It’s that time of year again… for the annual Tybee Island Polar Bear Plunge! That’s right, your favorite animal rescuers will brave the cold waters to show their support for animal rescue. You’re invited to join us at the South End of Tybee Island at 10 am on New Year’s Day. We’ll have a table with information. Brave souls are invited to join us in the water at noon, otherwise, feel free to come chat with our volunteers and find out what a crazy and dedicated group we have (hot beverages and warm food items are also welcome!).

Tips for First Timers:

• Wear a swimsuit underneath your clothes
• Beware that wet jeans are hard to take off after the plunge
• Wedding gowns, dresses and skirts can make your return to land hazardous
• Bring a towel and dry clothes for after the plunge

Those wishing to take the plunge as part of the CPR group are requested to purchase one of our Home 4 the Holidays red T-shirts and bring their own stuffed animal (live pets are not allowed on the beach).

We hope to see you there!

With all the news of out-of-control children causing chaos and making poor decisions around the country, what a relief it is that our children here are able to do something positive with their actions.

Last week, Coastal Pet Rescue received an unexpected Christmas gift from the 3rd Graders at Jacob G. Smith Elementary School. The students initiated a community service project to provide funds for our homeless pets. This year, the project raised $400. This is the fourth year the students have chosen Coastal Pet Rescue as the beneficiary of the project. Our president, Lisa Scarbrough, will be speaking with them at their career day on February 1st.

Across town, a 6th Grade class at Oglethorpe Charter School also wanted to brighten Christmas for our homeless pets. This morning, Lisa and Comet visited the class and were presented with a few boxes of much-needed supplies and toys. The class’ teacher, Christina Henry, said the project was determined by the students. She initiated an assignment in which the students were to pick a cause they could contribute to in a way other than monetarily. They were graded for locating contact information and contributing was optional. We are so thankful that the students chose on their own to help our homeless pets.

At a time where children are usually focused on what they are wanting or getting for Christmas, it brings such happiness and hope that these schools are instilling a sense of community spirit to their students. We applaud the educators and staff who continue to give of themselves and facilitate the services of their students.

We get it a lot. People mad at us for not allowing an adoption to a home where the pet will live outdoors. “But they’re dogs,” we always get told. But look at it from our perspective. We bring these pets in from horrendous conditions, spend lots of money on medical care, time on training, and love to make them family pets. Then an adopter wants to take that all away from them. How would that be giving them a better life than leaving them in the foster home until someone else comes along that wants them? Below is an article reprinted from August 1995 issue of Whiskers & Wags which clearly outlines why dogs should be a part of your family, not your landscape decor or security.

OUTSIDE DOGS By Dennis Fetko, PhD

Unless you’re medically intolerant of the dog (and therefore can’t take care of him in a medical emergency, so you shouldn’t have the dog anyway), making a dog stay outside is a costly waste.

If he’s for protection, what do you think I want to steal - your lawn?

When you leave, do you put your valuables and your kids out in your yard? Just what is the dog protecting out there? Most dogs kept outside cause far more nuisance complaints from barking and escaping than any deterrent to intrusion. Such complaints cause teasing, antagonism, release and poisoning. With your dog a helpless victim, it’s no laughing matter.

If I’m a crook and your dog is out, your fence protects ME, not your possessions or your dog. If I just open the gate, 9 out of 10 dogs will run off! I can safely shoot, stab, spear, poison, snare, strangle them, or dart through the fence and you just lost your dog AND everything I steal!

If he’s tied up and I keep out of reach, he’s useless. He’ll bark, but outside dogs bark so much, they’re usually ignored. But let a dog hit the other side of a door or window I’m breaking into, and I’m GONE! I can’t hurt the dog until he can hurt me, and nothing you own is worth my arm. Deterrence is effective protection.

Protection and aggression are not the same. Protection is defensive, reactive, often passive, and threatens or injures no one. Aggression is active, harmful and offensive, threatens all and benefits none. Yard dogs often develop far more aggression than protectivity because everyone who passes by or enters has already violated the territory that dog has marked dozens of times a day for years. That’s not protection, it’s not desirable and it overlooks two facts of life today:

First, property owners have implied social contracts with others in the community. Letter carriers, paper boys, delivery people, law enforcement, emergency medical personnel, meter readers and others are allowed near and at times on your property without your specific permission. And sure that ten-year-old was not supposed to jump your fence after his Frisbee; but neither you nor your dog are allowed to cause him injury if he does. Imagine this: A neighbor looks into your yard or window and sees you, your wife or child laying on the floor in a pool of blood. They call 9-1-1 and your dog prevents paramedics from assisting! Should they shoot your dog or just let you die?

