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Recent trends show that pets are becoming more central to people’s lives than ever. In fact, many owners will tell you their animal is the only one who truly understands them!

Ah, Valentine’s Day...Time for a romantic dinner, proclamations of love, delectable treats and cuddling up to the love of your life. The four-legged kind, that is. If this sounds familiar to you, you’re not alone.

In fact, a recent North American poll revealed that 43% of men prefer to spend Valentine’s Day with their pet, while 30% of women who said the same explain that it ’s because their pet is more in tune with their feelings than anyone else.

Companion animals (mostly dogs and cats) have proven time and again as being highly therapeutic for people of all ages, soothing stress and creating calm. People who have endured emotional trauma or who are recovering f rom serious illness or injury are often aided by living with pets.

In a study of 92 people hospitalized for coronary ail-ments, within one year 11 of the 29 people who didn’t have pets had died. Only three of the 52 pet-owning patients died. Pretty incredible, isn’t it?

Naturally, now that Valentine’s Day nears, pet owners

IN THIS EDITION:*Ask the Vet

*Trisha’s Tips *Success Story *Payday Pet Program * Volunteer Corner

*Star Sponsor

NewsTails

NEW

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For the Love of a Pet

Valentine’s Edition 2008

are looking for ways to reward our d e v o t e d animals for their spe-cial way of improv ing our quality of life.

I n s t e a d of buying n o v e l t y items, why not treat your pet to a groom-ing session or training class?

Gifts and activities aside, give your pet the most valuable thing of all: your time and attention.

Even the best-loved pets spend most of their lives alone while our busy lives keep us f rom home for most of the day, all year-round. Although this is rather unavoidable with our career demands and family schedules, there are simple ways to give your pet more one-on-one time.

Skip some of your TV or computer time, and play fetch with your dog or get out the laser pointer and toys out for your cat. Look for ways to include your pet in household activities and, when possible, on family outings. Organize a regular Pet Playdate with others or curl up alone to chat and snuggle. You truly are the centre of their universe, and given that honour, take the time to cherish it.

February 2008

Trisha’s TipsHeavenly Creatures board member Patricia Collins shares pet tips and tidbits with fellow animal lovers.

HOUSEHOLD PET SAFET Y Your home may hold unnoticed hazards for your dog or cat. Practice household safety by making sure to keep the following away f rom your pet:

Antifreeze. Antif reeze tastes sweet to animals, but is deathly poisonous even in small doses. Just a few licks and your medium-sized dog can die; less for a cat. Pets can be poisoned either by drinking it or licking it off their fur/paws. Store antif reeze away f rom your pet ’s reach and immediately clean up any spills.

Plant Fertilizer. Fertilizers are dangerous to pets if ingested. Store these in plastic bags and in cabinets inaccessible to your cat or dog.

Chocolate. Chocolate is poisonous to both dogs and cats. Never feed your pet any chocolate or food that contains chocolate, or leave it unattended.

Chicken bones. Keep your pet f rom eating chicken bones (including wings) - the bone can either shatter and cause choking or splinters can tear up your pet ’s insides - both can re-sult in death.

Thread, Yarn & Dental Floss. If swallowed, these items can bunch up and tear your pet ’s intestines. Cats love playing with string; just don’t leave it un-attended. Beware of hair elastics and rub-ber bands as well!

Until next time, all the best to you and your furry f riends!

~Trisha

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Heavenly Creatures greatly appreciates the support that local business BARKK Food has provided the charity with this past year.

Owned and operated by Stephen and Shannon Quick, BARKK Food produces quality raw pet food that is tasty enough for humans to eat!

Hand-ground, packaged and frozen in convenient portion sizes, BARKK Food is made with all-natural ingredients. Local meat and ground bones (chicken, turkey, duck, lamb, goat or beef ) and brown eggs, basmati rice, fruit, vegetables, fish oil, kelp, alfalfa, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals

BARKK Food has kindly donated raw food to Heavenly Creatures’ animals with skin and digestive problems. Buddy (pictured above) has experienced amazing results!

For more details about this local raw pet food, visit www.barkkfood.com.

