Animal House

Devotees of Vivi are well acquainted with the Port Authroity of New York and Jersey, which manages John F. Kennedy Airport, where the spritely whippet was lost almost two years ago.

Now, the airport and its managing agency finds itself in the crossfire, as feral-cat advocates protests its contracting an exterminator to round up the many feral cat colonies in and around the airport's 5,000 acres.

Tenderhearted airport employees and rescuers have tended some of the colonies for decades. The feral cats are believed to have descended from the lost pets of travelers, as well as abandoned pets.

Instead of "exterminating" the hundreds of kitties, feral-cat activists such as the NYC Feral Cat Initiative are urging the Port Authority to look into a TNR, or trap-neuter-release, program, which has been effective in other restricted areas in the city, such as Riker's Island.

On Monday, Oct. 29, from noon to 1 p.m., In Defense of Animals will hold a rally outside Port Authority headquarters, off Union Square at 225 Park Avenue South between 18th and 19th streets.

The Long Island chaper of the American Parkinson Disease Association sponsors a "Dog Walk for a Cure" on Sunday, Oct. 28 at Marjorie Post Park (Merrick and Unqua roads, Massapequa). Registration is from 11 a.m. to noon, and the "Paws for Parkinson's" walk begins at 12:30 p.m. rain or shine.

For a brochure, registration form and pledge sheet, call 516-626-6114 or 631-862-3560, or visit liapda.org.

Today's email contained this information about where volunteers in Southern California can go to help evacuated owners care for their furry companions:

In the face of advancing flames, and under urgent evacuation orders, people reach instinctively for their beloved pets, but in the rush to leave, often forget to take the food and other provisions necessary for their care. In order to help fill this need, Dennis Sprung, President of the American Kennel Club, has coordinated with Susan Sholar, President of the California Federation of Dog Clubs, to send an immediate donation of food, collars and leashes, and crates to help those dog owners affected by the devastating fires in southern California.

CFODC members, and anyone else needing assistance in providing for their pets' security and well-being as a result of these fires, should call the California School of Dog Grooming at 1-800-949-3746, and ask for Susan. The school, located in San Diego, is the designated site for distribution of the donated supplies, as well as a growing list of volunteers with offers to foster care, or with available kenn els, dog runs, RV parking spaces, spare bedrooms, sofa beds, and the like.

The AKC and CFODC, in order to maximize their opportunity to help, ask that you cross post this message wherever possible.

Thank you.

Board of Directors
California Federation of Dog Clubs

Eating in? Plenty of dogs do, landing them on the surgeon's table. Pagers, batteries, toy cars, drywall, hearing aids -- you name it, a dog's probably swallowed it.

Veterinary Pet Insurance offers this list of the top 10 items that are surgically removed from companion animals:

Take a few minutes today to think positive thoughts for those in Southern California who have been evacuated from their homes. I have many Ridgeback friends there, and all, as far as I hear, have escaped harm, with their animals in tow.

VCA Animal Hospitals in the area are offering free boarding for animals whose families have been evacuated. For a list of hospital locations and numbers, click here.

The Ellen DeGeneres hoopla has prompted tons of media coverage, including two stories by yours-truly -- a column ciding Ellen for not abiding by her rescue agreement and a feature story that explores minimum-age requirements set by rescue groups and breeders.

Internet searches have also had an "Ellen factor." Yahoo! reports that searches on "ellen degeneres dog rescue" and "mutts and mom rescue" spiked after Ellen's weep-a-thon ping-ponged across the web.

Here are the top-20 dog-rescue searches on the poplar search engine. What, nobody's into Kuvasz rescue?

1.       Boxer Rescue

2.       Golden Retriever Rescue

3.       English Bulldog Rescue

4.       Yorkie Rescue

5.       German Shepherd Rescue

6.       French Bulldog Rescue

7.       Pug Rescue

8.       Great Dane Rescue

9.       Border Collie Rescue

10.   

Chihuahua

11.   Doberman Rescue

12.   Beagle Rescue

13.   Boston Terrier Rescue

14.   Dachshund Rescue

15.   Poodle Rescue

16.   

Labrador

17.   Pitbull Rescue

18.   Shih Tzu Rescue

19.   Rottweiler Rescue

20.   Basset Hound Rescue

Duke, the brown-nosed pit bull who has been pining in a muncipal shelter in Suffolk County for more than three years while his case winds its way through the court system, gets his final chance at justice.

On Fri., Oct. 26, Duke's case will be heard by the Appellate Division in Brooklyn.

Duke's advocates are encouraged to write polite letters in support of Duke, as well as to gather in support at the court.

Sorry for the hiatus ... sometimes you've just got to take a break, you know?

I got some hate mail for my recent diatribe about puggles. While I know there are some mahvelous pug-beagle mixes out there, I still hold tight to my conviction that that match is not one made in heaven, not to mention obedience class.

  Speaking of one half of that hybrid, the third annual All-Pug Halloween Costume Contest Party kicks off Sunday, October 28, at Animal Haven Soho ( 251 Centre Street, NYC). More than 100 costumed smush-facers are anticipated.

The $5 costume-contest entry fee is being donated to Animal Haven, a no-kill shelter.

Among the prize catagories: Most Creative, Most Over-The-Top, Best Pug-Human Costume Coordination and the coveted Best in Show.

For more information and to RSVP, go to http://pug.meetup.com/40/ or contact the group organizer, Lin Randolph, at nycpugmeetup@earthlink.net.