Animal House

Search coordinator Bonnie Folz sends this update:

<<Vivi Update 7/31/06

Sorry for not getting out an update last week.

Unfortunately there's have not been any confirmed sightings since my last update.

We did receive a call last week of Vivi being spotted foraging through the grass at the service road of the Van Wyck Expressway just before the Long Island Expressway on ramp.  The caller said he though by the size and color it could have been Vivi but could not confirm her markings as he was driving by too fast.

Volunteers were on the scene within minutes but, as with all our sightings, when volunteers appear on the scene Vivi has already moved on.  This service road does run along the back of yet another cemetery, Mt Hebron Cemetery.  Another of Vivi's M.O.'s.

We did post flyers up and put inserts/ door hangers out to the houses in the surrounding area.  This new sighting is just opposite Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.

We also got a call from a woman claiming she's been seeing a man walking a whippet around Juniper Valley Park in Middle Village.  I drove around the park numerous times during the hours this woman had seen the pair but was unsuccessful in locating them.

The following night, another call to the Vivi number came from a worker at the Starbucks Coffee shop at the Stop & Shop shopping center where Vivi's has been spotted in before.  The caller just served a man who was walking a whippet and she thinks it is Vivi!

Fortunately I was driving home after canvassing Juniper Valley Park and the area surrounding Woodhaven Blvd and Metropolitan Ave when I got the call of this sighting.  I have to tell you, when I pulled up to the traffic light and looked over at Starbucks, the man was sitting outside drinking his cup-a-joe and the dog laying next to him was surely a whippet. AND from where
I was, looked as though had the brindle marking of Vivi!

As I pulled into the parking lot I noticed that this whippet was white, light beige and brindle.  Add that to the fact that it was a male.  I approached the man with my Vivi cards in hand, told him about the call I just received and he knowingly nodded his head.

He told me he's been getting many strange looks since the fliers have been put up about Vivi in the area.  One crazy person walked up to him and told him he wanted to take the dog from him and turn it in for the reward!  I apologized for the inconvenience and suggested laughingly that he wear a shirt that says "This Is Not Vivi!"

He also told me of another whippet that lives in the area (we already know about her), and said he's usually out walking his dog in Juniper Valley Park a this time! I thanked him profusely for letting me know as THIS was the guy and dog I had just drove around looking for!  At least we
wouldn't have to spend any more time canvassing that park.

A sighting on Saturday morning placed Vivi at the beach of Charles Park in Howard Beach, practically in my own backyard!  The man was very sincere and truly thought he had seen Vivi while fishing along the shore at 5 a.m.

He said he tried to approach her and she gave him a bark (not a characteristic of Vivi's from what I understand) he took about 15 minutes trying to get close to the dog, scooching closer while sitting on the sand; however, the dog got up and trotted into the park, where he lost sight of her.

Not having the phone number but knowing about Vivi since he works in the airport, he went to the Port Authority police at JFK. They didn't have the number and apparently were not too helpful.  He then called the vetport and got the Vivi number as soon as it opened at 8 a.m.

I immediately called some friends in the neighborhood as well as Bobbi from Bobbi and The Strays to let her know to keep her ears open she contacted her local volunteers and the park had fliers up within the next couple of hours.  We received information that the dog this man
called about was in fact a pointer.  There was also a Jack Russell terrier running loose.  Both were known to Bobbi's local rescue volunteers and they've  been trying to trap them.

Many volunteers have been out in this New York heat posting fliers and we are glad to have added two new volunteer foot soldiers to the team. So many far-away volunteers continue to mail, fax and email flyers to the  different businesses in the areas.  Police and Sanitation dpartments have been alerted again.

I believe with this heat, we will not have many sightings as Vivi is a smart li'l girl and is probably keeping cool somewhere.

With not many sightings coming in, trying to decide where to post next becomes a challenge.  There are neighborhoods in Queens not yet hit with posters and if  possible those are the neighborhoods we'll concentrate on next.  Though there haven't been sightings there, ya never know where Vivi may turn up next.

Happy to report the puppies rescued from Montefiore Cemetery, have all been adopted from Bide-A-Wee!  YAY!

We're still working on having New York City's Animal Care and Control trap the pack of dogs Vivi may be hanging with as well as the mommy dog and her friends from Montefiore Cemetery.
For everyone that has sent encouraging emails, thank you.

Trying to keep cool and always, keeping the faith!

Bonnie>>

When it comes to Vivi, no news is, well, no news.

There have been no bona-fide confirmed sightings of the errant whippet in about two weeks. Conspiracy theorists, hold the phone: Given the current weather in New York -- including a triple-digit heat wave expected to continue for several days -- it is very likely Vivi is keeping cover in one of the borough's many shady parks.

On a happy note,  searcher Darlene Sullivan reports that all but one of the "tree puppies" -- a litter of strays found in a Queens cemetery during the Vivi search -- have found adoptive homes. And that lone straggler was being snuggled by a potential adopter when Darlene checked in, so the odds are he is finding a bright future even as you read this.

