Breed or Mix: Brown Holland lop bunny
Sex: Male, Age: 2 Yrs
Collar/Tags: No collar/tags
Lost on: 10/03/2018
Area: Near Caldwell Rd Elementary School, 280 Caldwell Rd, Cole Harbour, Halifax, NS
Additional Notes: Very friendly brown Holland lop bunny got lose out of his outside pen.
#NSLostDogNetMrSniffles
Please Contact: Please cross post and if you have any information contact: Tina at 902-402-1616 or Jamie at 902-476-2611
Breed or Mix: Goat
Sex: Male, Age: 1 Yr
Collar/Tags: No collar
Lost on: 08/26/2018
Area: 156 Reese Rd, Thorburn, Pictou, NS
Additional Notes: MALE: Goat, 1 year old, fawn, tan and black coat, not wearing his collar, friendly with people, scared of dogs. “loves apples and flowers might be in your back yard” NAME: Patrick He went missing on Aug.26/18.
#NSLostDogNetPatrick
Please Contact: Please cross post and if you have any information contact: Kelly at 902-759-9269 or Sara at 902-759-2949
Public Advisory:Please be Advised that Lambs Lake at Mickey Hill Provincial Park in Annapolis County is closed to…
Posted by County of Annapolis on Wednesday, August 29, 2018
ID Tag/Microchip:
Have your dog’s updated ID tags on their collar and the collar on them at all times during a storm. We recommend having your cell phone on your dog’s tag and that you have a dog licence from your municipality. Also, have your dog microchipped and the information kept up-to-date with the chip company/vets. If you don’t have a tag available, as a temporary ID use a black marker to write your cell number either on tape around or the webbing of their collar.
Long Walk:
Take your dog for a long walk as you both may be housebound for a few days.
Food and Meds:
Make sure you have enough dog food and medications in stock for both you and your dog. They recommend at least 72 hours worth.
Winter Dog Gear:
Get out your dog coats/sweaters and boots because when your dog has to go, they have to go. People will be using a lot of salt with this ice build up, so be prepared with dog boots or ointments to reduce the risk to your dogs pads. Have towels ready to dry off your dog after being out in the storm.
Evacuation:
Prepare ahead of time and have a plan for your family and your pets incase you had to evacuate your home. You can find a great article on planning ahead for your pets safety during an evacuation here. And disaster preparedness for pets here.
Have toys ready for indoor play:
Stuff kong’s with your dogs food or special treats, use interactive toys where both you and your dog work together, have chew toys ready: Your dog will be anxious and active and you will need to burn some of that energy off while indoors.
Print a copy of this list:
You can find a copy of this list for printing here.
Thunder and Lightning Safety:
Please read the info provided at this link for information on keeping your dog calm during a Thunderstorm:
Outside for bathroom breaks only:
Limit the time you and your dog spend outside during the storm. Ice makes the streets and sidewalks dangerous and the storm itself may cause havoc. Don’t forget your own cleats for your boots as everywhere you step will be icy. (Information on hypothermia in dogs can be found here.)
Leashed when outside:
Please keep them on leash, even within a fenced yard during the storm. Winds, heavy ice build up, noise of salt trucks, falling branches, etc. All these things can cause your dog to bolt. A dog bolting from fear can leap high fences and/or run for long distances.
Stay Inside During Worst Part of Storm:
The risks are too high during the worst part of a storm, so be prepared to keep your dog inside and safe. Take your dog out before the worst hits, create a potty area/pee pad inside your home so your dog is comfortable. Don’t feed your dog during the worst part of the storm.
Power Outage:
Stay calm so your dog stays calm as well.
Don’t forget to keep your dog warm by providing them with blankets or sweaters.
While shovelling/salting/cleaning up:
Please keep your dog leashed or tethered when they are out with you shovelling/salting/cleaning up. Often people let their dogs play in the snow while they shovel out the cars and driveway. With snowplows, high winds, and all the other dangers out there, we advise that your dog be on a long line, on a leash, tethered safely or simply kept indoors.
Speak out if you see a pet left in the cold:
Call your local Animal Control or the Provincial SPCA Cruelty Investigations to report a dog left out in the cold. You could also try your local Police or RCMP. Contact Information listed by County for Nova Scotia can be found here: www.ns.lostdognetwork.com/contact-list/ If you feel comfortable, doing so at your own risk, please consider offering this pet shelter, in your home, basement, garage, or even a shed. You should also report finding this pet to local online community pages (lost pets, community centres, yard sales, etc.) and place a free ad on Kijiji.ca under Pets: Lost and Found. Thank you.
