For Pets Sake

THE FIRST EVER Irish Dancing Feis in Limerick which is organised under the auspices of An Comhdháil na Múinteoirí le Rincí Gaelacha Féile (An Comhdháil) takes place this September 2010 which is great news for dancing fans.

What’s great news for animal fans is that all the proceeds from Féile Rince Luimní will be donated to Irish Dogs for the Disabled.

For those of you who don’t already know, Irish Dogs for the Disabled is an organisation that helps people with disabilities to enjoy greater independence and a better quality of life and where possible help them into employment or education with the help of specially trained assistance dogs.

All Assistance Dogs are specifically trained to assist people with physical disabilities with their particular needs.

Assistance puppies are brought to long-term residential care areas, special needs facilities and hospitals as part of their training but like many other registered charities the Irish Dogs for the Disabled are totally dependent on commercial sponsorship and donations from the public which is why it is so great to see local events like this donating funds raised to such a worthy cause.

Meanwhile according to the organisers of this year’s feis because An Comhdháil is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, the McKenna School of Irish Dancing (Limerick and Clare) is particularly privileged to be hosting this historic event.

So to mark the occasion, a special ‘Cheese and Wine’ reception is being held on Thursday, May 20 at 7.30pm in the Woodcross Bar, Cratloe, Co. Clare.

Here organisers will reveal all the details of this year’s Feis and those of you who attend the reception will also be treated to a taste of what’s to come with a short display of Irish Dancing by students from the McKenna School.

FROM finding out what the weather is like in your area to finding where you parked your car there are millions of  mobile phone applications to choose from these days and now there’s one that can assist you in helping animals!

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has recently joined forces with Hot Frog creative to develop a cruelty-free shopping mobile application, which they’ve called the BNB (Be Nice to Bunnies) app.

Specially designed for pet lovers and gadget users, this new app has a searchable database which is updated regularly and detects animal friendly brands, manufacturers and products. This basically means that iPhone, iPad or iPod users can now use the BNB app to make informed decisions on buying everything from makeup, hair products, household cleaners to even dog treats and determine whether or not these thousands of companies are using animal testing.

Other features of this animal friendly app include the ability to check if products are vegan friendly and it also allows you to tag those companies or products that are animal friendly so you can make an animal friendly super shopping list.

Meanwhile following a long line of celebrity PETA supporters like Pamela Anderson, Eva Mendes and Khloe Kardashian, star of MTV’s series “The Hills,” Stephanie Pratt is the new face of the latest PETA campaign advertising the new application.

“Guinea pigs and rats and bunnies are being blinded, poisoned, and burned for useless experiments that are not needed,” Pratt said regarding her motivation to take part in the new campaign.

So for those of you interested the “Be Nice to Bunnies” app is now available to purchase from the iTunes for around 1.59 euro with PETA receiving a percentage of the purchased app’s profits from Hot Frog Creative.

Bonanza Table Quiz Thursday May 6

A Bonanza Table Quiz in aid of Limerick Animal Welfare takes place on Thursday May 6 in Bobby Byrnes Bar on O’Connell Avenue. Declan Sheppard with the help of Ed O’Neill, Helen Barry and Rachel Lyons will host the table quiz at 8:30pm. Teams of 4 people, €40 per team, finger food will be provided courtesy of Bobby’s Bar and there will small prizes on the night. All proceeds to Limerick Animal Welfare. If you would like to take part please contact Declan on 0862321560.

LAW Table Quiz Thursday May 13

Limerick Animal Welfare are holding their annual table quiz on Thursday May 13 at 7:30pm in the Best Western Pery’s Glentworth Hotel, Glentworth Street, Limerick. All monies raised will go directly to the Sanctuary Fund in Kilfinane. Great raffle prizes are also on offer. €10.00 a head with tables of four. Log onto www.limerickanimalwelfare.com for more details.

Flora Womens Mini Marathon June 7

The ISPCA are looking for runners/walkers to stand up for animals by participating  for them in the Flora Women’s Mini Marathon which takes place in Dublin on June 7 at 3pm this year. Just log onto www.ispca.ie for more details

Pet Expo at the RDS July 2 -July 4

Now in its fourth year, Pet Expo 2010 returns to the RDS, Dublin, as a three day consumer show open to the animal loving public featuring a wide variety of pets, pet products, service providers, entertainers, clubs and organisations that cater to pets.

THIS YEAR’S Pedigree adoption drive is well underway with a target of €100,000 set for this year’s campaign.