Never mind! Kiva the whippet is back with her owner ...  / Denise

From the Net:

<<Subject: 17 year old whippet STILL MISSING in CA
Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2006 18:01:20 -0400

The 17 year old whippet, Kiva, is still missing in CA and has not been seen
since Saturday. If anyone can help in the Bakersfied area, here is the
information again:

***PLEASE CROSS POST***

Hi Everyone,

I am posting this for a friend. Her whippet got out of the house during a
thunder storm today. Please if anyone is in the area and can help that would
be great!!

Kiva is a 17 year old (very active) blue and white female whippet. She is
not wearing a collar and is not microchiped. She has a faint scar on her
left side, and a black scar on her nose. She is also missing her left top
K9.

She got out of the house ... near Frazier Park, CA. Kiva was last seen on Mill Pertro Hwy around noon on 7/22/06.

Kiva is very frightened of thunder/loud noises. She loves kids and has an
Italian Greyhound at home.

If anyone can help please let Chrysalis know her contact info is
chrysbug@hotmail.com<mailto:chrysbug@hotmail.com> of call (206)313-0831.
Chrys is flying back down form Seattle today.

Please everyone think good thoughts, cross post and anything else you can
think of to help. Kiva is her baby!

PLEASE CROSS POST >>

In a field of stiff competition, Archie the Chinese crested from Arizona won the 2006 Ugliest Dog Contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, Calif., on June 23.

Though online voting indicated the favorites to be Munchkin and Pee-Wee,  out-of-stater Archie (he's from Arizona)  out-repulsed the four judges, whose opinions were  ultimately the only ones that mattered.

Perhaps the contest's most famous competitor was  Sam, its three-time undefeated winner until his death this June at age 15. Also a crested -- the breed dominates at ugly-dog contests nationwide -- Sam's oft-circulated photo was believed by many viewers to be a hoax because presumably no dog could be that ugly. Actually, he was. 

Here's a recent column that might be of interest to owners of collie and other herding breeds.

Good news: There is now a genetic test that can identify dogs that are at risk for ivermectin sensitivity, which can be life-threatening.

Bad news: Dogs with this gene are also at risk for reacting to dozens of commonly used medications.

Gene can be fatal for herding dogs

Denise Flaim
Animal House

July 10, 2006

It's not just ivermectin anymore.

Most dog-savvy people - not to mention their vets - know about the connection between collies and invermectin. These herding dogs have a heritable sensitivity to the anti-parasitic drug, which can overwhelm the blood-brain barrier, causing neurotoxicity, coma and, sometimes, death.

In 2001, veterinarian Katrina Mealey of Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine in Pullman, Wash., and her team found that ivermectin sensitivity is caused by a mutation in the multi-drug resistance gene (MDR1), which controls a protein that helps pump drugs and toxins out of the brain.

But as the research continued, the scientists discovered that the gene may react to more than 50 drugs, such as Loperamide (the over-the-counter antidiarrheal Imodium); the popular tranquilizer Acepromazine, often called "Ace" for short; the heart drug Digoxin; pain-control medication Butorphanol; Cyclosporin, an immunosuppressant used in allergy treaments; and several chemotherapy drugs, including Doxorubicin, Vincristine and Vinblastine.

(For a list of other drugs that have the potential to cause problems in dogs with the MDR1 mutation, visit www.vet med.wsu.edu/depts-VCPL.)

While collies (left) have the biggest issue with this multi-drug sensitivity - about 75 percent of them worldwide carry the defective gene - other herding breeds also are potential victims. Approximately 10 percent of Shetland sheepdogs and Australian shepherds carry the mutant gene. At the opposite end of the spectrum are border collies (below), with only 1 percent believed to be carriers. Mealey says Old English sheepdogs and German shepherds have a "very low" risk factor, with single-digit carrier rates, although white-factor shepherds - those that are albinos or produce it in offspring - are at higher risk.

There is a noninvasive test to determine whether a dog is a MDR1 carrier. The $60 test involves swiping the inside of the dog's cheek with a small bristle brush and mailing the DNA in for analysis.

While Mealey's research has been published in several veterinary journals, she says she still fields calls every week from owners whose vets know nothing about this herding-dog-specific sensitivity.

Ironically, the most well-known source of canine exposure to ivermectin - heartworm medications such as Heartgard - poses the least risk for MDR1 dogs. Mealey notes that the ivermectin dose in heartworm preventives is so low - usually 6 micrograms per kilogram - "that they are safe once a month, even for dogs with the mutation."

By contrast, when ivermectin is used as a treatment for mange, the typical dose is 300 micrograms per kilogram a day - more than 50 times the heartworm dose. "That dog will go into a coma" if it has the MDR1 gene, Mealey warns.

Another area for concern is avermectins used as pesticide sprays. Mealey recalls a case where a couple took their Labrador retriever and collie to their vacation home, where the grounds had been treated with the ivermectin-like compound.

