Pet Emergency Preparedness – would you be ready if disaster struck?

As I sit down to write, a note scrolls across the bottom of the TV screen alerting viewers that there is a flash flood and tornado watch in Monroe County, NY.

We’re not typically a hot spot for tornadoes and floods, at least on the scale of Kansas or Mississippi, but it’s ironic that we should be having a severe weather alert, since last Saturday I took the Red Cross Pet First Aid and CPR class.

While there was a first aid section in the class and we did practice breathing into the demonstration dogs and cats, the real benefit of the class was the information instructor Barbara Hollands gave out preparing for a disaster. She has years and years of experience in both veterinary medicine and emergency response, so she had some really interesting – and sometimes startling – information to share.

For example, she explained that after Hurricane Katrina there were actually three disasters: 1) Mississippi, where the hurricane struck; 2) Louisiana, where the levees broke; and 3) Texas and other states north, where refugees fled.

And it’s that third scenario that’s where most people don’t think about emergency preparedness.

Dog bites flight attendent and passenger during flight

Just a hint: if you take a dog on an airplane, leave it in the crate.

According to Fox News, a US Airways flight made an emergency landing in Pittsburgh after a dog on board bit a passenger and a flight attendent on a flight from Newark, NJ to Phoenix, AZ.

According to the US Airways website:

“US Airways accepts hard-sided carriers up to 17 inches long x 16 inches wide x 8 inches tall and soft-sided carriers up to 17 inches long X 16 inches wide X 10 inches tall. On US Airways Express flights, pet carriers must not be more than 15 inches long x 17 inches wide x 8 inches tall on CRJ aircraft, more than 16 inches long x 17 inches wide x 8 inches tall on DH3 aircraft or more than 15 inches long x 14 inches wide x 8 inches tall on BH1 aircraft.”

The dog has to be able to turn around in the container, and the carrier must be stowed under the seat in front of the passenger during the entire flight. So we’re not talking a huge dog here. I can barely fit my purse under the seat in front of me let alone a carrier with enough room for Rover to turn around.

Apparently the dog’s owner let the little nipper out of its crate during the flight. Naughty, naughty dog owner. What were you thinking? That the rules apply to everyone except you?  

After the dog bit the flight attendent and a passenger, the pilot made the decision to land in Pittsburgh to make sure everyone was OK.

US Airways charges $100 to carry a pet on a flight. That dog owner should also be charged a fine for being stupid and putting other passengers at risk.

And pit bulls have a bad rap? What about stupid dog owners?

A nice long walk on the Erie Canal

Scout and Bandit get ready for a romp on the Erie Canal path in Pittsford, NY

Over here at the funny farm, we’ve been cooped up since early September because I’ve been sharing my car with my daughter and my Jeep has been in the shop. But the Jeep is finally ready so I took Scout and Bandit out for a nice long walk.

I don’t get out into parks much, mostly because I have a fear of being alone in the woods. I’ve never been much of an outdoors girls, but I saw “Friday the 13th” when I was in high school and that kind of put an end to whatever small enjoyment I got out of solitary nature excursions.

So while I’d love to romp through the woods on my own, I’m much happier taking a long walk on the Erie Canal path.

You can sit on the banks of the canal and watch the ducks and boats go by.

Scout, Bandit and I parked at Schoen Place in Pittsford and headed towards Fairport. What a great day for a walk. The leaves are beautiful, the temperature perfect, and for the dogs the smells were in abundance.

Or you can explore the smells along the path.

The path is paved in Pittsford, and if you head towards Fairport it’s gravel. There’s lot of room to let the dogs meander on long leads. Scout has always been afraid of the sounds of cars when we have to walk under the bridges; he’s gotten better over the years, thankfully, especially since Bandit came along. Trying to keep up with fearless Bandit has kept Scout focused on more fun things than loud, scary noises.

We met other folks walking their dogs, people out for a bike ride, and lots of joggers.  It’s a nice, quiet place to walk and still have other people around once in a while without being crowded.

And look, when you get to the port at Schoen Place, there’s even a drinking fountain for you and your dog!

There's even a water fountain at dog level!

You can learn more about the Erie Canal on the canal website.

BARK BACK: What’s your favorite dog-friendly outdoor adventure site in Rochester, NY?

Enter your dog’s picture in the Fido Friendly Magazine photo contest

Fido Friendly is a super cool, high quality dog magazine featuring travel, health, and wellness articles, and the editors want your pup to grace the pages of the magazine!

They’re asking readers to share their favorite dog-friendly places by sending in a photo of their dog visiting your favorite hotels, campgrounds, parks, mountains, trails, restaurants, B&Bs,  you name it. If Fido can go there, they want to know about it.

The editors will select 100 of the best ideas, and create a collage of some of the best high-resolution photos, to grace the pages of the first issue of 2011.

The deadline to enter is October 29, 2010, so don’t delay. You can learn more about the contest on Fido Friendly’s blog.

Book Review: Marcus of Umbria, by Justine van der Leun

With the nights getting chilly, here’s another book to add to your winter reading list: “Marcus of Umbria – What an Italian dog taught an American girl about love”, by Justine van der Leun.

The book could have been subtitled “What an Italian village taught an American girl about family, and how a dog helped her get back home,” because while there is a dog in the book, and she does play a pivotal role towards the end, the bulk of the book is a memoir that chronicles van der Leun’s year as part of a tight knit Italian family that extends beyond the walls of their home and into the entire village.

When van der Leun falls for an Italian guy she meets on vacation, she decides to leave her job in New York City and move to Collelungo, Italy, population 200, to live with her new romance.

What follows is an amusing and heartfelt tale as she adapts to her boyfriend’s close knit and unpredictable Italian family, the scrutiny of the villagers, and her honest reflections on her own family and upbringing. 

But it’s Marcus, the neglected hunting dog her boyfriend’s father keeps in a pen, that helps her understand what it’s like to truly love another living being. As she helps Marcus adapt to freedom, van der Leun begins to find freedom herself.

It’s a wonderful memoir along the lines of Annie Hawes’ “Extra Virgin: A Young Woman Discovers the Italian Riviera, Where Every Month Is Enchanted“
 or Peter Mayle’s “A Year in Provence“; it reads like a novel and the characters will capture your heart.

You can learn more on the “Marcus of Umbria” Facebook page.

Enter the dog photo contest for the next edition of The AAA PetBook

Your pup could be the next cover dog for The AAA PetBook!

Do you travel with your dog? If so, you can enter your vacation photo in the annual AAA PetBook Photo Contest sponsored by Best Western International. The winners will grace the cover and spine of the next edition of The AAA PetBook!