Every year the adoption drive strives to help re-homing centres nationwide who provide food, care and a safe haven for abandoned dogs who just want to be part of a loving family. Unfortunately these animal welfare organisations depend entirely on private donations in their bid to help unwanted pets as they receive absolutely no government funding.

This year’s adoption drive hopes to raise over €100,000 by making a donation for every single item purchased from the Pedigree range between April 1 and June 30 2010 and then donating the money raised to Irish dog charities.

According to Pedigree, this year’s campaign will also try to raise awareness of the wonderful work these centres do, encourage dog lovers to support their local centres and let people know about the thousands of abandoned dogs who are badly in need of a loving home.

Now in its third year, the Pedigree Adoption drive is attempting once again to raise awareness of animal welfare and most importantly to encourage Irish dog lovers to adopt a dog from their local shelter or welfare organisation when making the decision to add a dog to the family.

This year dog behavior specialist Cesar Millan who is best known for his hit television series Dog Whisperer on National Geographic Wild has now turned his attention to promoting the adoption of homeless dogs across Ireland as part of the Pedigree Adoption Drive.

“I am really excited to be supporting the Pedigree Adoption Drive campaign this year, promoting animal welfare is something that I am passionate about” he said. “In 2007 my wife Illusion and I founded the Millan Foundation, a non profit organisation dedicated to supporting the rescue, rehabilitation, and re-homing of abused and abandoned dogs.

Many wonderful dogs end up in animal shelters, not because they are bad or unlovable, but because their owners are just not able to care for them. We want to help by providing FREE “Your New Dog: First Day and Beyond” DVDs for dogs adopted in Ireland as part of the Pedigree Adoption Drive. By giving families adopting a new dog the basic understanding of dog psychology, so they will be able to work through problem behaviors with their new dog, instead of returning the dog to the shelter. I want to help dogs adopted from shelters become balanced, contributing members of the family, ensuring them a life-long home” he explains.

Last year, Pedigree and the dog lovers of Ireland raised €100,000 to help dog shelters across Ireland. Thanks to this generosity, dog destruction figures in Ireland are improving. Ten fewer dogs were abandoned and fourteen fewer dogs were put down in Ireland every day in 2008, the year that The Pedigree Adoption Drive was launched.

Cesar also points out that not that all dogs in re-homing centres are ‘problem’ dogs “Most have simply been neglected or abandoned” he explains. “Some are there because their owners, for one reason or another, have decided they can no longer look after them”.

However while it’s easy to make a snap decision when you see a dog in need of a home at an animal sanctuary it’s really important not to act lightly and really consider the decision to adopt. Pedigree recommend you take a look at their adoption test online at http://adopt.ie.pedigree.com to see if you’re ready to adopt a dog and give them the loving family they deserve.

AFTER receiving a letter from a reader who was concerned about a neighbour of hers who had taken it upon themselves to groom their own cat and noticed that they had cut the cats whiskers I decided this week to address the issue of cat grooming. The reader was right to be concerned as you should never ever cut a cats whiskers. A cat has twenty four whiskers which are three times thicker than it’s hair which are rooted very deep in the cat’s face on an area that is rich in nerves and blood vessels. They also have long tactile hairs on their cheeks and shorter ones on their chin and above their eyebrows and at the back of their front legs. What a lot of people don’t realise however is that far from being decorative, whiskers are in fact crucial to a cat as they use them for navigation, measuring distances and openings and also for indicating their moods. When they are angry or threatened a cat will pull back their whiskers or if they are happy they will be more relaxed and pushed forward.

Whiskers help your cat feel their way around and are extremely sensitive so much so that they can feel even the slightest change of direction in the wind! So the rule is never trim or even wash a cat’s whiskers, they will look after them themselves.

In fact when it comes to grooming, cats are the best ones to do the job. Cats are very clean and tidy animals and instinctively groom themselves regularly by licking themselves all over with their tongue. This removes excess hair and dead skin cells, tones their muscles and promotes better blood circulation as well as keeping their fur clean and soft.

However although your cat can groom itself you can still do your part in helping them stay well groomed. While many long hair cat owners will take their pet to a professional groomer, short hair cat owners can help out by brushing the cat with a soft bristle brush using gentle strokes in the direction of the coat, avoiding the eye and whisker area. This helps promote proper grooming and is also a great bonding experience but take it slowly with a cat who has never been brushed before as some cats simply don’t like it. By brushing your cat you may also recognise other problems that you may not ordinarily notice such as lumps or cuts that may need attention.