"A day later, the collie was in a coma and the Lab was fine," she explains. "The veterinarians almost euthanized the dog, thinking it was some bizarre neurological thing. If you're a sensitive dog, the coma can last for weeks until the drug gets out of your system," Mealey says - a likely death sentence for dogs that have not been properly diagnosed.

Thankfully, the owners' Web surfing turned up the chemical culprit, and after several weeks, the collie emerged from the coma no worse for wear.

Mealey notes that many specialist vets, such as dermatologists treating mange, will recommend that owners of herding breeds conduct the DNA test to see if the dog has the mutation. "Now a lot of oncologists are starting to as well," she adds, because some cancer-fighting agents will cause a similar reaction in high doses. "When you lower the dose of chemo, it decreases the chances of putting a dog into remission" - a precaution that defeats the purpose of the cancer treatment in the first place.

While some sighthounds such as the silken windhound and long-haired whippet also carry the renegade MDR1 gene, researchers have concluded that the mutation likely found its way into those gene pools through sheepdog crosses made to produce their flowing coats.

As for the gene itself, DNA sequencing of neighboring genes has shown it was a spontaneous mutation that arose in one dog who likely lived in Great Britain in the mid-1800s, before the first herding breeds were even recognized.

This nameless prototypical sheepdog "was a working dog, and probably a good one," Healey explains, " so its genes were passed on" - for better and worse.

Write to Denise Flaim, c/o Newsday, 235 Pinelawn Rd., Melville, NY 11747-4250; or e-mail denise.flaim@newsday.com. For previous columns, www.newsday.com/animalhouse.

Copyright 2006 Newsday Inc.

Today's Animal House column. I couldn't make these up if I tried:

<<

Pet dumpers' litany of lame excuses

Denise Flaim
Animal House
July 24, 2006

Here's a question as bedeviling as that zen koan about the sound of one hand clapping:

What is the most pathetic excuse for giving up a companion animal?

Living as we do amid an epidemic of tepid commitment and laser-sharp detachment, people routinely discard their companion animals. Some reasons - like a child's allergies or sudden homelessness - are understandable. But many are not - at least not to those who consider their animals family members, a status that is not usually negotiable.

Rescuers - you know them by the plastic airline crates in their hatchbacks, and the Milk-Bones in their glove compartments - are in the non-profit business of cleaning up the messes people make with the sentient beings they've brought into their lives. With big hearts and tiny budgets, they grit their teeth as clueless, oftentimes obnoxious owners hand over the leash - or cage, or tank.

Excuses - they have heard them all before. But maybe you haven't.

Moving is a perennial reason for dumping animals. "It's everyone's favorite," says Barbara Williamson of Best Friends Society, who polled staffers. "Nobody here can even begin to understand how you move into a place that doesn't accept pets when you have pets."

(Another head-scratcher: The person who returned a cat to the Utah sanctuary because its neurological condition "wasn't bad enough." In other words, the cat wasn't special-needs enough.)

Another common catalyst is the arrival of a sweetheart. New lovers or spouses who hate dog hair or slobber issue ultimatums, and their not-so-better halves comply.

The dissolution of a marriage is a prime reason for relinquishing animal companions, as is the arrival of diminutive two-leggers. "When the excuse is that the owner is having a baby, I send her to the president of Alaskan Malamute Rescue of New England," says Malamute fancier Susan Conant, who writes dog-centric mystery novels. "She is the mother of triplets."

Yep, family ties can be nooses for some animals. Marjorie Lipson of Long Island-based Second Chance Labrador Rescue offered up the interesting approach of blaming the kids: "My youngest child is now in college - it was her dog that we purchased 14 years ago," one owner told her as he turned over his gray-faced dog. "We never wanted a dog - the kids did."

For those who have written their wills to ensure that their furry and feathered family members will be cared for after their demise, think again. "Even though I promised to care for the dog, I knew I really wouldn't," explained one relative Lipson encountered. "I just wanted the inheritance."

Avarice is predictable. But this excuse isn't: "A woman had a 12-year-old male cat she wanted us to take because 'He won't play with toys anymore, so we want to replace him with a kitten,'" says Dottie Zammetti of A Home at Last Animal Adoption Network in Brightwaters. More than one rescuer reports cats rejected because they would not sit on laps. Or male dogs tossed because they don't lift their legs.

"He doesn't photograph well in our family portrait" is so sad that it could be made up. But it isn't.

Norwegian elkhound fancier Lexiann Grant of southeastern Ohio, who contributed that one, also had this doozy: "An Akita was surrendered because the family decided to do away with their current 'Japanese landscaping' and go with a southwestern theme."

If you find it hard to believe that people can be that superficial, consider this chestnut from Barbara Sawyer-Brown, a Ridgeback breeder and longtime rescuer from Chicago: "We redecorated and the dog no longer matches the decor." As one rescuer put it, "It's the accumulated oblivious sincerity that really gets you."

