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Lori begins speaking about the disaster for animals in Ukraine with Chris DeRose and Cindy Beal DeRose from Last Chance for Animals (LCA). The situation on the ground for animals continues to be bleak and deadly. Terrified abandoned dogs are starving and do not know where to go. Dogs, cats and other animals are enduring terrible conditions. Reliably getting funds to support the animals into the right hands can be challenging. Chris passionately argues that the passivity of the US permitted Putin to gain the upper hand, leading to the awful devastation of Ukrainian fighters and civilians, and consequently to the suffering of so many animals. Chris DeRose is Founder, President, and CEO of LCA. Cindy Beal DeRose is the organization’s Executive Director and CFO.
Then, what is the correct spelling of that small whale with the elongated tusk-like tooth? Narwhal, narwhale, narwal, or something else? Can you name a flying mammal? Is Pooh’s buddy, Tigger, a tiger or something else? Take Lori’s latest quiz along with Peter.
Lori then recognizes Dog Bite Prevention Week, reminding us that guardians play the most important role in minimizing instances of bites. And, did you know that 2 states, Virginia and California, now have laws requiring shelters and rescue group which adopt out dogs, to share the dogs’ “bite history” if known, to the potential adopters? Lori believes that in principle, such laws are a good idea because more information about the dogs’ history should lead to better matches between adopters and dogs. However, determining the true and complete history of dogs’ prior lives can be near impossible. And, saying a dog has bitten in the past automatically stigmatizes the dog in the eyes of many, even though the circumstances surrounding the alleged incident are unknown. For instance, if a child pulls the tail of dog, frightening the animal, who then spins around and nips the child, can the dog be blamed? Another regrettable phenomenon is the imprecise use of the word vicious. A dog who has bitten is often wrongly called a vicious dog, which lessens the dogs’ prospects for adoption, and raises its chances of being euthanized.
So, whether and how to provide histories to potential adopters is a complex issue. For now the best we can do is to remind or educate adopters that they need to be realistic and adaptable. There is a little story, apropos here, where a woman asks her Vet, “Is there any chance my dog will bite?” The Vet replies, “Does he have teeth?”
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