California Bans “Easter Bunny” Sales in New Animal Welfare Law

This Easter marks the first year a new California animal welfare law designed to protect rabbits goes into effect.  California is the first state in the US to ban live rabbit sales at pet stores—an effort to cut back on the number of rabbits that are either abandoned, surrendered to shelters, or euthanized after Easter.

This is the same law that also bans the sale of commercially bred dogs and cats in pet stores.  Pet stores can still house adoptable dogs, cats, and rabbits from local animal shelters.

According to an article from Reuters, animal shelters see a spike in rabbit intakes one to three months after Easter.  The House Rabbit Society notes that thousands of rabbits, many still under one year old, are surrendered to California shelters.

Under the new law, rabbits will still be available for adoption from animal shelters and rescue groups, so California rabbit fans have the opportunity to provide a new forever home for rabbits in need!

 

Watch the Trailer for “Buddy” – A New Film About Service Dogs

Ready for a heartwarming documentary about service dogs and the people who rely on them?  Be sure to keep an eye out for the movie Buddy, a film from the Netherlands that tells the stories of six special service dogs and their owners.

Buddy is currently playing in a few select theatres around the US, but if it’s not in your town, be sure to watch for the DVD and streaming releases.

Here’s the official trailer for the film:

 

San Diego Humane Adopts Out 84 Cockatiels Rescued from Hoarding Situation

Back in January, the San Diego Humane Society took part in a large-scale rescue operation of 84 cockatiels from a one-bedroom apartment.  The rescue made the news and many interested adopters began contacting San Diego Humane about the birds.

The cockatiels spent several weeks at the Humane Society receiving lots of TLC and were ready for adoption at the end of February.

In a very happy ending to an unfortunate hoarding story, all the birds were adopted out in the first three hours!

Check out this video for more on the cockatiel adoption success story:

 

Dog Lost in California Wildfire Found After 101 Days

The Ballejos family of Paradise, California reunited with their Akita Kingston 101 days after he went missing during last year’s devastating Camp Fire.

Kingston jumped out of their truck while they were evacuating, and the family never gave up hope that they would find their dog again.

Animal rescuers have been searching the fire area for months.  They have found dozens of dogs and cats lost during the fire.

Kingston seems to have survived by hunting and eating skunks, based on his pungent scent when they found him!

Click HERE for a heartwarming news video of the happy reunion!

Image:  Ben Lepe, Associated Press

CDC Traces Campylobacter Outbreak to Pet Store Puppies

Animal advocates have been warning potential dog owners to avoid getting puppies from retail pet stores because they come from large scale, for profit breeding operations known as puppy mills.

Now there’s another reason to say no to pet store puppies.

A report on the American Veterinarian website notes that 118 people in 18 states have become infected with the Campylobacter jejuni bacteria after being exposed to pet store puppies.  These puppies were traced to multiple puppy mills and distributors.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has been monitoring the outbreak, virtually all of the infected humans have had direct physical contact with pet store puppies, including several pet store employees.

The Campylobacter bacteria causes diarrhea, abdominal pain, and fever.  No human fatalities have been reported with this outbreak, although there were several hospitalizations.

The CDC reports an added concern with this outbreak…the bacteria has shown a resistance to all the antibiotics commonly used to treat Campylobacter.

The CDC recommends that people wash their hands thoroughly after touching pet store puppies (employees should wear gloves for cleaning) and avoid eating around the animals.

They also note that overuse of antibiotics in commercial breeding facilities can contribute to drug resistant bacterial strains, and the use of antibiotics should always be supervised by a veterinarian.