File this under "craven compassion": Pam Dennison, author of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Positive Dog Training," had a friend who took in an 18-month-old Schnauzer. "She had a kidney problem and the owners 'loved her so much they couldn't bear to watch her die.'" (Postscript: The friend kept the dog, switched her to a raw-food diet, and five years later, the dog is still going strong.)

People dump their bunny rabbits with such infuriating regularity that Mary Cotter of the House Rabbit Society keeps a list of common excuses. Some deadbeat owners have simply performed a cold-hearted calculation: "He's sick - we're not going to pay $50 for a vet visit for a pet that cost $15."

Debra J. White of Tempe, Ariz., started volunteering at animal shelters in 1989. "I have seen and heard the most dumb, pathetic and lame excuses," she says. "The cat meows. The dog barks."

But nothing prepared her for this beaut, delivered by a pregnant woman who was jettisoning her child substitute to make room for the real thing.

"My fetus," the mother-to-be proclaimed, "is allergic to the dog."

Copyright 2006 Newsday Inc.>>

  Chloe, a cat owned by Julie and Nadine Corsi, nurses two puppies along with one of her own kittens  in Hopewell Township, Pa. The Corsis owned a dog that died while giving birth, and her puppies have been adopted by two family cats.

(AP Photo/Beaver County Times, Lucy Schaly)

Willy, a 1-year-old cat, with a display of several pairs of garden gloves that he took from unknown yards in his neighborhood in Pelham, N.Y. Willy has brought home nine pairs of gloves and five singles over several weeks, laying them on his owners' front or back porches.

(AP Photo/JulieJacobson)

Members of the Bankhead family (from left, Kodi Bankhead; her mom, Heather; and her father, Dan) are reunited with Puppers, the family dog, at the South Salt Lake Animal Shelter on  June 28, in South Salt Lake, Utah. Puppers, a cocker-retriever mix, had been missing for nearly three years. Puppers disappeared from the Bankhead family's fenced yard while they were out running errands. They looked everywhere and called all the local animal shelters, but were unable to find Puppers. Out of the blue, Puppers turned up at the South Salt Lake Animal Shelter and was identified when shelter workers scanned his imbedded microchip.

(Photo credit: Associated Press)

For those curious about the fate of Duke, the death-row bulldog who was pardoned recently after a very public fight, here is an excerpt from the current issue of Long Island Bulldog Rescue's current newsletter. It was written by Laurette Richin, who spearheaded the effort that ultimately saved him:

<<Duke's story has been in the forefront for us in the two months that followed my flipping through the paper in early May, where a story appeared about two Rottweilers and an English Bulldog alleged to have attacked a 4-year-old child. If anyone does not know about it go to www.longislandbulldogrescue.org and read what happened when one careless act resulted in a tragedy for a little boy, his family, three dogs and their owner.

It is a story that happens over and over again. Who has not had someone leave the gate or door open? Sometimes we are lucky and our dogs are found, sometimes our dogs are lost or hurt. Please invest in self-closing gates.

Duke’s story is also one of an extraordinary outpouring of love, courage, support, both emotional and financial, plain hard work, and optimism in the face of what appeared to be unbeatable odds, by thousands of people from around the world who love bulldogs, and believed that Duke [at left, in unhappier times] deserved a fair evaluation.

It has also been a story of amazing coincidences, timing and just when things looked the darkest…miracles, both large and small. Starting with the call from Len Egert and Amy Trakinsky, Duke's attorneys at 4:30 pm, the day before Duke was to be killed.

For me it has been an education in the law, politics, what the media can do, how things are often not what they first appear to be, and how wonderful humans can be. ...

Duke is doing very well at Elite Animal Trainers, and is showing himself to be a normal, happy, loving bulldog. He has shown no aggression and has also shown remarkable resilience as he seems to have suffered little trauma from the weeks of isolation and no exercise at the shelter. I attribute this to his basic upbeat nature, and to Robert Sowers, SPCA Investigator, visiting and playing with him during his confinement.>>

Duke is heading for the light at the end of the tunnel, Laurette wrote in an email to me: <<He is recovering from a cut tongue that he got somehow at the shelter, otherwise he has passed all his stuff with flying colors. He will be in training for the next few weeks, then adopted out of state. I have many applications for him. Duke is a good boy.>>

Meanwhile, Laurette notes that her group has rescued 23 bulldogs in the last 10 days. Duke may be out of harm's way, but she needs volunteers and foster homes to help with the endless stream of surrenders. Visit www.longislandbulldogrescue.org.

After more than two weeks without a sighting, Vivi resurfaced yesterday. A passerby saw her at the intersection of Metropolitan Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard in the Glendale, Queens, neighborhood that Vivi seems to have made her temporary home.

The passerby indicated that Vivi was only using three legs. According to Vivi's owners, the athletic whippet would sometimes come up lame when she overexerted herself and would recover within days. There is also the possibility that the city's hot asphalt streets have taken their toll on her pads.