Incidentally according to Vet John Garrahy from the Treaty Veterinary clinic if a cat has stopped grooming itself altogether this actually means something is wrong.

The cat may be sick or in pain or suffering from conditions like feline dementia or arthritis and therefore not physically able to groom anymore. If you notice your cat has stopped grooming or is grooming less than before you should have them checked out at your local vet clinic and equally if they are over grooming themselves this may be a sign of neurotic behaviour that may need addressing.

Another area of cat grooming that should be checked with your local vet is their nails, it’s important to ask about the proper way to trim them as you don’t want to hurt them in the process.

A coalition of leading organisations representing dog welfare including Veterinary Ireland which is the representative body for vets along with the Irish Kennel Club and animal welfare groups including the ISPCA, DSPCA, Irish Blue Cross and Dogs Trust joined together recently to issue a statement welcoming the introduction of the Dog Breeding Bill which will lead to the safeguarding of key aspects of animal health and welfare.

The new legislation set up to clamp down on illegal puppy farms and allow inspectors to prosecute unscrupulous breeders who keep their animals in unhygienic conditions.

Joe Collins, President of Veterinary Ireland, says that his organisation has for many years been calling for legislation to control dog breeding, and especially the so-called “puppy farms”. According to Mr Collins, “Ireland has become known as the “puppy farm capital of Europe”, exporting tens of thousands of puppies annually to the United Kingdom and Europe, where the breeding of dogs is now well regulated. The unregulated Irish trade contributes to an animal welfare nightmare for the RSPCA and other dog charities in the UK.

Licensing and monitoring of the industry in Ireland is long overdue, to ensure that animal welfare standards are improved and to restore Ireland’s international reputation in this area”.

The legislation will limit its impact to breeders with six or more female dogs with breeding potential.  Individuals who breed a small number of dogs as a hobby or small enterprise will not come under the remit of the Bill.   “Additionally” states Mr Collins, “the new regulations will not be draconian, and those breeders who are already keeping dogs in reasonable living conditions, with adequate attention to the animals’ health and welfare needs, will have nothing to fear from their implementation”.

Sean Delmar, of the Irish Kennel Club also voiced his approval “the proposed legislation has been drafted following extensive consultation and submissions from all interested parties, including the large scale dog breeders. The Irish Kennel Club has always insisted on its members abiding by our code of ethics for breeding and we were happy to be part of the process which contains many of our proposals. We have made a few suggestions for minor adjustments to some of the detail in the bill, in the belief that these will strengthen the overall aim which is to improve animal welfare.”

Animal welfare groups like the ISPCA, DSPCA, Irish Blue Cross and Dogs Trust also recently issued their own commentary supporting the Dog Breeding legislation.

The main aim of the Breeding Establishments Bill is to regulate and safeguard the welfare of dogs and to protect the public and the group believes no organisation or group should be above regulation and inspection under the terms of the Bill and they are calling for the Government to stand firm on this issue to safeguard animal welfare.

WITH THE weather getting warmer and the evenings getting brighter everyone is looking forward to the Summer. However while your busy dusting off your BBQ’s and getting out the Summer wardrobe spare a thought for the helpless kittens who may end up suffering as Kitten Season begins.

Unfortunately the arrival of Kitten Season means that animal welfare organisations throughout the country will be inundated with homeless litters of kittens as cats who are not spayed give birth.

A combination of the warm weather and female cats reproduction cycles mean that female cats will go into heat attracting male cats from far and wide from now right up until October stretching the resources of all animal shelters.

The kittens aren’t the only ones to suffer however as the adult cats looking for new homes will find themselves overlooked with an abundance of cute kittens suddenly available. This over supply of kittens also increases the incidence of feline illnesses and death.

So it is at this time of year more than ever that animal organisations are urging the public to remember that the best way to reduce the problem of unwanted cats is to spay or neuter yours to prevent thousands of unwanted cats flooding animal shelters in Ireland.

Meanwhile if you happen to come across a stray cat and her kittens in your area, while you might think you are doing the kittens a favour by rescuing them, nothing could be further from the truth. The fact is these little helpless kittens need their mothers to survive so DO NOT separate them from her. Sadly sometimes a well meaning member of the public thinks they’re doing a good deed by bringing a litter of unwanted kittens to a shelter because they’ve think the kittens have been abandoned by the mother when in fact she is actually off looking for food or is trying to keep humans and other unwelcome prey away from her nest area. By all means give them food and shelter until they can be rescued but always keep them together and then ring your local animal shelter to report any abandoned family of cats. If however the mother and her kittens hiss and warn you off, then it’s likely they’re feral so be careful as they may be terrified and try to defend themselves by biting or scratching you. In this case leave it to the experts as they will know what to do and remember even if they are feral in the hands of experts they can be tamed, spayed and rehomed and the mother can also be spayed so that the problem doesn’t repeat itself. After all feral cats deserve to be looked after just as much as tame ones, remember they are the victims of owners who still refuse to have their cats spayed in the first place.

