Photo by Rebecca Barnett | The Roanoke Times: Sabrina Garvin (left) of Roanoke County, president of the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center, assesses the progress of a pileated woodpecker held by Hannah Millsaps, 20, of Roanoke County.

Stepping out of my role as pet reporter, I got to take a walk on the wild side of animal life when I visited with a couple of local wildlife rehabilitators.

Click here to read the story from today’s Extra section.

I learned a lot from Sabrina Garvin and DeeDee Hartson, and they both reinforced something I have always believed: When it comes to nature, the less we humans do the better.

Of course if baby wildlife is truly endangered and needs help, compassionate people need to intervene, but before stepping in, step back and really assess the situation. Make sure that help is really needed and by all means, call a professional.

Hannah Millsaps, who works with Sabrina Garvin at the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center, said one of the best things that pet owners can do is to keep cats inside when its baby season in the great outdoors.

Personally, I am a huge advocate of keeping cats indoors year-round, but I think this is sage advice, especially if you know your kitty has a strong predator instinct. Besides, who really wants the “gifts” the cat is likely to bring?

Stormy

I have a pit bull mix in my family. Stormy is the happiest dog I have ever had the pleasure to meet. He’s generous with kisses, wags his tail so hard we are convinced it will fall off one day, and he loves to snuggle between me and my husband in bed.

He’s also been greeted with a fair amount of fear and trepidation when we take him out in public. When people ask what kind of dog he is and we answer “SPCA special” or “mutt”, they are eager to pet him. If we say he’s a “pit mix”, often they back away.

When I brought him to the newsroom once for a photo shoot for a column I wrote about owning a pit bull, I had a coworker politely tell me, as Stormy was being petted by others, that he didn’t want to be anywhere near a pit bull.

It’s unfair that so many dogs have been misjudged because this breed (or mix of the breed) has been the favorite of dog fighters and other irresponsible people who do not treat these dogs humanely. It’s tragic that many dogs — good dogs that have never hurt anyone — have been destroyed because of local ordinances banning any dog that even resembles the breed standard for a bull terrier.

Angles of Assisi, the downtown Roanoke no-kill shelter, will be screening a film “Beyond the Myth” at Roanoke College’s Olin Recital Hall on Friday, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m.

According to the news release, “The film investigates the myths associated with these breeds, challenges the idea that they are inherently vicious, and presents eye-opening research regarding the media’s role in influencing people’s opinion on dog attacks.”

Click here to purchase tickets. Ticket holders are also eligible to get 50 percent off the adoption fee for adult dogs at Angels of Assisi.

Before I heard it from Temple Grandin, I would never know that a chicken deprived of privacy in her egg-laying coop would be unhappy, even anxious.
Left exposed to do her most personal business, “… she’ll feel like she’s in a hotel room without a door in a bad part of town,” Grandin joked in her keynote speech to the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association’s conference at the Hotel Roanoke on Feb. 24.

The 64-year-old professor from Colorado State University, sporting her trademark cowgirl shirt and tie (she was inducted into the Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 2010), held the attention of a ballroom full of veterinary health professionals and at least one curious pet lover for almost an hour in a lively discussion about animal behavior.

From large livestock to pocket-size pets, Grandin shared insights about behavior backed with observation, humor and science.

One tidbit: It turns out gerbils also share a chicken’s desire for alone time. If your gerbil is constantly digging in his bedding, he’s not unhappy with the wood shavings, he’s trying to build shelter. You can save the poor little guy a lot of work and anxiety by adding a den to his pen.

Grandin, who holds a doctorate from the University of Illinois in animal science, has published four books and hundreds of articles, and tours the country talking about humane treatment of animals. At the Hotel Roanoke, she breezed through a slide show that presented science in a very accessible, even humorous way, and explained much about the way animals process information.

Grandin credits her own autism with helping her understand the way the brains in other mammals work.
“I think in pictures, not in words,” she explained, and so do dogs and cats. Pets have a sensory-based memory (“the local tree is a like a coffee shop to a dog … full of information”) that guide their reactions to people, places and things. While they learn differently than humans, they do learn.

