and Ricka did lay eggs but they also quickly became mem- bers of the family. "They're hilarious and tame. Ours knew com- mands. One used to fall asleep in my daughter's lap. They performed antics for food they liked," said Jen Lynch. prospective chicken owners to ensure the birds will be pets and not Sunday dinner. But she's also realistic and knows that sometimes chickens eventually are slaughtered, particularly when they stop laying eggs. "I don't judge people who eat their chickens if they're running around and are free range," said Perry, who doesn't eat chicken, turkey or eggs. "If it's a chicken that came from a bad situation I will only find them a home where they're considered a pet." Perry carefully vets all Family Fun, Yarn, Demos 529-3298 Livestock Sale Hand Crafters Paradise Fiber/Wool & Guardian Fiber on the Foot May 5th 10th Annual , 9-5 +5 other events @ TDFG ALL NEW FACILITY Your One Stop Convenience Store ONE STOP 714 Walnut St., Red Bluff 5am to 11pm