Before you let your dog out, check your yard:
Thoroughly check the yard after the storm for any gates blown open by high winds, broken fence sections, hanging or downed branches/trees, power lines down, live wires, etc.
Road Salts:
After a snow storm the sidewalks may be very icy and/or covered in road salt. “When you get back inside, wipe down (or wash) your pet’s feet, legs and belly to remove these chemicals (road salt) and reduce the risk that your dog will be poisoned after (s)he licks them off of his/her feet or fur.”* Or consider getting winter boots for your dog:
October 4, 2017 article in the Chronicle Herald about a dog surviving an attack, in it’s own backyard, by a coyote in Eastern Passage, NS. We see very few of these types of attacks, but I think the important things to note are that Coyotes have been heard in the area lately, the dog was off leash, and an e-fence was in use – that means the dog would be unlikely to leave the property but it does not stop wildlife or predators from coming onto the property.
The article references local wildlife experts who encourage folks to educate themselves on how to stay safe while living next to wildlife habitat (this dogs home is surrounded by woodland). We understand and appreciate that every situation is not avoidable and we are not pointing fingers. However, we do want people to learn from these experiences and to engage all possible preventative measures to keep their pets safe.
We wish Daisy a full and speedy recovery from her horrible experience.
Dawn Harmes’s dog Daisy is facing a long recovery after a harrowing coyote attack.
Harmes let Daisy out of her Eastern Passage home for a little backyard exercise at about 6:45 Friday evening. There are extensive woods around the property but Harmes has an underground electric fence so Daisy won’t go too far.
“The last month or so, I’ve been hearing the coyotes kind of on a regular basis at night,” Harmes said on Wednesday. “So the last week or so, I wasn’t letting her out by herself. I was either taking her out on a leash or I was going out with her.”
On Friday, she went out with Daisy but the dog wasn’t on a leash.
Daisy is a beagle-Jack Russell terrier mix and moves pretty fast.
“It was less than two minutes from going out the front door. I was looking . . . to see where she went and I heard her yelping.”
The attack
She started running toward where the yelping was coming from, and found Daisy with the coyote.
“She had gotten away from it, but I don’t know if she had done it on her own or maybe because I had started screaming and startled the coyote or what.
“The coyote, he didn’t even run. He turned and just walked back into the woods. (Daisy) ran to the house and I came running behind her.”
That’s when Harmes saw the trail of blood.
She didn’t know the extent of the injuries at the time, but knew it was bad. Too shaken to drive, she called her father, who lives nearby, to help her rush Daisy to the Eastern Passage Village Veterinary Hospital.
“I was standing in the doorway, waiting for my father to come get us, and the coyote walked across the front yard. It freaked me right out.”
Her father came within 10 minutes, though, and they took their wounded charge to the vet.
The aftermath
Harmes said the vet told her she could clean Daisy’s injuries and stitch up some punctures. But the bites had punctured through her abdominal wall, threatening internal damage and the risk of infection from bacteria in the air and whatever might have been transferred from the coyote’s teeth.
They had to take Daisy to the Metro Animal Emergency Clinic in Burnside for surgery.
 |
| Daisy suffered a punctured kidney and severe muscle damage because of the coyote attack, and the risk of infection is very high for the 12-year-old beagle-Jack Russell terrier mix. (DAWN HARMES) |
There, Harmes learned the situation was dire. Daisy is 12-and-a-half years old and has a heart condition. The doctor asked her to consider making the most difficult decision any pet owner must make. The odds of making it through the surgery were 50-50 and the vet needed to assess the little dog’s quality of life, asking if Daisy had mobility issues.
“I assured her Daisy’s like a puppy,” Harmes said. “She’s bouncy. I think it’s the Jack Russell in her. She just flies around all the time. She doesn’t walk. She runs.”
They decided to go ahead with the surgery.
Harmes said Dr. Karen Kaiser called her at 2 a.m. to say the surgery went well. They opened her up and checked extensively for damage. They found a puncture in her kidney and severe muscle damage on her side.
Recovery
Daisy is home now but not out of the woods as far as her health is concerned. She must be given pain medication and antibiotics to combat the severe risk of infection.
“She seems to be doing OK. She’s walking around. I’m taking her out to relieve herself and she’s going out.”
But Harmes said Daisy will never have the run of the property again.
Coyote attraction
Butch Galvez, a wildlife technician in Waverley with the Department of Natural Resources, said they see this sort of thing every year. It’s a wooded area, it happened near dark and there was some separation between owner and pet. He said the dog likely knew immediately that the coyote was there and whether it was curiosity or territorial aggression is hard to say.
