Animals

A cold, dark drizzle fell at a slant that noon, but he came anyway, just like every other day. I always look for him on Mondays when we meet our friends, Maxine and Eddie, for lunch at the Golden Corral. From the parking lot I can see his truck behind Goodwill and him, sitting on an upside down box and surrounded by a colony of cats, who, over time, have come to trust him. Because I am drawn to cats — indeed, to all animals — and to people who care for them, I often walk over to speak to this man, to give him a few cans of cat food and to thank him for having such a heart.

The Jessamine County Animal Care and Control office will mark the grand opening of the new animal shelter with two events set for Friday, June 29, and Saturday, June 30. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held Friday at 1 p.m., and an open house will be held Saturday from 1-4 p.m. Light refreshments will be served during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.  “The new shelter is the culmination of a lot of hard work and planning,” public-services director Mike Cassidy said.  “We're thrilled to have the opportunity to give chamber members, state officials and grant donors the opportunity to get a close-up look at the facilities during the ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 29.” The celebration will kick into high gear with the Jessamine County Animal Shelter's open-house event June 30 with hot dogs, chips and drinks, adoption specials, demonstrations and an information table with volunteer and e-mail-blast sign-ups.

STANFORD - Bethany Jackson asked her friends for some unusual presents on her 10th birthday - dog food, cat litter, animal shampoo. Delivering those things to the Danville-Boyle County Humane Society Animal Shelter during her party, she decided, would bring her more joy than any number of other gifts. But the animal enthusiast admitted her request for shelter donations wasn't completely selfless. “It was sort of an excuse to go there,” she said. “I liked getting out all the different dogs and puppies and playing with the cats.” Bethany, now 12, has continued the tradition of birthday donations to the animals for at least three years, and this year began volunteering at the shelter every Saturday.

When Stanford's Kisha Buis was given a camera following the birth of her son, she soon fell in love with a newfound hobby of photography, turning it into a profession. As a young mother, she realized how precious photographs of her child were, yet how expensive visiting a professional photographer can be. “Photography is considered a luxury,” Buis said, “Whenever you have kids, I don't think it should be. It is something you need, because your kids, they grow so fast.” Using the skills she learned, Buis began taking photos for others, starting with a friend's engagement photos.

The Jessamine County Fiscal Court has been contemplating who should run the animal shelter for the county for more than a year, but the decision remains tabled and has yet to make its way back to the fiscal court’s meeting agendas. Last fall, the fiscal court was looking into the possibility of constructing a new, much larger shelter. The magistrates were also looking at running the shelter through the county instead of contracting it out to a third party. Currently, the Jessamine County S.A.V.E.

Mark your calendars for April 7. The Boyle County Farmers Market will be open for business. Watch this column throughout the growing season for a list of available items each week. We hope to see you all there. Everything is growing and way ahead of our usual schedule. The blooms on our fruit trees have been amazing. They are full of busy bees, which prompted Barrie to get supers on the hives early as well. Honey lovers should be happy to hear that. We had a little visitor show up at the farm last week.

About 30 people sat in on Tuesday afternoon’s Jessamine County Fiscal Court meeting, anxiously awaiting the public-comment portion of the agenda. And about a third of those in attendance were ready to offer their input on the hot topic for the evening — how the county’s animal shelter should be operated. Several of those who spoke advocated for the county to continue to contract out the shelter services to one of the animal-activist groups in the area, but others sided with a proposal prepared by magistrate George Dean.

"Almighty and everlasting God, Creator of all things and giver of all life, bless these animals and grant that they may have long life, good health and a happy home. Amen. " The Rev. Robert Kirkpatrick gathered Sunday with a goat, two horses, a pack of doggies and their owners to impart a blessing on the animals at Millennium Park. Today is the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, and in remembrance of his life and works, many faithful gather their pets for a blessing. Francis was born into a wealthy Italian family during the 12th century.

It's easy to see animals such as dogs and cats being affectionate at home, but there's animal affection in the wild, too - it's just harder to observe. Some animals show affection like some humans do, by mating for life. Swans, gibbons (a kind of ape), French angler fish, albatrosses, wolves and black vultures are just some of the species who pick a mate and stick with them. Even black vultures have been known to attack other members of their species who have been caught being unfaithful.

Dear Editor: I am writing in reference to the article by Sallie Bright on spaying your animals. I commend her for her heartfelt thoughts and opinions. No truer words are spoken. I am not sure what people are thinking who don't take care of their animals and let them reproduce without concern for them. Domestic animals of all kind are dependent upon we humans for all their needs. Food, shelter, protection and, yes, birth control. I am appalled at the way people let their animals breed, to anything, including brothers, sisters, and fathers.