Two feeding stations have been set up in the area, with a third one soon to come online. The video cameras at the stations are being checked twice a day.

Search coordinator Bonnie Folz adds that fliers and door hangers need distribution on Metropolitan Avenue, Woodhaven Boulevard and Yellowstone Boulevard. A group of dedicated searchers was out yesterday doing just that in the broiling weather. If you need fliers or door hangers, email Bonnie at pawsativebf@aol.com.

Twenty magnetic signs for local trucks will be ready in the next few days.

There's cheery news for the litter of nine puppies rescued from Montefiore Cemetery in Laurelton by Vivi searchers: Three have found permanent homes, and six are being fostered and nursed back to health at Bide-a-Wee in Wantagh. Vivi volunteers from near and far raised money for vet bills for their upper-respiratory infections, crates, toys and a donation to Bide-a-Wee.

"There are now nine Vivi angels on the ground," says Bonnie, adding that the " Bide-a-Wee bunch" has been given trees names, reflecting their place of birth, a hollow tree in the cemetery.

Good luck, girls Holly and Maple, and boys Spruce, Chestnut, Hickory and, uh, Elmer.

Also on the agenda: Trapping and spaying their mother, who is still living in the cemetery.

Racehorse fighting for life after developing laminitis

By RICHARD ROSENBLATT

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. (AP) — Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro has developed a severe case of laminitis, a potentially fatal disease caused by uneven weight distribution in the limbs, and his veterinarian called his chances for survival “a long shot.”

Dean Richardson (left), the chief surgeon who has been treating Barbaro since the colt suffered catastrophic injuries in the Preakness on May 20, said the Derby winner’s chances of survival are poor.

“I’d be lying if I said anything other than poor,” Richardson said Thursday at a news conference at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center. “As long as the horse is not suffering, we’re going to continue to try” to save him.

“If we can keep him comfortable, we think it’s worth the effort.” If not, Barbaro could be euthanized at any time. Richardson said if Barbaro doesn’t respond quickly to treatment, “It could happen within 24 hours.”

Richardson said the laminitis, a painful condition, has all but destroyed the colt’s hoof on his uninjured left hind leg.

“The left hind foot is basically as bad a laminitis as you can have. It’s as bad as it gets,” Richardson said, while adding that horses can recover from the disease. He said he has discussed the situation closely with owners Roy and Gretchen Jackson, who have stressed that their main concern is for Barbaro to be pain free.

Richardson said Barbaro’s injured right hind leg — the one that shattered at the start of the Preakness — is healing well, but because a horse has to be evenly balanced to carry his weight, laminitis set in on the other foot.

A procedure called a hoof wall resection removed 80 percent of Barbaro’s left rear hoof. Both rear legs are now in casts.

“The reason we cut away the hoof wall is because the hoof wall is not connected” to the bone, Richardson said. “If you had a nail that was separated from the end you’d pull it off. It’s dead tissue that’s in the way of living tissue. It’s a problem in horses due to excessive weight bearing inflammation.”

Richardson said it would take several months for the hoof to grow back. “What we’re doing on this horse is absolutely unusual, but it’s not unheard of.

“It’s a devastating problem in horses that nobody has a solution to.” Perhaps what makes it even more wrenching is that the horse is acting normal.

“This horse, you look at him in the stall — his ears are up, he’s bright. He’s looking around,” Richardson said. “He’s spending some time in the sling. Other times, he’s out of the sling. We are not torturing this horse.”

The grim update came after nearly six weeks of what was considered to be a smooth recovery. Barbaro underwent five hours of surgery May 21 so a titanium plate and 27 screws could be inserted into three broken bones and the pastern joint. He has had three more operations in recent days.

“I really thought we were going to make it two weeks ago,” Richardson said. “Today I’m not as confident.”

Barbaro won the Derby by 6 1/2 lengths, was unbeaten in six races and expected to make a Triple Crown bid before his misstep ended his racing career. He was taken to the New Bolton Center hours after breaking down and underwent five hours of surgery the next day.

At that time, Richardson said the chances of the horse’s survival were 50-50.

Since the breakdown, there has been a public outpouring of sympathy as well-wishers, young and old, showed up at the New Bolton Center with cards, flowers, gifts and goodies. And thousands of e-mails poured in to the hospital’s Web site to voice concern and support.

(c) 2006 Associated Press

OGDEN, Utah (AP) — A police dog that was left in a pickup with the engine running apparently knocked the vehicle into gear and ran down a woman who was walking to her mailbox.

Mary F. Stone, 41, was expected to remain hospitalized with a fractured pelvis and tailbone until at least Friday, said her husband, Paul Stone.

The dog, a German shepherd named Ranger, had been left in the truck while its handler responded to a domestic disturbance call Tuesday, police Lt. Loring Draper said. The truck’s engine was on so Ranger would have air conditioning.

