News Briefs for the Week of July 14, 2002
By Marcella Durand for Cat Facts
- Help for Soldiers With Pets
Soldiers appreciate having a pets around just as much as the rest of us, but, unfortunately, when they are deployed overseas, all too often their pets end up with no place to go--the sad reason why so many military bases have such large stray cat and dog populations. Fort Bragg in Cumberland County, North Carolina, is no exception. However, what is exceptional is that a battalion of Fort Bragg officials and volunteers have decided to combat the problem of stray animals with information.
The officials and volunteers plan to develop a directory of boarding kennels and shelters that accept pets, and they are working with Animal Haven of Cumberland County and Cumberland County's Animal Control Department. "We want to make it as easy as possible for soldiers to take care of their pets and let them know that we are being the good neighbors in the community," says Lieutenant Colonel John Poppe, a veterinarian on the post. Such a directory would undoubtedly make what is often a last-minute decision (or lack of decision) about what to do with a pet a little easier.
- Reality TV Saves Lives at Local Shelter
The participants aren't running around in camouflage bikinis and voting each other off tropical islands, but this reality TV show might very well beat Survivor hands down for wholesome entertainment value.
Adoptable cats and dogs at the Hernando County Animal Services in Brooksdale, Florida, now appear live on the Internet as part of the shelter's new Adopt-A-Pet program. Cameras set up by shelter workers take digital footage of kittens, cats, puppies and dogs and broadcast the images on the shelter's Web site at www.co.hernando.fl.us/code/animal/home.htm. In the feline area, two cages are specially equipped with clear windows so that viewers can look inside at kitties snoozing, playing, eating, or--oops, no potty privacy here! Sorry, Fluffy!
"I think every animal that we've put into those cages has been adopted," says Liana Teague, a customer service representative for the shelter. "They seem to be good luck pens." She adds that the shelter has received many e-mails from people who liked the idea of live pet views on the Internet and are checking the web site regularly.
What a concept: a reality TV show in which everyone's a winner!
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