When Stanford's Kisha Buis was given a camera following the birth of her son, she soon fell in love with a newfound hobby of photography, turning it into a profession. As a young mother, she realized how precious photographs of her child were, yet how expensive visiting a professional photographer can be. “Photography is considered a luxury,” Buis said, “Whenever you have kids, I don't think it should be. It is something you need, because your kids, they grow so fast.” Using the skills she learned, Buis began taking photos for others, starting with a friend's engagement photos.

Warmer weather brings more pest problems. Horn flies and face flies are key pests of cattle in Kentucky. Both species breed in fresh pasture manure piles but present very different threats and management problems. Fortunately, there are a variety of fly control options. Horn flies are blood feeders. They remain on animals most of the time, taking 20 to 30 small blood meals per day. More than 100 flies along the sides and backs of each animal every day during the fly season can mean 12 to 15 pounds lower weaning weights for spring calves and poor gains for older animals.

Jessamine County Animal Control officers confiscated two horses from property near Wilmore Thursday night. According to animal control director Mike Cassidy, the two horses were in dire need of care. “A neighbor called us, and one of our officers responded out and he saw that the horses were in bad condition,” Cassidy said. “They made contact with the owner, and it was a bad situation all the way around.” Animal control did not release the owners' names, “because they cooperated,” Cassidy said.

Did you know that the week of April 8 through April 14 is designated as National Animal Control Officer Appreciation Week? The event is designed to recognize the hard work performed by animal control agencies throughout the country and helps improve the image of these hard-working employees who provide quality services, education training and support. The week is set aside to recognize the men and women of animal control who risk their lives and spend huge amounts of personnel resources, including time away from family and friends, while serving the public.

A postal carrier working his route in Danville spotted what state officials believe is either a wild boar or a wild hog; both types of animals can be potentially destructive to livestock. Charlie Pittman, 41, of Lebanon, was delivering mail to a house on Webster Road about 1:30 p.m. Friday when he spotted what he believes was a wild boar chasing a cat. Pittman has worked in the Danville area as a postal carrier for nine years and had never seen any unusual animals until that day. “At first, I thought it was a great big dog,” Pittman said.

LANCASTER - After rescuing more than a dozen horses from a farm in Garrard County, the president of Buckland Equine Rescue plans to file a criminal complaint against the director of Garrard County Animal Control. Chris Takacs claims Earlene Harris used her authority to sell four of the horses rescued from a farm on Jack Turner Way on Feb. 27. Takacs met Tuesday with a victim's advocate at the Garrard County Attorney's Office to fill out an affidavit, a sworn statement explaining his recollection of events.

LANCASTER - More than a dozen horses were rescued Wednesday from a farm in Garrard County. Earlene Harris, director of Garrard County Animal Control, said she was alerted to the situation Tuesday night. Harris' veterinarian sent her a text message informing her of horses needing help. First thing Wednesday morning, Harris and officials with animal control arrived at the farm to find extremely malnourished horses. Two of the horses had been euthanized by Buckland Equine Rescue personnel, who also were made aware of the situation.

It's easy to see animals such as dogs and cats being affectionate at home, but there's animal affection in the wild, too - it's just harder to observe. Some animals show affection like some humans do, by mating for life. Swans, gibbons (a kind of ape), French angler fish, albatrosses, wolves and black vultures are just some of the species who pick a mate and stick with them. Even black vultures have been known to attack other members of their species who have been caught being unfaithful.

You have a dog? Do you communicate with it? When we think of our interactions with humans, we think of communication by sight, by expression, by body language and gestures and by voice. Is it possible to do the same with our pet? Can we “talk” to our dog in a way that it understands and responds so we understand what it is thinking? Cheri Carbone is head trainer for the Boyle County Humane Society, which sponsors the Northpoint Mutts with Manners dog training program. She also schedules her own training classes in warmer weather and is a sought after animal behaviorist.

It's the time of year when the days are rainy, icy, snowy or just plain gray. That's the best time of year to pick up a new hobby or remember how enjoyable an old hobby collection can be. Whether you're a stay-at-home mom with little babies and toddlers or a retiree enjoying the long quiet days with no kids around, everyone goes a little stir crazy at this time of year. Here are some ideas to get you motivated without spending a fortune. For kids: Break out the recycle box and grab a few stuffed animals.