PLEASE REMEMBER THAT YOUR PET ALWAYS NEEDS TO HAVE A PET ID TAG with your current phone number on its collar and a MICROCHIP ID implant (with up to date information) for Animal Control and Veterinarians to scan as back up for pets a pet ID tag and for pets that can't wear collars.


NEW BEGINNINGS FOR ANIMALS Fundraiser-  Friday Oct. 18, 2013
2nd Annual Golf Tournament and Helicopter Golf Ball Drop Fundraiser to keep saving shelter dogs and cats.  You can help by buying a ticket for $10 and/or by selling tickets to your friends and family.  Tickets are available online or paper tickets are available.  The person whose golf ball goes into the hole or closest wins up to $2,500.  If you sell the most tickets you win $250. If you sell these tickets for your own charity. club or organization you can split the proceeds of your tickets with your group 50/50. Please Click here for details -  http://www.greatpets.org/


ADOPTION EVENT FROM THE ORANGE COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER - Meet Your Mature Match - Saturday October 26 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Come to the Meet Your Mature Match adoption event hosted by OC Animal Care on Saturday, October 26 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM for FREE adoptions on pets ages 4 and older! The free adoption does not include microchip and license.  For More information visit www.ocpetinfo.com or call 714-935-6848


PILOT SPAY AND NEUTER PROGRAM FOR FERAL CATS
OC Animal Care has begun a pilot spay/neuter program for feral cats, utilizing a $20,000 grant received from the ASPCA. The program, called Feral Free, focuses solely on feral cats entering OC Animal Care from citizens within its jurisdictions that have confined them on their property for various reasons, such as nuisance, property damage, etc.

OC Animal Care does not trap feral cats, nor do they work with individuals or organizations that trap feral cats for the purpose of having them spayed or neutered. The purpose of Feral Free is to focus efforts on existing populations of feral cats already coming into OC Animal Care to reduce overall intake of feral cats, the neonatal kittens they produce, and shelter euthanasia of cats.

The program is being coordinated in conjunction with a non-profit organization called Feral Alley Cats and Friends SPCA (FACFSPCA). Once the feral cats coming into OC Animal Care have been spayed/neutered, microchipped, vaccinated and flea treated, they are placed with FACFSPCA, which then has volunteers return the cats to their original origin. The volunteers also provide informational materials to any surrounding residents regarding the program, the desired outcome (lower populations of cats) and a hotline the public can call should they have questions about the program.

Since April 1, when the pilot program began, OC Animal Care has spayed/neutered over 450 feral cats as part of this program. These are cats that would have otherwise been euthanized at the shelter. It is unknown if the desired impact (lower intake of feral cats and neonatal kittens) will be realized. In 2009, OC Animal Care piloted a similar program for feral cats, utilizing funds provided by the Board of Supervisors, and saw a significant decrease in cat intake the following year. OC Animal Care will be monitoring the program closely to determine if this program has similar effects.


PET LOVER's LICENSE PLATE PROGRAM
About The California Spay and Neuter License Plate Fund Inc.
PET LOVER'S LICENSE P{LATES ARE NOW SHIPPING
The California Spay & Neuter License Plate Fund, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization whose sole purpose relates to a California specialty Spay and Neuter License Plate program, whose sales proceeds will provide low-cost and no-cost spay and neuter surgeries. The funds generated by sales of the Plate, will be distributed by grants to qualifying agencies, organizations and individuals to provide low-cost and no-cost spay and neuter to dogs, cats, and rabbits in California. For more information please visit www.petloversplate.com


SEE OUR OWN LAGUNA HILLS PET THERAPY PARTNERS - JANELL KEIDER and HER WONDERFUL PET THERAPY DOG JENNA IN ACTION.
You can see our own Laguna Hills Pet Therapy Partner Janell Keider and her wonderful Pet Therapy Dog Jenna on the new video for the therapy animal organization that has recently changed its name from Delta Society to Pet Partners.  Janell and Jenna have been a part of this organization for 9 years.  Pet Therapy Partners has  updated their web site video and Jenna and Janell were prominently featured near the end of this video helping a little girl who was not helping herself until Janell and Jenna were added to her therapy.  The video can be viewed by clicking on the web site home page at  www.petpartners.org and scrolling down to the photo of Jenna and the little girl with the big smile and clicking on the photo.  Janell told us - "Providing pet therapy with Jenna has been such a blessing in my life - I hope you enjoy the video".