Either way, it is crucial that you never ever remove or separate the kittens from their mother because without their mother’s milk and nurturing they will likely perish.

IN the past on this page I have highlighted the plight of stray horses in Limerick and the strain this puts on welfare organisations like Limerick Animal Welfare who end up looking after these abandoned animals.

At the time many of you wrote in to say how terrible the situation was and asked how you could help.

Well according to volunteers at Limerick Animal Welfare one way you can do your bit is by assisting them in the care of these stray horses who are in desperate need of feeding.

According to the volunteers at the Kilfinane sanctuary they are dire need of more hay or haylage to help them feed all the horses they have rescued lately.

Many of these horses were found throughout the county abandoned and starving and while they are now in the care of LAW they still need to be fed.

As LAW is a voluntary organisation they cannot afford the expense of hay and are spending nearly sixty euros a day just feeding the horses at one of their locations.

The organisation is being hit hard by these food bills and are struggling to keep afloat in their quest to help these unwanted and unloved horses.

So if you have spare hay that you could donate or if you would simply like to get in touch to make a donation to help them buy more hay you can do so by logging onto www.limerickanimalwelfare.com or drop into the charity shop at 59 Parnell Street or by phoning 063 91110.

WHAT BETTER way to walk off the over indulgences of Easter than at the sponsored dog walk this Easter Monday.

The Limerick leg of the first ever national dog walk in aid of the Carers Association of Ireland will take place this Monday April 5.

Those interested in taking part should meet at the Petmania store at the Jetland Shopping Centre at 2pm where the walk will aslo finish.

The event promises to be a fun day out for all the family and co-incides with dog walks taking place simultaneously all over Ireland for a great cause.

According to Limerick’s centre manager Steffani Jade McDonagh the walk will be 5k in length and is suitable for families, colleagues and four legged friends!

All the funds raised from the sponsorship of the event will go towards the Carers Association of Ireland which was established in 1987 in response to the need for recognition of family carers and their rights and entitlements in Ireland. If you still haven’t got your sponsorship card yet you can log onto www.carersireland.com or telephone 061 310434 for your sponsorship card today and come Easter Monday you could be enjoying a healthy walk with your furry friend for a great cause!

DESPITE the doom and gloom of the recession, pet lovers all over Ireland will be thrilled to learn that organisers of the annual Pet Expo, Ireland’s only dedicated consumer pet exhibitions have announced that they fully intend to return this year with a Summer show. The three day event will feature everything that is relevant to the ownership of a family pet but also boast plenty of exotic treats too.

Now in its fourth year, according to organisers, Pet Expo 2010 will return to the RDS, Dublin, as a three day experience open to the animal loving public with a wider variety of pets, pet products, service providers, entertainers, clubs and organisations that cater to pets.

The Expo decided to move to Summer show dates this year and this year’s consumer show will be taking place on Friday July 2 to Sunday July 4 2010.

Organisers believe that this change in timing of the popular family event for the nation’s Pet lovers, will add more outdoor activities and allow dog owners to bring along their own dogs and participate in more interactive activities.

Once again Pet Expo 2010 will feature the very best trained dogs in the country competing in front of the general public in numerous competitions.

Working dogs will also be well represented with some fantastic displays and demonstrations in the new outdoor agility rings.

Of course although very popular amongst dog owners, the event is not just for dogs but all types of family pets, with various different pets catered for including cats, birds, equestrian, fish, reptiles and other small caged exotics,. All of these animals can be seen on-site during the show for the attendees to interact with which is the perfect way to introduce children to the responsibility of owning a pet and how to handle them.

Organisers of Pet Expo 2010 have also promised that the Summer event this year will be bigger and better than ever before and with Dog ownership now at 1 in 4 of Irish families it’s not surprising that events like these continue to draw crowds.

One of the highlights from last year was the Crufts champions of dance Kath Hardman and Karen Sykes who performed daily in the  Agility Ring with their talents dogs, Fly and Spice and friends and this year organisers promise that there will be plenty of treats in store for animal lovers…