“It’s an unfortunate incident,” Galvez said. “We do follow up, so I will be going to the community and getting some brochures out. Education is probably the biggest thing, so people who have pets or outdoor cats, they know some basic things to keep their pets safe: Keep your dogs on leash, keep your dog close to you, if you do see a coyote and you have a small dog you can pick it up, make some loud noises, back away, that sort of thing.”
Galvez said he will also talk with residents in the area to see if there have been previous sightings or if someone might have put out food for other wildlife. Even bird seed or apples will attract coyotes.
While Galvez said while attacks on humans are rare, it is recommended that children have basic awareness.
“If they see a strange dog, back away, make noise, act big,” Galvez said. “Also, tell an adult if they ever see a strange-looking dog or coyote. And never run away. Their first instinct may be to run screaming. You never want to run away screaming from a coyote.”
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As dog owners, we look to products like the iota GPS Tracker to provide backup security for our dogs containment system, whether we have a fenced yard, use a tether or we boundary train our dogs. Most of us want something that is going to give us good coverage, have long battery life, and is affordable. There are a variety of trackers now available, however, it looks like the Iota Tracker is hitting the most marks on the dog owners “must have” list.
The iota Tracker is small enough and light enough to fit almost any size dog. My 10 lb dogs wear theirs on their harness’s. The iota has a long range of 1 to 4 miles; using both GPS and Bluetooth to track your dog. It’s rechargeable battery will last from a few weeks to a few months depending on use. It’s price is mid-range at $199 with no ‘extra’ charges like a lot of the cheaper trackers that require a monthly service fee and/or cellular costs.
Beyond that, the Iota is also waterproof, as in submersible. That’s a plus for all the Lab and water-loving-dog owners. However my dogs, if they had it their way, wouldn’t even have rain touch their “iota’s”. It’s durable and securely attaches to your dogs collar or harness. And the entire system; the tracker, the home base and the free app, are easy to set up and use.
Typical of iota, they promised when I bought my system to upgrade the software to include an activity monitor. True to their word, I can now set goals and monitor my dogs’ activity levels. Tracking my dogs activity level throughout the day may help with early diagnosis of any health problems as well. These are the kind of extras that makes iOta a great all around product.
The iota home base gives you 1 to 4 miles of coverage. Wow! That beats any Bluetooth option with an average coverage of about 100 feet. Also, it is half the price of the cheapest hunting dog quality GPS system (which are bulky, have an antenna sticking up and aren’t available for every size dog.) The iota Tracker smartly included Bluetooth with their GPS tracker, making it easier to pinpoint a dogs location. This kind of thinking that really makes the iota Tracker the best value for your money.
Uses GPS/Radio Freguency with a 1 – 4 mile coverage around your home base
Virtual Fence – Alerts you when your dog leaves the area, and can ring to help find your dog or to use in training
Long Rechargeable Battery life – a few weeks to a few months
Small and light but durable. Waterproof, even submersible
Attaches securely to your dogs collar/harness
Free App that is easy to use, and sharing the App with friends extends coverage via Bluetooth tracking
Monitors dogs activity
Works in the background of other home bases, potentially extending your coverage
iota Base Station – small with a sleek, modern design
No Monthly fees
No GPS coverage outside of the 1 to 4 mile range (think hiking) until other base stations are running in your area which may or may not happen.
Cost is mid-range at $199 which can be discouraging or unattainable for some dog owners
The iota tracker itself is white – rather noticeable (Having small dogs I just say it’s their battery pack!)
May not be durable enough for large breed dogs rough housing (“Crunch!”)
The iota Tracker helps to keep your dog safe at home and while walking in your neighbourhood. It does not give you GPS coverage outside of the home base range of 1 to 4 miles (without more home bases covering your area). This means that hiking with your dog outside of your neighbourhood will depend on the Bluetooth only coverage, no GPS. Statistics do show that the majority of dogs that end up lost have escaped from their home. This is probably due to dogs being left on their own while on their own property as opposed to being with their owner on a walk.
The iota is not the most expensive GPS tracker with ‘hunting dog quality’ trackers starting around $400. But it’s not as upfront affordable as the $50 Bluetooth trackers. However, you can’t beat that there are no monthly fees. The base station is a great, modern design but the tracker, which does complement the base station, ends up standing out on the collar. Simply offering a black option would solve this problem.
Overall, the iOta GPS Tracker is still my favourite dog tracker available. The pros out weigh the cons for me, but every dog owner is different. I’m impressed with the company getting so much technology into this small box, a lot of bang for your buck. So far they are true to their word with upgrades. And in places like San Francisco iota Tracker owners are living the dream knowing the entire city is covered with home base’s. Check out the coverage map on their website to see how this option is spreading.