Draper said Ranger must have hit the shift on the steering column, putting the automatic transmission into gear. As the truck slowly rolled forward, police officers yelled to Stone, but she couldn’t get out of the way in time, he said.

A front and rear tire ran over her. “She had tire marks on her clothes,” her husband said.

The truck then went through the Stones’ yard and struck a vehicle in the driveway.

Draper said police were trying to determine if there might have been some malfunction that would have allowed the gear shift to be moved easily.

(c) Associated Press, 2006

Pet Disputes in a Divorce Can Be a Dog Fight

By Jane Porter

(c) 2006 The Hartford Courant

Gaetano Ferro, a divorce lawyer, remembers an unusual case from a decade ago. It involved a custody dispute over a springer spaniel.

What Ferro remembers most are the snickering judges in the courthouse. And he recalls that the couple finally decided the dog would spend alternate weeks with each owner.

Such a case would be less unusual, and probably less funny, today. Nearly a quarter of divorce lawyers surveyed across the U.S. have noticed an increase in pet-custody cases in the past five years, according to a recent poll of 1,500 members of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.

“There is a shift occurring in our society in which the ... pet is considered more a member of the family ... and therefore becomes, sadly, a part of the battle when the family disintegrates,” said Joyce Tischler, founding director of the Animal Legal Defense Fund, a nonprofit organization based in Northern California.

A 2004 survey found that 56 percent of pet owners would very likely risk their own lives for their pet, and 53 percent spend more now on their pet than they did three years ago. A 2001 survey by the same group, the American Animal Hospital Association, found that 83 percent of pet owners refer to themselves as their pet’s “mom” or “dad.” That relationship is not acknowledged by the courts, where pets are still considered “property,” no different from the silverware, the plasma TV and the living-room sofa.

“In America, pets are basically chattel,” said Monica Harper, a matrimonial lawyer in Hartford, Conn.

As a result, many judges find fighting over pets a waste of court time, and attorneys counsel their clients to settle such disputes on their own. The matrimonial lawyers’ survey found that 90 percent of the pet-custody battles were about dogs.

To Ferro, disputing who gets the cat or dog is like shooting a mosquito with an elephant gun. But for many divorcing couples, the pet is like their child. To help judges consider the well-being of animals involved in such cases, the Animal Legal Defense Fund developed a friend-of-the-court brief five years ago.

The 18-page brief is intended to show judges that “there is an unnamed third party in a custody case,” Tischler said. “There is a distinction in the dog or cat’s mind — believe it or not — as to who tends to be closer,” she said of the relationship between pet and owners.

The brief makes clear that the animal’s interests should not be left out in such cases.

Generally, pets stay in the home where children primarily live, said Thomas Colin, chair of the Connecticut Bar Association’s Family Law Section. But when the splitting couple does not have children, the issue becomes more complicated.

During his first 10 years practicing as a matrimonial lawyer, Colin had never encountered a pet-custody issue. But just last year, he worked on two custody disputes involving dogs. In both cases, the divorcing couples did not have children.

“These dogs were so important to these two couples that they stood in the shoes of a child to them,” Colin said. “So I treated it that way for them.” Deciding who was granted custody of the pets meant digging up registration certificates, determining who was responsible for taking care of the animals and who had more of an attachment, he said.

When Colin was a student at St. John’s University law school in the early 1990s, pet custody wasn’t an issue. Today, universities around the country examine such issues in courses focused entirely on animal law.

“It’s becoming a hotter area of the law, just measuring by the ... mail I get,” Colin said, recalling a recent flier for a full-day seminar on animal legal issues.  “When this first came up, I said, ‘This can’t be that big of a deal because it’s just a pet,”’ he said.

“But what I learned is ... in the lives of these people going through emotional divorces, this is a very real thing, and it should be taken seriously.”

Distributed by the Los Angeles Times-Washington Post News Service

Apologies for yesterday's disappearing post -- TypePad had some outtages that resulted in data loss.

Meanwhile, Barbaro is having problems of his own:

Racehorse Barbaro Has Life-Threatening Complication

By Nancy Kercheval  (Bloomberg) — Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro has suffered "the most feared” complication in his left hind foot and will be euthanized if his pain can’t be controlled, his surgeon said.

The three-year-old colt developed laminitis, an inflammation in his uninjured hoof from an unequal distribution of weight, said Dean Richardson, the chief surgical veterinarian at the University of Pennsylvania’s George D. Widener Hospital.

The horse underwent surgery yesterday to remove 80 percent of the hoof and was put on pain medications and suspended part of the day in a sling to reduce discomfort, Richardson said at a news conference at the hospital in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, 36 miles southwest of Philadelphia.

“Barbaro has an acute rather severe bout of laminitis in the left hind foot,” Richardson said. “We will only go on as long as everyone involved, when they look at the horse, can be convinced he is acceptably comfortable.” Barbaro, who shattered his right hind ankle in the Preakness Stakes, may start to show signs that he is in unbearable pain in as little as 24 hours. Richardson said.

With jockey Edgar Prado riding, Barbaro posted a seven- length victory in the 132nd Kentucky Derby on May 6 to give the colt six straight victories and more than $2.3 million in winnings.

Two weeks later at the Preakness, the horse jumped through the gate prematurely, and then snapped his ankle about 200 yards after the start of the race.

The colt was taken to the animal hospital where he underwent more than four hours of surgery May 21 to implant a plate and 27 screws to help the ankle fuse. He had four medical procedures in the past nine days to add a new plate and screws, a fresh bone graft and to treat an abscess.

(c) 2006 Bloomberg News

The latest Vivi update from search coordinator Bonnie Folz:

<<Team Vivi Update 7/11/06

Six days gone by and no new sightings.  Either Vivi has found a comfortable spot within the 530-something acres of Forest Park and additional surrounding cemeteries or she has, yet again, moved on to a new area.

Feeding stations, with motion-sensor cameras, continue to be monitored. So far, the photos show some very happy raccoons and a cat, having a midnight snack.  If no results by tomorrow, they will be moved to a new location.

We had a few volunteers come out on Saturday to help put up posters and flyers. One gal stopped by on her way from Washington, DC,  to her vacation home, and spent the first morning of her vacation helping to get the word out and poster the neighborhood. Thanks, Lori. 

Some of our core volunteers are leaving for much needed vacations within the next week or so. This cuts down the handful of volunteers that have been out on a daily basis, following up on sightings, monitoring feeding stations, putting up posters and flyers and getting the word out to the general public. We could use any and all extra help at this time.  If anyone is available, even if its for an hour or two during the day or night to either follow up on sightings, monitor a feeding station or, most importantly, get those posters and flyers up,  please contact me 917-626-1374 or pawsativebf@aol.com

The magnetic signs were proofed today and we should have 10 of each 12x18 and 22x28 ready by the end of the week to get out to the various trucking companies that are helping us out by placing them on their vehicles.

I received a call from a neighbor Sunday evening that a Dalmatian had wandered into her yard and was very afraid. Fortunately for this dog, I was home and just happened to have a few volunteers, Rosa, Tina and Barbara-Jean at the house. We immediately grabbed a leash and treats and headed over there.

We found a very sweet female Dalmation, with a worn-out collar and rabies tag from 1987, very scared of the fireworks going off in the area due to the fanfare of Italy winning the World Cup. We loaded her into the mini van and cruised the neighborhood looking for her owner. No one had any idea who she belonged to. Barbara-Jean was gracious enough to take her for the night as phone calls were made to Bobbi from Bobbi & The Strays and other rescue folks in the area.

Barbara-Jean followed up on the tag information Monday morning which came up with and old address and a phone number that had been changed to a non-published number.

At least we had a last name to follow up on.  I broke out my handy-dandy phone book and left messages for those listed with the same name.  Receiving a call back after about an hour, “Queenie” apparently broke out of her yard after hearing the fireworks Sunday afternoon.  She was reunited with her owner that afternoon.  Thanks, Barbara-Jean, for taking Queenie in for the night.

Please get the word out as to how important it is to have a collar on your dog at all times with “current” identification. The tag “Queenie” was wearing belonged to the man’s last dog, which had passed away, and he had since moved.

Praying for better information to give you with the next update.  Till then, hug your hounds.

Keep the faith!

Bonnie>>

Search coordinator Bonnie Folz writes:

<<We were fortunate to have some good media press out about Vivi still missing
this week keeping people aware that Vidi is still missing, however, the new
areas she has moved to need some personal attention with posters and flyers. 
Seems as though there are some spots within the park that need coverage, the
immediate area around the park has been taken care of but we also need to widen
our circle.  As the experts say, lost dogs usually travel in a circle continuing
to widen the circle as they go. 

We need help!  As much help as possible.  The weather for this weekend looks
bright and sunny.  Lots of folks will be out and about and the more people that
see the flyers or that we can give a post-card to and speak to personally, the
better our chances of sightings and bringing Vidi home.

Please see if you could possibly take some time out to help spread the word.

The Vidi base will be set up from 10am till 12pm at the Forest Park Bandshell on
Forest Park Drive just off of Woodhaven Blvd.  If you are unable to meet up with
us during that time for supplies, please call my cell 917-626-1374 and I'll make
sure to get some supplies to you.

Thanks for all of your help.  Hope to see you tomorrow.

Keep the faith!

Bonnie>>

Vivi has been making herself at home in her adoptive borough of Queens, with multiple sightings in the Glendale area in recent days. They include:

July 4 -  9 a.m. - 80th Street and Myrtle Avenue, Glendale, drinking out of kiddie fountain in park.

July 5, 3 a.m. 75th Street and Atlantic Avenue, Cypress Hills.

July 5, 9 p.m. crossing Woodhaven Boulevard near Forest Park Drive, heading in direction of carousel.