ATTENTION ALL MILITARY PERSONELL WITH PETS
KAHOOTS Pet and Feed Stores are offering a 10% Military Discount to Active Military and their Spouses for their entire purchases in their stores everyday. Simply present current US Military ID at the register to receive your discount. 
Kahoots has stores located in the following areas: 
In Orange County - Mission Viejo and Huntington Beach
In Los Angeles - Chatsworth and Moorpark
In San Diego - Carlsbad, Oceanside, Solana Beach Escondido, Fallbrook, Grossmont, La Mesa, Ramona, Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Penasquitos, and Rancho San Diego


SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO's DOG PARK NOW OPEN
Dr. Joe Cortese Dog Park, named after a beloved local veterinarian, is a 2.5-acre site in the San Juan Capistrano’s Northwest Open Space, located at 30291 Camino Capistrano. The park is a result of the 1990 voter approved Open Space Bond effort. The dog park welcomes small and large dogs and features picnic tables, benches, and an access ramp for people with disabilities. The area will include drinking fountains for both people and pooches. The ribbon cutting ceremony was held on August 17, 2013. Congratulations to San Juan residents with dogs!!


DISASTER PREPAREDNESS FOR PETS - FOLLOW THESE STEPS TO ALWAYS BE PREPARED:
Pets completely depend on us for care but often are last on our list when we plan on emergencies. It is important that we prepare for them as we would for our families. Below are some steps you can take to ensure their safety.

First, assemble an animal emergency supply kit with food, medicine, treats, sanitation supplies, toys and other equipment. Keep this kit stored in each vehicle.

Plan to take your pets with you if you must evacuate. If you leave, you may not be allowed to return home for days and your pets will not be able to fend for themselves against exposure, starvation, predators, contaminated food or water or accidents.

Most evacuation shelters will not accept pets, except for service animals, and animal boarding facilities will fill up fast during disaster. Make prior arrangements to ensure your pet has a safe place to stay.

Your pet should always wear current identification tags, and ask your veterinarian to have your pet micro-chipped.

Disasters may occur if you aren’t home, so develop a pet care buddy system with neighbors, friends or family to evacuate your pets. Meet at a designated location and make sure they have all of your phone numbers.

Go to - http://ocpetinfo.com/edu/prepare/  for more information regarding:   Alert OC
Animal Evacuation Information
Disaster Prep for Your Pet
Disaster Prep for Large Animals
Post Fire Pet Safety Tips
Ready OC


There is a new "Finding Rover app" only for people with dogs and iPhones at: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57598576-94/finding-rover-app-tracks-lost-dogs-using-facial-recognition/

1.  But, for now THE BEST MECHANISM  and the easiest for the return of a Lost Dog is one of those little metal ID tags sold in pet stores that is engraved with your dogs name and your phone # attached securely to your dog's collar.  If you don't have a tag like this on your dog, or if the tag you do have contains outdated information, run out today and make sure you have a tag with current information on your dog by tonight because This Actually Works Right Away. Be sure to check your pet's collar regularly for worn or missing ID tags and securely replace them as needed.  

2. The Back Up Mechanism for the ID tag and for use for all pets that can't wear a collar is the Microchip ID that can be scanned by any Veterinarian or Animal Control Officer, but be sure to keep the paper work for the microchip handy because the information on these chips must be kept updated if you change your address or phone number. This can't be seen by your neighbors to enable immediate return of your dog but is necessary for Animal Shelter returns and provides information if the ID tag on your pet's collar becomes detached.

3. The 3rd Best Mechanism is to have a central source in your area, such as a person at your HOA or a person in your City Government or a Volunteer Group in your community such as The South County Animal Shelter Coalition in Laguna Hills that will widely circulate Lost and Found Pet e-mails in your community.  All you need to do for this system to work is provide your name and e-mail address and notify the central person by e-mail of any Lost or Found pets of any kind including a description of the pet, where it was found and your name and a phone # where you can be reached. Be sure to tell all your friends with pets about this as well because this is another system that needs wide-spread circulation to be effective.

*** Please be aware that no ID system will take the place of a good animal shelter which is something that Laguna Hills does not have.  Laguna Hills shares the 72 year old, high kill, overcrowded Orange County Shelter, 20 miles away.  We have been promised for many years that a new Orange County Shelter would be built but we were also told the high kill mentality would not change and with the growth of the population and the overpopulation of unwanted pets a new larger shelter would soon be overcrowded as well.  In 2005 the Laguna Hills City Council refused to allow us to share the Mission Viejo Animal Shelter claiming that it was too expensive but since that time we have learned that the residents of Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel and Aliso Viejo are paying less at the Mission Viejo shelter than we are paying at the Orange County Shelter. See details at Laguna Hills Watch Dog at www.lhwatchdog.blogspot.com/   in the April 23, 2013 blog under Presentations and Proclamations and August 27, 2013 under Items Pulled from the Warrant Register. Contact Laguna Hills City Council Members at - ccouncil@ci.laguna-hills.ca.us  for better Animal Shelter services for Laguna Hills.

You may have heard about or will soon hear about the new app for FINDING LOST DOGS.  Below is the most comprehensive report on the "Finding Rover app" that I was able to find on the Internet.  It includes a video that explains how to take the photos and how the app works, etc.


Finding Rover app tracks lost dogs using facial recognitionhttp://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57598576-94/finding-rover-app-tracks-lost-dogs-using-facial-recognition/


POSITIVES ARE:

1. Currently the app is free
2. The app is expected to be available for Android and Web versions in a few months.
3. The app is expected to be useful for cats in the future in the "Finding Kitty" version
4. If the photo is good enough there is supposed to be a 98% accuracy rate for facial recognition. There is a bark button to help get the dogs attention.
5. The owners of the app John Polimeno and his wife Kristie are traveling the country now to inform people of the new app in the hope that the numbers of users will be significant enough to make this app useful.


DRAWBACKS ARE:

1. This app is currently available only for use with an iPhone so that cuts down significantly on the number of pet owners that will be using the system.
2. This app is currently useful only for dogs
3. Facial Recognition is the mechanism used for identification that is expected to differentiate one dog from all others through eye shape and fur color but the dog has to look straight at the camera for a close up and the photo has to be very well lit. Once a dog's photo is displayed on the screen of the iPhone the owner can focus circles around the eyes and a triangle around the nose to enhance facial recognition. This process may be especially difficult for people who have found dogs that may not be willing to sit still for a good, clear, well lit, close up photo, however the video on the link above says a photo from a distance can be used too.
4. This system is only effective if there are enough subscribers in all areas where is it being used that will be on the lookout for a lost dog.  The app is applied to 10 mile radius areas and neighboring areas are said to also be available.


The only Customer Reviews we found so far said this: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/finding-rover/id669691504?mt=8

Finding Rover   
by Beachy1c1
The app wouldn't be bad, but after I used my email to log in I started getting all this spam email !! Then my email got hacked and I had to change my password ! Nice going idiots ! I'm deleting it ! Would have been a great idea !

Please fix it!    
by Nanceapotamus
This is a great idea, but just freezes every time I open it. Please fix it.

ADD PITBULL   
by READ MINE!!!!!
Why the heck is pitbull not a breed option


More about the app and it's inventors at:
http://www.contracostatimes.com/east-county-times/ci_23763535/discovery-bay-couple-invent-app-that-helps-pet


The FINDING ROVER web site to download the app is  http://findingrover.com/


Our opinion is this app appears to be very well intentioned and although too "exclusive" to be really useful to date appears to have potential for being more "inclusive" in the future related to a future application for cats and for android and web versions.  We suggest that since it is free, if you are an iPhone user, give it a try to see what you think and maybe help get any bugs out, because building an huge audience for this is the only way it can become truly useful.  If you try it let us know what you think.


Until use of this app becomes wide spread the very best way to get your lost dog back quickly is:

1. THE BEST MECHANISM right now and the easiest for the return of a Lost Dog is one of those little metal ID tags sold in pet stores that is engraved with your dogs name and your phone # attached securely to your dog's collar.  If you don't have a tag like this on your dog, or if the tag you do have contains outdated information, run out today and make sure you have a tag with current information on your dog by tonight because This Actually Works Right Away.

2. The 2nd Best Mechanism is the microchip ID that can be scanned by any Veterinarian or Animal Control Officer, but keep the paper work for the chip handy because the information on these chips must be kept updated if you change your address or phone number. This can't be seen by your neighbors to enable immediate return of your dog but is necessary for Animal Shelter returns and provides information if the ID tag on your pet's collar becomes detached.

3. The 3rd Best Mechanism is to have a central source in your area, such as a person at your HOA or a person in your City Government or a Volunteer Group in your community such as The South County Animal Shelter Coalition in Laguna Hills that will widely circulate Lost and Found Pet e-mails in your community.  All you need to do for this system to work is provide your name and e-mail address and notify the central person by e-mail of any Lost or Found pets of any kind including a description of the pet, where it was found and your name and a phone # where you can be reached. Be sure to tell all your friends with pets about this as well because this is another system that needs wide-spread circulation to be effective.

*** Please be aware that no ID system will take the place of a good animal shelter which is something that Laguna Hills does not have.  Laguna Hills shares the 72 year old, high kill, overcrowded Orange County Shelter, 20 miles away.  We have been promised for many years that a new Orange County Shelter would be built but we were also told the high kill mentality would not change and with the growth of the population and the overpopulation of unwanted pets a new larger shelter would soon be overcrowded as well.  In 2005 our city council refused to allow us to share the Mission Viejo Animal Shelter claiming that it was too expensive but since that time we have learned that the residents of Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel and Aliso Viejo are paying less at the Mission Viejo shelter than we are paying at the Orange County Shelter. See details at Laguna Hills Watch Dog lhwatchdog.blogspot.com/  in the April 23, 2013 blog under Presentations and Proclamations and August 27, 2013 under Items Pulled from the Warrant Register. Contact Laguna Hills City Council Members at - ccouncil@ci.laguna-hills.ca.us  for better Animal Shelter services for Laguna Hills.

Jean Bland, South County Animal Shelter Coalition - http://scasc1.blogspot.com/