Pet Care

More pets are lost on the Fourth of July than any other time of year. It’s a heartbreaking scenario for pet parents, but swift action and major networking can increase the odds that you will be reunited with your cat or dog.

We recently surveyed more than 1,000 households with pets across the country to find out if they had lost a dog or cat in the past five years—and if they did, did they find that pet and where did they look?

Of those pet guardians surveyed, 15 percent had lost a dog or a cat in the past five years, and 85 percent of those lost dogs and cats were recovered.

The study's findings suggest the following are key when recovering a lost pet:

• Searching immediately when one knows the pet is lost;
• Searching within the neighborhood first through visual searches as well as posters and online; and
• Checking local shelters from the first day your pet is lost.

If your pet is lost, it’s important not to panic. Enlist the help of all of your friends and neighbors and hit the streets! Read our extended article on Finding a Lost Pet for more information and helpful hints.

Not every visitor to the ASPCA Adoption Center in NYC sees something special in Britney, but a local artist did. Whoever adopts this sweet senior gets to take home a beautiful portrait of their new dog!

The artist chose Britney to paint instead of the hundreds of other animals in our care, and we think we know why. Britney’s life has been so hard.

When she came to us through Humane Law Enforcement last year, Britney was in lots of pain, suffering from multiple untreated conditions. But with ASPCA veterinary care and attention, she is now as healthy as possible. In her opinion—and ours—Britney is ready to find her forever home.

For now, Britney spends her days quietly sleeping in her habitat until it’s her turn to be walked. She seems to know that she doesn’t belong here. And yet, it’s been more than 200 days since she came to us. (Only one dog has been with us longer: Lady.)

Britney is not a difficult dog to care for. At 12, this low-key lady loves everyone she meets and wants nothing more than to sleep peacefully in a comfortable spot in a loving home. She’s good on walks, though she does bark at other dogs she meets along the way, and often lags behind to take in the scenery.

But Britney does need special food (at least for now) and twice-daily arthritis medication, likely for the rest of her life. That’s why she needs a really special adopter to make her golden years golden.

If you live in a six-and-up home and have a special place in your heart for seniors, this sweet Lab gal really needs you! She’s been through so much. Please share her on Facebook and Twitter, and help us give her a happy ending!

To adopt Britney, please contact our Animal Placement department in NYC at (212) 876-7700, ext. 4900. 

Ricochet is a “SURFice” dog for disabled surfers.

Guest blog written by Ed Sayres, ASPCA President & CEO.

Last fall, I was honored to present at the ASPCA’s annual Humane Awards Luncheon the "Dog of the Year" award to a beautiful Golden Retriever named Ricochet. The competition was steep, as we were inundated with stories of dog heroes doing extraordinary things. Despite the number of super dog candidates, Ricochet stood out because of all she has done and continues to do for people and animals in need.

Ricochet’s guardian recognized her dog's special qualities when she was a puppy being trained to be a service dog to a person with a disability. Little Ricochet's spirit held her back as a service dog: Her desire to chase birds meant that she might be too lively for life as a service dog. Instead, through happenstance Ricochet became a surfer. Not just any surfer, but a surfer who was riding waves to help others.

In 2009, Ricochet was surfing next to a quadriplegic surfer and decided to abandon her board to jump onto his as they neared the shoreline. From that moment, Ricochet became a “SURFice” dog for disabled surfers. In addition to actually surfing with disabled persons, Ricochet raises funds for more than 150 human and animal causes.

We were there to cheer Ricochet on last weekend at the 7^th Annual Loews Coronado Bay Resort Surf Dog Competition in San Diego County. It was a perfect beach day with not a cloud in the sky. All types of dogs—from Pomeranians sporting sunglasses to Bulldogs wearing visors—were on the beach ready to watch the four-legged competitors.

Celebrities were on hand as well. Actor and Good Morning America contributor Cameron Mathison rode the surfboard with Ricochet during the tandem heat and came in second place despite having just learned to surf the day before. Clearly Ricochet is a good teacher.

More than 50 dogs competed and were scored on their confidence level, length of ride on the board and overall ability to "grip it and rip it." The dogs were all superstars. Ricochet won the large dog category; Abbie Girl, an Australian Kelpie, won the small dog category; and Zoey, a Jack Russell Terrier, won the tandem category.

This year's event raised $10,000 for the ASPCA. Congratulations to all of the athletes—canine and human—who participated in this year's Loews Surf Dog Competition!   

If you’re looking to make a difference for Adopt a Shelter Cat Month, how about adopting or spreading the word about an FIV-positive cat? In fact, how about one of our favorite cats ever, Dasher?

Dasher is a super-friendly kitty who’s never met a human, cat or dog he didn't like. He loves to cuddle, but also enjoys a little playtime. In fact, there's really nothing not to like about Dasher; he's essentially the perfect cat.

And yet, Dasher is still waiting for his forever home! You see, this extra special guy was rescued from a hoarder in April 2011—and he came to us infected with FIV.

Here are the straight facts about FIV:

• FIV stands for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, a disease that weakens a cat’s immune system.
• Cats with FIV can live full, long, happy lives with proper care.
• Humans, dogs and other animals cannot contract FIV.
• Other cats can contract FIV—and that’s why you should adopt an FIV-positive kitty only if you have no other cats or you have only FIV-positive cats.

Of course, Dasher needs to find a person with only FIV-positive kitties or no kitties at all. That adopter will be one of the luckiest pet parents in the world—we promise!

Plus, if you'd like to take Dasher home with a friend, we've got a special room of FIV-positive cats at our Adoption Center, including Gloria, another wonderful, friendly feline

If you're inspired but you've already got a non-FIV-positive kitty, other special-needs cats need your help, too! Check out a few at the ASPCA.

Please share Dasher. Let's find him a home!