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Thunder and Fireworks can be a very stressful time for your dog. The following is information that can help reduce that stress and help keep your dog safe during storms. Plenty of dogs that are not scared of fireworks. Perhaps they were exposed at a young age to loud noise, or are just easy-going in general. However, for those that have a scared or fearful dog, you will find listed below information to be applied early in a dog’s life, but also some last minute solutions that may help reduce the stress now.
Preventative:
Starting early can help lower your dog’s sensitivity to fireworks. Fear will get worse over time, handle it now. This is not a short-term fix but long term training by increasing your dog’s exposure through positive reinforcement/rewards.
Associating loud noise with rewards
Talk to your Vet about the use of drugs – some of these dogs/fears may require drugs before any improvement can be seen.
Schedule an appointment with a Board Certified Veterinary Behaviourist – Not every community has one, so talk to your Vet for any references.
Sound Therapy: Desensitize your dog through Thunderstorm CDs. Use this technique beforehand to slowly expose your dog to louder and louder noises, and rewarding them all along with treats and/or pettings.
“Through a Dog’s Ear” – specifically designed to reduce canine anxiety. Start using it when your dog is already in a calm, relaxed state, long before any fireworks. He will begin to associate this training with being in a calm/relaxed state. Then, on the night of the fireworks, begin the music hours before to bring him into that same state…continue straight through the fireworks and afterward as well. It doesn’t have to be loud and it has been clinically proven to calm the canine nervous system.
Sound Therapy combined with Desensitization: Fireworks, Thunderstorms, City Sounds, and Calming. A desensitizing training tool for sound sensitive and noise phobic dogs with Victoria Stilwell.
iCalm Dog 3.0 – portable player – A preloaded audio player
DURING OR DAY OF THE EVENT:
Do Not Take Your Dog to a Fireworks Display – leave them at home where they feel safest. Dogs have been known to bolt at the first explosion of fireworks, pulling the leash right out of the owner’s hands. This is very common with extended retractable leashes. Also, remember that dogs can change over time and those that were not scared before, may be frightened this time. It’s always best to leave your dog at home, in a safe, calm environment. Please don’t gamble with your dog’s safety by taking them to fireworks displays.
Know: It’s normal for a dog to be scared
Plenty of exercise before the event – Take your dog for a long walk or extended play time before the bad weather approaches or before a Fireworks Display.
Make sure your dog is wearing their ID tags with a properly fitting collar at all times – Even when your dog is at home have them wearing ID tags as fearful dogs have been known to bolt through doors and windows (both screen and glass). We recommend using a martingale style collar, as most dogs cannot back out of them… a technique successfully used by scared dogs to escape their leashes. However, if your dog is locked in a kennel at home, it’s best to remove their collar so their tags or buckle doesn’t get stuck in the wire mesh.
Do not let them “sweat it out” – Dogs will not learn to calm themselves, but instead are likely to become much more stressed when left to their own devices.
You need to stay calm – That doesn’t mean you can’t love on your dog, it means that you do it while staying calm and relaxed, reassuring your dog that everything will be okay or more correctly for your dog, that everything is okay.
Associating loud noise with rewards
Keep dogs inside during the event – preferably with human companionship.
Create a retreat inside for your dog – Create a special area within your home where your dog can feel safe and secure.
Sound Therapy – Play calming music that you have trained them with in the beginning. But even if you haven’t trained them with this, you can still use this technique. Calm classical music can work or the suggested, Through a Dogs Ears, classical music created just for dogs is a great help.
Calming wraps/Thundershirts™ can help some dogs, even if it just takes their fear down a notch, they are a great tool in your Fireworks toolbox. The swaddling, a gentle, constant pressure, works like with a baby, making your dog feel more secure in stressful situations. You will see some improvement to varying degrees depending on the dog. For my dog, it definitely takes the edge off the anxiety.
Natural therapies may help with the first signs of fear. However, it may be too late for them to work on severe cases – when stress is elevated to it’s highest point. Bach Flower, Lavender Oil, DAP (Dog Appeasing Pheromones) sprays are all effective to some degree or other… may depend on the dog itself as well.
Resources:
Victoria Stilwell:
https://positively.com/contributors/10-safety-and-calming-tips-for-dogs-during-fireworks/
Purina:
“Providing a positive or distracting stimulus is more likely to calm her down.”
http://www.petmd.com/blogs/dailyvet/2009/June/09-4226
RCMP Constable on Radio to Discuss Leaving Dogs in Cars on Hot Days | $$$Fines$$$
Today on 105.9 SEASIDE-FM’s Road Check with RCMP Constable Jim Shield, the topic will be about leaving pets in cars on hot days…quite the fines… Listen at 4:45 today, July 16, 2015
Listen Live online:
