Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Critter Corner by Frances Goodman

It's 'Be Kind to Animals Week'

Be Kind to Animals Week will begin Sunday, May 1, marking a tradition that was started by the American Humane Association back in 1915. It will coincide with National Pet Week, which was founded by the American Veterinary Medical Association and its auxiliary.

In honor of the occasion, a local animal welfare group is sponsoring a special project.

North Star Pet Assistance will provide free animal-friendly activity booklets for grades K-3 at Rio Vista School in Apple Valley, according to North Star founder Gina Downey.

It's the first area school to receive the booklets, and North Star hopes to expand the program in the future, she said.

Entitled "Lets Be Safe Around Dogs and Cats," the booklet promotes kindness to dogs and cats and teaches children how to treat animals properly. It includes topics such as how to safely play with your dog or cat and how to respond to strays.

North Star is a non-profit group headquartered in Apple Valley. Anyone who would like to help them offset the cost of the booklet project, or donate funds to help expand the program, can contact North Star at localrescue@aol.com. Click on Youth Programs to see how the costs run and then click on "Contact" or call 963-1634.

In observance of Be Kind to Animals Week, the AHA offers a number of recommendations for helping animals. Here are some of them:

• Report animal abuse. You may be the only one who can save an animal from abuse or neglect. If you witness animal abuse, report it immediately to your local animal control agency.

• Teach children how to be kind to animals. The lessons they learn while they're young will stay with them for a lifetime.

• Spay and neuter your pets so they will not contribute to the pet overpopulation crisis.

• Identify your pet with tags (and a microchip I.D.)

• Encourage others to adopt their next pet from a shelter. Animal shelters are filled with companion animals just waiting to be adopted. Under one roof, you'll find some great dogs, cats, puppies, kittens, and often small animals like rabbits, guinea pigs, and hamsters — all in need of good homes. If someone you know is looking for a new pet, refer them to a local shelter or rescue group.

For those of you who are bird lovers, here's an interesting insight into the bird brain:

There have been many cases of birds showing surprising levels of intelligence. Crows and ravens are both good at solving problems, and experiments have shown that pigeons can identify humans and recognize letters of the alphabet.

The most famous intelligent bird is Alex, an African Grey parrot studied by Dr. Irene Pepperberg in the United States in the 1980s. He was able to use more than 100 English words correctly to refer to objects, ask questions, and make requests.

See you next time!

Daily Press columnist Frances Goodman is the former editor of a monthly pet magazine and is co-author of the booklet, Gardening with Dogs. If you have pet care questions or comments for her, email: crittercorner@highdesert.com.