Star Sponsor

June 2007

ww

w.pr-ac.ca

BARKK FOOD

death or injury. Rabbits can perish f rom f right (heart attack) or become easily injured when startled. A quiet household is the only suitable one for a bunny. (5) Rabbits should be spayed or neutered. Like with cats, unfixed rabbits are much more difficult to have in the home (marking their territory, becoming more aggressive). The aver-age female can deliver 5 - 10 babies several times yearly for as many as four years! (6) Rabbits need the right diet and grooming. Their nails require reg-ular clipping, like other pets. (7) Rab-bits do not usually like being picked up. They prefer solid ground for play-time and petting - they sometimes bite to get their point across!

Thank you for reading, and for your continued support.

Jessica Rendell, President

Hello everyone.It may be Valentine season, but what I’d like to talk about is the next big holiday that is fast approaching: Easter.

If you are considering purchasing your child a live rabbit as an Easter gift, please think again. It ’s probably best that you stick with the choco-late or stuffed variety.

Disconcertingly, ever since the big-box pet stores came to existence in St. John’s, we have seen a HUGE increase in the number of calls f rom people wanting us to re-home their rabbits.

Rabbits are too often sold to buyers who don’t understand the reality of caring for them - students who want them only because they are not allowed to have a cat or dog in their rental unit, and families just seeking to please their children.

When the students move and the children lose interest, these bunnies often lose out. Many are dumped on the side of the road (though are unlikely to survive in the wild or the climate) or dropped off at a shelter where they are euthanized for lack of a good home.

FACTS ABOUT RABBITS:

(1) Rabbits do not make good pets for children. They need daily care f rom a responsible adult, and are far more labour-intensive than cats. (2) Rabbits usually live up to eight years - some live twice that! (3) Rabbits require daily exercise outside of the cage in order to be healthy and happy; they should not live their lives constantly shut in cages. (4) Loud noises can result in

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President’s Message

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February 2008

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Volunteer Corner

VOLUNTEER SNAPSHOTLORI SHEPPARD

Lori Sheppard plays an important role in Heav-enly Creatures adoption program. Not only does she screen applicants to ensure our animals are placed in homes best suited to their needs, she also assesses dogs taken into the foster program.

The instructional designer from St. John’s got in-volved in March 2007. Her enthusiastic nature, keen ability to deal with the public and willing-ness to take on a variety of tasks makes her a valu-able component of the Heavenly Creatures team.

Lori feels strongly about puppies being sold in pet stores. “They often come from puppy mills where dogs are kept in poor conditions, bred repeatedly with no regard for their health or well being.” She continues, “The result is often poorly bred litters with health and behavioral problems. If you do purchase a pet, always deal with a responsible breeder – or better still, adopt!” Her spare time is spent with her animals and fam-ily, while each summer brings a trip to see the Dave Matthews Band perform.

Lori has three dogs – Gordon Setters Lucy and Penny, and Lab mix Gracie – as well as five Guinea Pigs: Iggy, Spike, Gus, Maddie and Muffin.

NewsTails is Heavenly Creatures’ quarterly news-letter created as a pro bono contribution from local PR consultant Jennifer Barnable.

Jennifer has volunteered her services in fostering, special events and promotion since 2005. She acts as Communications Advisor and has fostered more than two dozen cats and kittens over the past few years.

She is shown here with Callie Pie, one of her three ad-opted cats. When she’s not at work or helping animals, Jennifer freelances in writing and photography and loves to travel.

Submit an article, event or success story and have it featured in the next edition of NewsTails! Simply e-mail: jbarnable@gmail.com.

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Expert Advice

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A. Animals vocalize for many reasons, but it can usu-ally be summed up to a need, whether it is attention, dis-comfort, hunger, stress, play, or downright pain.

When any animal exhibits this behaviour, a vet check is certainly warranted. Older cats, and dogs, are more prone to certain diseases (i.e. hyperthyroidism, seizures, vestibular disease, kidney or heart disease, etc) which can leave them in signifi cant discomfort, both mentally and physically.

If bloodwork is all fi ne, I would also want to check for any vision problems. High blood pressure (often second-ary to heart disease and/or hyperthyroidism) can result in blindness for some animals, as do cataracts.

Blindness will often leave an animal disorientated (es-pecially in unfamiliar surroundings) for some time, par-ticularly if they cannot hear any familiar voices or sounds during the night. Th e same goes for loss of hearing; some animals tend to be more exaggerated in their vocalization as this sense weakens.

Although they are animals, they, too, can experience what is called “cognitive dysfunction,” which many people ex-perience in later years as the brain ages.

