Cashew, a young female domestic shorthair mix, is a sweet little baby. Can you give her a home? Contact the LaPorte County Small Animal Shelter at 2855 W. Ind. 2, LaPorte. The shelter’s hours of operation are Monday, Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call 219-326-1637. To see the shelter’s other pets available for adoption, visit http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/IN89.html.

Lumpy, a German shepherd mix, is truly a diamond in the rough. He sits, lies down, shakes and begs for a treat. “He has the coolest personality. He deserves his forever home,” said shelter Director Jane Bernard. To learn more about Lumpy, visit the LaPorte County Small Animal Shelter at 2855 W. Ind. 2, LaPorte. The shelter’s hours of operation are Monday, Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call 219-326-1637. To see the shelter’s other pets available for adoption, visit http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/IN89.html.

Have your cat spayed now before she goes into heat and has a litter!

The ABC Clinic is located at 12692 Sandy Dr., Suite 117, Granger. This offer has limited availability, so call the clinic now at 574-272-7729 or visit www.petrefugeabcclinic.com.

The program is funded by PetSmart Charities (www.petsmartcharities.org).

From LaPorte County Solid Waste District

(Click on photos to enlarge)

When a box of five puppies was left outside the LaPorte County Solid Waste District’s new office during Thanksgiving week 2011, employees knew just what to do – recycle them.

“We called the LaPorte County Small Animal Shelter because we wanted the puppies to find new homes where they’d be appreciated and loved,” said Clay Turner, district executive director.

The district’s new office at 2857 W. Ind. 2 in LaPorte is next door to the animal shelter.

The orange and cream-colored terrier mix puppies were 7 to 8 weeks old. As of Wednesday, Nov. 30, three of them had already been adopted by area families. But two playful little girls, named Nutmeg and Spice by their temporary caretakers, are still waiting for a home.

“They are very outgoing and friendly,” said shelter Director Jane Bernard. “They’ll probably turn out to be medium-sized dogs, but that’s just a guess since we don’t know what their mother and father look like.”

Unwanted dogs and cats are left outside the animal shelter every week, Bernard said. Staffers work hard to place all animals in new homes, but she said adult animals can have a tough time.

“Everyone always wants a cute, cuddly puppy, but there are plenty of nice, older adoptable dogs and cats, too,” Bernard said.

The evaluation includes a quality assessment review of the hospital’s facility, medical equipment, practice methods and pet health care management. Only 15 percent of all small animal veterinary practices in the U.S. have achieved accreditation by the American Animal Hospital Association. To maintain accredited status, North Central Veterinary Emergency Center must continue to be evaluated regularly by the association’s consultants.

“NCVEC belongs to a select group of practices that are committed to meeting the highest standards in veterinary medicine,” said Anna Worth, VMD, AAHA president. “AAHA hospitals pass a stringent evaluation of over 900 standards covering patient care, client service and medical protocols. By attaining accreditation, NCVEC is demonstrating its dedication to offering the best care to its patients and clients.”

Established in 1933, the American Animal Hospital Association is the only organization that accredits veterinary practices throughout the U.S. and Canada for dedication to high standards of veterinary care. Approximately 3,000 AAHA-accredited practices pass regular reviews of AAHA’s stringent accreditation standards that cover patient care, client service and medical protocols. For pet care information or referral to an AAHA-accredited practice, visit www.healthypet.com.

NCVEC, located at 1645 S. U.S. 421, has been an accredited practice member of the association since 2003. Visit its website at www.ncvec.pnc.edu.

Jenny Hartson of LaPorte "speed dates" Spooky.

Photos by Dennis Proud

(CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE)

You’ve heard of speed dating. But how about speed dating for pets and potential owners? That was the theme at the LaPorte County Small Animal Shelter on Wednesday evening, Oct. 26, 2011, as pets, all gussied up by The Gold Clipper pet grooming service, met potential adopters.

The evening also included pet blessings, courtesy of Bethany Lutheran Church.

For more information about pets available through the shelter, call 326-1637 and visit http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/IN89.html.

Kristen and Alan Satkoski of The Gold Clipper give Howdy a new look ...

... and here's the new Howdy!

Rev. Dennis Meyer of Bethany Lutheran Church blesses Addie, who belongs to Jane Bernard (right), shelter director.

Jeremy Willis of LaPorte visits a shelter animal.

Pets are blessed at the shelter.

Taffy sits pretty as potential owners visit.

A gaggle of greyhounds gathers for Pet Fest in the Park.

(Click on photos to enlarge)

The first-ever Pet Fest in the Park was a hit Saturday, Aug. 20, 2011, at Luhr County Park. A collaboration between the LaPorte County Small Animal Shelter and the LaPorte County Parks Department, the event featured various activities, healthy foods and treats, products and more for pets and their owners. Here are a few scenes provided by LaPorte County Parks.

A poodle ponders the possibilities.

An amorous pup is ready to pucker up.

