Animals

A reader asked me to warn everyone of the dangers of antifreeze left out where animals can reach it. Because of this request, I will repeat an article originally published in January 1981. Ethylene glycol and di-ethylene glycol are the chemical names for permanent antifreeze, a common product used in the radiators of cars in winter to prevent freeze-up, and often retained in the machine during summer to help prevent rust build-up and protect the air conditioner. For whatever good reasons it is used, antifreeze is toxic to pets and children, and should be stored out of reach and disposed of in such a way that neither animals nor toddlers get a chance to taste it. Dogs and cats are attracted to ethylene glycol by its aroma and having once tasted the sweet liquid, animals seem to acquire a taste for it and will return for more.

One might guess that ending up at the pound was the worse thing that could happen to a puppy. Guess again. “We heard whimpering,” Wes Enderlin, 17, from Danville said. “My friend and I were walking by McDonald's and we heard this sound and it was coming from the Dumpster. It was a puppy. We wrapped it up, but it was shivering so bad ... It was having a hard time breathing, too. It was nearly dead.” Enderlin called animal control about 4 p.m. Monday after rescuing the puppy from the Dumpster.

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.

Students at Hannah McClure Elementary are shown with the dog and cat food they recently collected and donated to the Clark County Animal Shelter. The students shown are in Mrs. Franklin's and Mrs. Durbin's fifth-grade classes. Photo submitted

Despite dealing with some rainy weather, work for the new Jessamine County Animal Shelter is on pace for a February completion, Animal Shelter advisory-council chairman Mike Cassidy said. “(The rain) has given us some trouble, but as far as construction, there hasn't been any problems,” he said. Project manager John Dalton of Dalton Construction Management Consultants said now that the roof is on, it's only a matter of time before the shelter is ready to house animals.

What a tough day this has been! You know how when someone you love is really sad or very sick, you feel their pain? Today I got an email from two people I love dearly. AC (who I call Buddy) and Peggy Nunn had a precious little dog named Little AC. No dog was ever loved more, and they did everything in their power to make her life good. But she developed congestive heart failure and found it more and more difficult to breathe. Just a few days ago, Buddy and Peggy and Little AC were visiting his mother, Judy Nunn, in Winchester.

The actual definition of zoonotic diseases is diseases caused by infectious agents that can be transmitted between, or shared by, animals and humans. Unfortunately, there are a lot of zoonotic diseases that people can contract from animals. However, the occurrence or likelihood of someone becoming infected by one of these diseases is still pretty rare. One of the most devastating diseases affecting mammals, including dogs and humans is rabies.   I realize that I have written about rabies in the past, but there could never be too much awareness about such an awful disease.

After its annual April plant sale at the Clark County Library, the Clark County Garden Club donated $500 of the proceeds to the Clark County Animal Shelter. Presenting the check to the shelter's director, Beth Bowman, third from left, are members, left to right, Deloris Segress, Maxine Shearer and Peggy Moody. The club plans to develop a community garden between the old community swimming pool and the apartments behind the Generations Center. Photo submitted by Jae Alexander

Last week there was an awful situation near Zanesville, Ohio. There was a lot of media coverage, but in case you haven't heard about it yet, I'll recap. Muskingum County Animal Farm owner Terry Thompson, who kept a large number of exotic animals on his property, including lions, tigers, bears, leopards, and monkeys, let more than 50 of the animals out of their cages Wednesday before killing himself. The sheriffs office responded and ended up shooting and killing 48 of the animals, including 18 Bengal tigers (which are endangered)

Students from Crab Orchard Elementary School were wide-eyed with excitement as they made their way around Todd's Greenhouse, where around every corner there was something unexpected. Located just across the Lincoln County line, Todd's big attraction this year is the petting zoo. It is the first year that the zoo has been in conjunction with the greenhouse, owner Tammy Todd said. The idea is that since the visiting students are studying both plants and animals, it's easier to have them all in the same location.