Search coordinator Bonnie Folz asks volunteers to please concentrate posting fliers along and within the following perimeter area:

To the south: Jamaica and Atlantic Avenues

To the north: Metropolitan and Cooper Avenues

To the west: Fresh Pond Road, Cypress Hills Street and Bushwick Avenue near the Jackie Robinson (formerly Interboro) Parkway.

To the east: Lefferts Boulvard

For those who are unfamiliar with this area, it is relatively congested, with single-family frame houses as well as brick multiple-family dwellings. Think "King of Queens" and "All in the Family." This southwestern corner of Queens is home to many old, large cemeteries of various denominations, as well as sprawling Forest Park, which connects many of the areas where Vivi has been sighted.

Because of the media interest generated in recent days, searchers Rosa and Tina have had difficulty keeping their cell phone lines open to sighting calls, and would appreciate it if non-essential calls were kept to a minimum.

The latest report from search coordinator Bonnie Folz. As a bit of trivia, Harry Houdini is buried in nearby Machpelah Cemetery in Glendale, right off Cypress Hills Street.

<<Vivi Update July 4th

Today's column. Happy Fourth, everyone.

Pets bear the brunt of violence

Denise Flaim
Animal House

July 3, 2006

Last year, when Hurricane Katrina beat much of the Gulf Coast into a pulp, many residents refused to leave - often with tragic results - because shelters wouldn't accept their animals.

In the metaphorical - but equally brutal - storms of domestic violence that alight on American households with far greater regularity, the same applies: Many victims stay rather than leave animals behind to face an abuser's wrath.

Lt. Sherry Schlueter, section supervisor of the Special Victims and Family Crimes Section of the Broward County Sheriff's Office, knows that complicated meteorology of the human condition all too well.

"Essentially, in this country, animals are members of the family. And if violence is the norm in that family, they can often be placed in mortal danger," says Schlueter, 53, who started her law-enforcement career as a humane agent at the age of 19. "A batterer will often target the animal in the family to control the human members" - forcing compliance about domestic, elder or sexual abuse.

(In a nod to this, the New York State Legislature recently approved a bill that includes companion animals under the provisions of a court order for domestic violence victims. It awaits the governor's signature.)

As animals have become more interwoven in our lives, so, too, have they become proverbial canaries in coal mines. They are not only sentinels for the diseases that befall us, such as cancers, but they also are the earliest, though not always most visible, victims of family violence.

Outside of her police job, Schlueter runs three nonprofit organizations: One boards the animals of victims free of charge while they leave their batterers and re-establish their lives; another offers cash rewards for tips about animal abuse; and the last is a financial safety net for animals that have been criminally injured or abandoned. But Schlueter also crisscrosses the country lecturing about a much broader theme: the correlation between animal abuse and violence toward humans.

"Animal cruelty is usually the earliest warning sign of dysfunction within a household," she says, pointing to FBI studies that show the common denominator between serial killers and mass murderers is a childhood propensity for killing and torturing animals.

"If we just pay attention to those first victims, if we take these crimes against animals seriously, we could perhaps intervene early on on behalf of other family members."

A strict vegan, Schlueter knows firsthand the dismissiveness that such animal advocacy can evoke. But she thinks officers should not discriminate based on species any more than they should on race or ethnicity.

"This concept of, 'Oh, it's an animal case, it's not my responsibility - call animal control,'" disavows responsibility for an officer's sworn duty, she says. "We have an obligation to enforce all laws and protect all citizens and stop all crime."

Recognizing that cases must be prioritized according to seriousness, citizens that encounter agencies that refuse to respond "should consider making an appointment with officials in high positions to change that attitude," Schlueter suggests. "Animals and their safety are of great concern to most members of society, and law enforcement would be wise to recognize this as a true community concern."

For their part, animal-lovers should know the law. "If you don't know the definition of 'companion animal' in your state, then if you see someone abusing a turtle, how do you know that's a crime?" she says. (Under state law, "companion animal" or "pet" refers to domesticated animals "maintained in or near the household" of the owner, but excludes farm aniamls. To print out the New York State Bar Association Special Committee on Animals and the Law's informative pamphlet, which covers everything from veterinary malpractice to feral cats, go to www.nysba.org, and search for "animal law.")

Eyewitnesses are especially important in animal-abuse cases because the victims are voiceless. "Their bodies may yield evidence," Schlueter says, "but whether the animal was bludgeoned to death or hit by car may be a mystery."

About 78 percent of families with school-age children have animals, Schlueter notes. And ill treatment of furred and feathered companions can be a blinking red warning sign.

"Take your blinders off," she urges her fellow law-enforcement agents. If an animal is a victim, "all vulnerable family members are at risk."

Write to Denise Flaim, c/o Newsday, 235 Pinelawn Rd., Melville, NY 11747-4250; or e-mail denise.flaim@ newsday.com. Visit her blog at www.newsday.com/ animalhouse.

Copyright 2006 Newsday Inc.