Keeping your pet calm, according to Grandin, is the best thing you can do for the safety and well-being for both you and the pet. Too many pets, she said, end up being euthanized over behavior problems.
Starting in the puppy stage (from kittens to foals, too) she recommended exposing pets to people, animals and other stimuli and try to make all new experiences calm and positive. Pets have memories like file folders, and often certain items or places can trigger a memory file to open. Once a pet has had a bad experience that triggers a fear response, it takes a lot of work to undo the damage.

“You can train an animal to close a file, but not to erase it,” she said.
She suggested simple things, like taking a mat from home to the vet’s office so the slippery stainless steel table won’t be so scary to your pet. “Fear of falling is primal,” she explained.

Our pets, she said, tend to lead a very sheltered life, and this can cause some behavior problems. The more they are socialized, the better their lives, and ours, will be.

Scene from my neighborhood as my husband drove me to work this morning. Gorgeous.

Today’s Happy Wag column is all about common household items that can be toxic to pets.

The one I felt was most timely was mentioning that lilies can be very detrimental to a cat’s health. I happen to love lilies and I am pretty sure a stargazer or two has graced the center of my dining room table in bouquets, especially in the spring. Since we all know I can’t keep Thai off that table no matter how many times I blog about it (it’s like he doesn’t even READ this blog) I will be sure to keep those out of the house.

One thing I didn’t mention that would have been very timely today is the ice repellents and salt that many of us use on snowy days like this. Needless to say, your pet could get sick eating that stuff, but it’s also not good for their foot pads. Be sure to wipe down their feet if they happen to walk in anything other than snow.  My dogs happen to love a good rub down after they come in from a romp in the snow, so this one is easy for me.

And by the way, Roanokers, I know the bad weather is an inconvenience, broken limbs are dangerous and power outages are a lousy way to spend the day, but you gotta admit that this town sure looks good in snow.

Click this little link right here to today’s Happy Wag newspaper column about the upcoming Purses for Paws fundraiser for the Pet Peace of Mind program through Carilion.

Barbara Stevenson of Roanoke County admires a Walleska Echochicc handbag that was donated by La De Da while helping to plan the design of the space at Hunting Hills Country Club that will be used to host a fund raiser called Purses for Paws, to benefit Pets Peace of Mind.

Go ahead, read it. I’ll be right here when you get back.

Pretty awesome event, right?

Pets Peace of Mind is a non-profit through Carilion Clinic Hospice that helps in-home hospice patients keep and care for their pets. Designer handbags and other donated items will be auctioned-off at the event, which will be held on October 23 at the Hunting Hills Country Club.

Now I am of the opinion that a lady cannot have too many bags. The right tool for the right job, I always say. So this is a great way to stockpile your arsenal of clutches, shoulder bags and evening purses while helping people who are in great need.

If you read this blog, I assume you love your pets and they love you unconditionally, no matter how you feel on any particular day. I know my pets are always a comfort to me when I am home sick with just a routine cough or cold. The cat and the dogs even seem to call a truce to their daily shenanigans when they sense I am sick.

I can only imagine how much I would need that comfort if I were facing a serious illness. I can also imagine it would be an enormous relief in an already stressful time to know my pet was being properly cared for, especially if I was unable to do it myself.

Photo by Rebecca Barnett/ The Roanoke Times

Here’s a link to today’s Happy Wag column, which highlights just some of the entries in this weekend’s BARKitecture fundraiser for the Roanoke Valley SPCA featured at the Fall Home Show.

Nicky. a Weimaraner, tries out Curtis Jennigs' doggy cabana for size and comfort.

The friendly competition includes unique pet houses contributed by professional and amateur builders, artists and other crafty types of folks. The dog houses (and the one crocheted cat cave) are sold via silent auction at the event sponsored by the Roanoke Valley Homebuilder’s Association.

