Angels of Assisi, the no-kill shelter in downtown Roanoke, has been offering low-cost spay and neuter services for more than 10 years. Now the clinic is expanding its range of services to include more affordable medical treatments for sick critters.

In addition to wellness and dental cleaning, the vet staff will offer immediate and ongoing treatment of ear, eye and skin conditions as well as care for urinary and respiratory infections. Preventative treatments, such as heartworm tests and treatments will also be offered, as well as minor surgical procedures, diagnostics and prescriptions.

Appointments can be made by calling 344-8707 or emailing angels@angelsofassisi.org.

And so should we as pet parents.

Even though we may pamper them and treat them like babies, dog are still animals and most have a protective instinct for their own safety, for their home and for the ones they love.  The most mild-mannered pooch could potentially lash out if he or she feels afraid or threatened. It’s our job to make sure that our dogs are socialized well to minimize this risk and to take precautionary steps to ensure the safety of everyone who comes in contact with our pets.

These are good tips from the USPS:

How to be a Responsible Dog Owner

• Obedience training can teach dogs proper behavior and help owners control their dogs in any situation.
• Dogs can be protective of their territory and may interpret the actions of a letter carrier as a threat. Please take precautions when accepting mail in the presence of your pet.
• When a letter carrier comes to your home, keep your dog inside, away from the door, in another room or on a leash.
• Dogs that haven’t been properly socialized, receive little attention or handling, or are left tied up for long periods of time frequently turn into biters.

Here’s a list of US cities with the most frequent dog attacks. No city in Virginia makes the list (but our eastern neighbors Baltimore did) and I am sure we all want to keep it that way.

Nothing good comes of a dog bite, not for the dog, who could be labeled as dangerous and face seizure or worse, and certainly not for the injured person, who could be a child.

Mountain View Humane Spay/Neuter Clinics, with locations in Roanoke and Christiansburg,  was awarded a $2,000 grant by the Community Foundation of the New River Valley to create the Prevent Another Litter Subsidy – Pulaski County (PALS-P).

The money will be used to support our PALS-P program to help subsidize the cost of spaying and neutering the animals of seniors living on a fixed income, the animals owned by low income families, and free-roaming cats in Pulaski County. Each individual that applies for funding will fill out an aid application form verifying income and pay a small portion of the total surgery fee.

MVH’s services are targeted to serve pets from low income households, pets being readied for adoption, and stray free- roaming animals.

“By providing an affordable, accessible solution to pet overpopulation, we can reach that portion of the public who otherwise would not be able to afford the surgery,” Corrie Prater, the clinics’ marketing director, said in a news release.

Service                 MVH Cost            PALS-P Subsidy                        Total cost to owner after funding

Feline Spay                  $58                         $31                                   $27

Feline Neuter              $45                         $30                                   $15

Canine Spay                 $73                        $35                                   $38

Canine Neuter             $68                         $32                                   $36

Pet owners in Pulaski County that would like to take advantage of this fund can call the Christiansburg clinic at (540)382-0222 or  (855) HIP-SNIP. Aid applications can be filled out online at www.MountainViewHumane.org or over the phone with clinic staff.

“The goal of our event is to collect donations for the local shelters in exchange for dog washes, food sales and free waffles just for showing up,” Jocelyn Dugan, sales coordinator for the hotel, wrote in an email news release.

Dugan wrote that last  year the event raised over $300 for the Humane Society of Montgomery County. This year’s event will feature returning vendors Humana, HSMC, MountainView Humane and Blissfully Balanced will donate 10 minute massages in exchange for pet supplies.

NRV Varmints Pet Sitting will donate a raffle prize and Dugan said more vendors will be added later.

So yeah, get a waffle, help out pets. Sounds like a fun day to me. I will post more details as the date draws closer.

Stormy — our home security system — will just power nap like a boss until we get back.

Have a great rest of the week, blog readers!

Few things are more summer-like than spending an afternoon or evening at the ball park, and just so you know, you can share that experience with your best doggy friend on Sundays this season.

Every Salem Red Sox Sunday home game at LewisGale Field will feature Bark in the Park. With the purchase of a $5 Pooch Pass you can take your pup out to the ball park.

The schedule for Sunday home games is:

• May 19 at 4:05 p.m.
• June 2 at 4:05 p.m.
• June 16 at 4:05 p.m.
• July 14 at 4:05 p.m.
• July 28 at 7:05 p.m.
• Aug. 18 at 4:05 p.m.
• Sept. 1 at 4:05 p.m.

AND….drum roll please…save the date of Sunday, June 30 for the Dog Days of Summer, a fundraiser for the Roanoke Valley SPCA. The gates will open at 3 p.m. for a pregame pooch parade. Line up begins at 3:30 p.m. for the parade and the first pitch is thrown at 4:05.

Volunteers for the RVSPCA will also be in the parking lot willing to scrub your pup clean for a small donation.

Remember that your well-mannered, crowd-friendly dog has to be on a leash and you should carry proof of his or her current rabies vaccine.

“Could you perhaps eat the pill and not just the Pill Pocket, please?”

“No, you’ve already had your cookies this morning. No more.”

“Seriously, what did that dry cleaning bag do to you to deserve a beat down?”

“A tabby in the driveway is not, repeat NOT, a code red bark alarm situation!”

“THAT’S A BUTTON, DUMMY, NOT A COOKIE!”

“Do not lick this antibiotic cream off your puncture wound, please.”

“Those are my earrings, not your toys.”

— Things I said to my pets this morning before 8:30 a.m.

(This photo, by the way, is a rare moment when all my critters were peacefully co-existing in the same room. Of course, they were almost all asleep, which contributed to the peace, but I take what I can get.)

What will you find at PetEx 2013, you ask? Well, it will feature:

• Free demonstrations and educational workshops to help you and your pet
• Vendors to serve the needs of you and your pet
• Contests and prizes
• Pet-themed entertainment
• Ask-The-Expert seminars and guest speakers (click here for the schedule)
• Critter Cafe

Pets are welcome to bring their well-behaved pet parents as long as the pet parent stays on the proper end of his or her leash or chauffeurs the pet carrier in a safe manner.

For ticket information, click this link right here.

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?

Is it Adoption Impossible? Or can this mission indeed be possible?

You can visit with kitties and dogs in search of loving families at PetSmart at Valley View this weekend from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday.

To see the gallery of pets available for adoption, including Harris who is pictured here, click this link right here.