Some animals may wander or even stand in odd places. With others you may see more vocalization, particularly when they are left alone, or “accidents” may occur in the house more frequently.

Q. Why does our older cat yowl and cry loudly at night when everyone is in bed?

We had his senior vet check-up just a few weeks ago and he’s in good health, but the sounds he makes are terrible. When one of us gets up to check on him, he seems fi ne.

Is this “yelling out” some oth-er sort of communication or something that comes with age? We have another cat and she doesn’t do this. He seems hap-py, but the cries he makes sound very sad and confused! What is going on? We’re worried.

February 2008

I cannot say for sure what these animals are thinking, but it does seem that some animals, just like some peo-ple, become a bit more dependent on us in their later years.

For many of these conditions there are possible treat-ments, including cognitive dysfunction. After speaking with your vet and getting a clean bill of health for your animal, you may want to try some tips used for separa-tion anxiety.

Try leaving on a radio or television when you go to bed. After all, who doesn’t like falling asleep to the sound of Josh Groban? Plugging in a night light or two to help your older cat navigate his way through the house at night. Perhaps he can enlist your younger kitty to be his guide!

In any case, even after vet testing and close monitor-ing, you may never fi nd out the exact cause for this vo-calizing, but you can always do your best to minimize stress for your animal. Patience and reassurance will go a long way.

RIGHT: Dr. Cheryl Laite

is a veterinarian from

Mount Pearl, NL. She

has treated many of our

“Heavenly Creatures.”

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GIGIO

Gigio was adopted in the summer of 2007, and was one of 80 unclaimed stray animals impounded at facilities in the City of Mount Pearl and Town of Paradise. Heavenly Crea-tures took responsibility for these animals to try to find them new homes.

“Gigio is the best family pet we could have possibly hoped for!” her adoptive family tells us. “She is such a bright and beautiful dog. She is always ready for fun and games.

Her favorite pastimes are chasing a ball, do-ing tricks for treats, going for walks, giving kisses and cuddles - and finding peanuts that the blue jays hide in the park behind our house!

Gigio is very loving and her one floppy ear is endearing to all she meets. In fact I’m sure she is a favorite of the neighborhood chil-dren.

Our family loves this dog and we are truly indebted to Heavenly Creatures for bringing us together. Thank you f rom the bottom of our hearts!”

~Cathy, Dan & Jada St. John’s, NL

February 2008

Gigio was one of 80 unclaimed strays that Heavenly Creatures took

in last year for the City of Mount Pearl and Town of Paradise.

Success Stories

IS YOUR PET INSURED FOR EMERGENCIES

OR UNEXPECTED VET BILLS?

Pet Insurance protects the only family member who doesn’t have a health card! If your pet has any accidents or unexpected illnesses, pet insurance helps you pay for the emergency veterinary treatments they need - treatments that can cost thousands of dollars.

We’ve recently gotten a tip from some animal lovers about a competitive insur-ance plan offered at local branches of President’s Choice (PC) Financial. Check it out at www.pcinsurance.ca.

MEMBERSHIP & DONATIONS

Donations can make a great birthday present, or remembrance of

a beloved pet. Become a member of Heavenly Creatures and help

us continue our important animal rescue work.

Name: _______________________________________________

Address:______________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

Tel #: ________________ E-mail: _________________________

Gift Donation (for recipient): ___________________________

In Memory of : _________________________________

Send to: Heavenly Creatures Inc

P.O. Box 882, Stn C

354 Water Street

St. John’s, NL A1C 1C0

(709) 739-0077

Charity #865553655RR0001

MEMBERSHIP FEES

Family $20

Single $10

Senior $5

Associate $5

DONATIONS

$20

$50

$100

Other amt $_______

Yes, I’d like a tax receipt (donation only).

Painless Payday Donations

Have your office accountant set up an automatic pledge deduction f rom your pay cheque. Even a little bit helps.

DID YOU KNOW THAT OVER THE COURSE OF A YEAR...

$5 per pay cheque can help get a cat spayed?$10 per pay cheque can help get a dog neutered?$20 per pay cheque could cover bloodwork, medication and other assistance to “special needs” animals?

Imagine what $25, $50 or more could do! Check with your Human Resources Department to learn about these valuable giving options. Tax receipts are available. For more details, e-mail info@heavenlycreatures.ca.

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Last Licks

Clip out and mail in. You may also donate online! Visit www.heavenlycreatures.ca/donate.asp

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