All the bids for the donated doggy digs go the RVSPCA.

Please feel free to try to outbid me, but I have my eye on the one pictured here.

I think I know two greyhounds who would LOVE to have this on our back deck.

Did you see today’s Daily Deal? You can send your doggie back to school for $10.

If you are not aware of the Daily Deal, it’s a bargain that is offered through roanoke.com that gets you savings on local goods and services. It’s a great way to save money at stores, salons and restaurants that you already patronize and to try new ones at a discounted rate.

Today’s deal is from Field of Dreams, a doggy training school in Vinton. I have interviewed the owner, Karen Hough, a couple of times for stories and she’s definitely dedicated to dogs.

I have been planning since last spring to enroll Melissa Moo in Field of Dreams day school, hoping it would help her learn some manners and the play better with other dogs. Our other two dogs, Coral and Stormy, get along with Melissa most of the time, but she’s a little odd and can be a real handful. They often look at her and then look at us as if to ask, “Was she dropped on her head as a puppy?”

If you have a dog with lots of energy, day care is a great way to work off the excess. When Six Wags in Salem was open, we took Stormy there twice a week and the time he spent in that park with the dog handlers and the other pooches did WONDERS to positively channel his puppy energy.

Field of Dreams, from what I understood from Hough when we spoke earlier this year, takes that concept a step further and tries to help dogs work on social skills and uses positive reinforcement for good behavior at home.

Do any of you take your dogs to day care or to any kind of obedience school? Do you have an A student or one that’s more academically challenged?

Here are the other photos that accompanied the Monday article in the Extra section:

Henry, a 5-year-old, 207-pound English mastiff, rests under an umbrella. He visited Avon Beach in the Outer Banks in May with his pet parent, Kathy Myrman of Old Southwest Roanoke.

Linus, a miniature schnauzer, visited the beach for the first time in May. "He was mesmerized by all the people around and the huge body of water, which I am pretty sure he thought was a huge bathtub, so he refused to go in," said his pet mom, Nicole Bruch of Southwest Roanoke.

Stashiel, a 2-year-old Chihuahua/Yorkie mix, went on vacation last summer to the Founders Inn in Virginia Beach with his pet mom, Gail Reynolds of Roanoke. "He ran on the beach, flirted with women from his shoulder bag and watched me get a fake tattoo -- all the time being a little Casanova."

Squirt, a 10-week-old Chihuahua, is excited about his first spring and summer with his pet parents, Missy Wampler and Justin Mabry of Roanoke.

Here’s a link to Monday’s Happy Wag column, where I asked all the newspaper’s readers to send in their pet photos.

Here are three of the photos that accompanied the article:

Zippy, a 2-year-old yellow Labrador retriever, enjoys swimming in his backyard pool. "This year, he's graduated to the Roanoke River," said his pet parent, Beverly Amsler of Roanoke.

Ivy inspects Spock, a beta fish, in his foster home at Crystal Dillon's Allstate office in Roanoke.

Today’s Happy Wag newspaper column is all about kitties in need of homes.

Cats and kitten are available for adoption at deeply discounted fees at the Roanoke Valley SPCA and Angels of Assisi.

If you already have a kitty and are not sure a new one will be a good mix, you could test drive a feline or two by fostering. Fostering helps to ease the overcrowding and helps wee little kitties get the necessary social skills it takes to win over the hearts of prospective families.

Maybe your office could foster a cat for a while.  Friendly cats make great greeters for customers and can boost employee morale.

There are plenty of other ways you can help. Contact the RVSPCA and Angels to find out more.

And, if you happen to have a cat that is not fixed, you can prevent future litters by getting that taken care of right away.

On Wednesday,  Mountain View Humane, the low-cost spay/neuter clinic in Christiansburg, will transport  a van load of pets for reduced cost (or free if qualified) sterilization surgery as a way to celebrate “Don’t be a Father” Day.

(Potential moms included, too.)

Call 339-9523 or email hiptosnip@rvspca.org to make an appointment.