]]> http://www.whatsnewlaporte.com/2011/08/22/scenes-from-pet-fest-in-the-park/feed/ 0 http://www.whatsnewlaporte.com/2011/07/20/4-hers-lead-their-animals-in-goat-agility/ http://www.whatsnewlaporte.com/2011/07/20/4-hers-lead-their-animals-in-goat-agility/#comments Thu, 21 Jul 2011 01:42:09 +0000 Staff http://www.whatsnewlaporte.com/?p=25335

Photos by Dennis Proud

(Click on photos to enlarge)

4-H contests showcasing some animals’ agility are staples of the fair — dog agility, horse agility.

But … goat agility?

In a relatively new competition, young owners led their goats through a series of skills and exercises at the 2011 LaPorte County Fair. As you can see from these entertaining pictures taken by WNLP photographer Dennis Proud, sometimes the goats happily obliged … and sometimes, not so much. Either way, it was all fun.

LaPorte County Small Animal Shelter Director Jane Bernard instructs kids in animal first aid with the help of her pooch, Addie. Photo by Dennis Proud

Story by Natalie Pritz, WNLP writer

Photos by Dennis Proud and Natalie Pritz (click on photos to enlarge)

   At first sight, one sees children and dogs running around together in the front field of the LaPorte County Small Animal Shelter — then the sounds of giggling and barking as they all enjoyed a beautiful day in the sunshine.

   For the second year the shelter hosted a successful Animal Care Camp for kids, where children ages 6-14 learned care and handling of pets large and small.

   “This camp has been a long-term goal of mine to put together, but with time restraints it was too big to do alone. Then I met Miranda a couple of years ago,” said shelter Director Jane Bernard.

   Miranda Reeves is an animal behaviorologist who earned an animal science degree from Purdue University.

Miranda Reeves (photo by Natalie Pritz)

   “We made a good plan, got our feet wet, and the camp has become an awesome success,” said Reeves, of Four Star Wellness in Valparaiso.

   The camp runs over a three-day stretch (this year it was held June 28-30) and touches on a variety of topics such as kennel work, how to handle animal emergencies, pet first aid, responsible pet ownership, grooming, hoof care, and animal control. Many animal experts made appearances to teach the children in areas of their expertise. For example, large-animal veterinarian Dr. Lyndsey Klemens talked about dentistry.

   “I think it is important to relate (animal dentistry) to our own health, which helps show (the children) dental health is important, too. It also helps take the anxiety about going to the dentist away, seeing that goats and horses go to the dentist, too,” said Klemens.

   Throughout the camp the kids work with many animals, including dogs, goats and horses. The children get an up-close and personal sense of what the animal looks and feels like and then they ask questions. The kids were engaged, had very good questions — numerous hands always flying up in the air — and every now and then the comment of “I want to be a vet when I grow up!” could be heard.

Shelter attendants Shelby Cotter and Tyler Wilke. (Photo by Natalie Pritz)

   “This camp gets kids from the non-country areas into the animal life and they really see and understand it,” said kennel attendant Tyler Wilke.

   The campers also play relay games that take those lessons and apply them to fun activities. In one game, the kids put a stuffed dog onto a stretcher, bandage up what needs mending, strap the dog down and race it back to the other side to be helped. Putting the animal care skills into this type of scenario makes it easy for the children to remember what needs to be done for an injured animal.

   Kennel attendant Shelby Cotter said, “The camp gives young kids the exposure they need to know about first aid for animals and what food is good or bad for them to eat.”

   The camp is not only a learning experience of care and handling, but also gets the campers comfortable with the shelter as a whole. It allows them to explore how the animals at the shelter are housed, fed and exercised.

   “We want to portray the shelter as a friendly, good place for animals and show that animal control is not bad,” said Bernard.

   For more information on the LaPorte County Small Animal Shelter, visit http://www.laportecounty.org/departments/animal_shelter/index.html or stop by the shelter at 2855 W. State Road 2, LaPorte.

Officer Harlan Williams, accompanied by police dog Hokie, talks to campers. Photo by Dennis Proud

Bernard and campers view the dogs currently available for adoption at the squeaky-clean LaPorte County shelter.

Kids wrapped in "bandages" run a fun race. Photo by Dennis Proud

Hokie springs into action under Officer Williams' direction. Photo by Dennis Proud

Photo and info courtesy of Judy Kessler

(Click on photo to enlarge)

   The photo shows local tree trimmer Greg Gilpin rescuing a cat that had been stranded in a tall pine tree in LaPorte for nearly 48 hours.

   For two days and one night, the cat held onto the limbs of the tree during the cold, wet and windy weather on Wednesday and Thursday, April 13 and 14. Neighbors in the 500 block of Scott Street called the fire department, but due to the tree’s location, firefighters were unable to reach the exhausted cat.

   Then neighbor Frank Rubino and owner of Franko’s Tree Service was called for help. Frank called experienced climber Greg Gilpin, and ground and rope man Mike Draves. Greg climbed nearly 70 feet up the pine, and to the neighbors’ great relief, rappelled down the tree with the cat holding on to him for dear life.