Great choice.

Second, even if the intruder is a criminal, few places allow you or your dog to cause physical injury to prevent property loss. Convicted felons have sued the dog’s owner from jail and won more in the suit than they ever could have stolen! Appalling? True.

And don’t be foolish enough to believe your homeowner’s insurance will cover the loss. Now you see why many feel that an outside dog is a no-brainer.

The more a dog is outdoors, the less behavioral control you have. It’s easier to solve four or five indoor problems than one outdoor problem. The reason is valid and simple: The more you control the stimuli that reaches your dog, the more you control the responses. You’ve got a lot more control over your living room than you do over your entire county! When your dog is bored, but teased by every dog, cat, bird, squirrel, motorcycle, paperboy, airplane, firecracker and backfiring truck in the county, OF COURSE he’ll dig, chew, and bark.

Would you sit still all day everyday? Do you want unnecessary medical and parasite fees, especially as the dog ages?

When a dog is alone indoors, you are still 30% there because your scent and things he associates with you, constantly remind the dog of you and your training. When he’s out, your dog is alone whether you’re home or not. Do you really expect him to keep YOU in mind while the entire world teases, distracts and stimulates him?

The media is full of stories about the family dog saving everyone’s life during a fire. How many people, including children, would be dead today if those dogs were kept outside? SURE - you ALWAYS get up to investigate every time your yard dog barks. And I’ve got this bridge.

An outdoor dog has an address, not a home. Dogs offer real value as companion animals. Stop behavior problems and start enjoying real protection and companionship. Bring your dogs inside.

Thanks to Wendy and Wayne at GreenSavannah.org for submitting this article!

1. Adopt from a shelter
Let rescue become your favorite breed. The U.S. is currently suffering from an overpopulation of both cats and dogs. Many shelters are so overcrowded that they can only house each animal for 5 days and then the animal is euthanized. It is estimated that shelter workers nationwide euthanize 3 to 4 million homeless cats and dogs per year. Why buy when you can adopt one of the 70,000 puppies and kittens born every day (5,500 puppies and kittens born every hour) in the United States? Take a trip to a local shelter or visit coastalpetrescue.org, you will soon realize that rescues come in all shapes, sizes and ages. Don’t be surprised to see a “purebred” or two.

Coastal Pet Rescue is in desperate need of loving families for cats and dogs, pet food, cages and donations around the holiday season. These adorable, loving animals are ready to be adopted today! http://www.coastalpetrescue.org/adopt_us.php

You can also make a tax deductible donation online with your credit card at: http://www.coastalpetrescue.org/donate.php

2. Spay or neuter your pet
Enough said– there are 70,000 puppies and kittens are born every day in the United States. As an added bonus, spaying and neutering helps dogs and cats live longer, healthier lives by eliminating the possibility of uterine, ovarian, and testicular cancer, and decreasing the incidence of prostate disease.

3. Rein in your pets; protect native wildlife
Always keep your dog on a leash when outside, and confine your feline indoors. Save the Birds!! Unlike wild predators, house cats are always well fed, well rested, and in tip-top fighting shape. There are over 66 million housecats in the United States; however, only an estimated 35 percent are kept exclusively indoors. Keeping your cats indoor, also protects them from the dangers of cars, predators, disease, and other hazards. The estimated average life span of a free-roaming cat is less than three years; an indoors-only cat gets to live an average of 15 to 18 years.

4. Swap out the junk food
Check your labels! Many pet food brands use reconstituted animal by-products, otherwise known as low-grade wastes from the beef and poultry industries. In fact, the animals used to make many pet foods are classified as “4-D,” which is really a polite way of saying “Dead, Dying, Diseased, or Down (Disabled)” when they line up at the slaughterhouse. Natural and organic pet foods use meats that are raised in sustainable, humane ways without added drugs or hormones, it’s minimally processed, and preserved with natural substances, such as vitamins C and E. Certified-organic pet foods must meet strict USDA standards that spell out how ingredients are produced and processed, which means no pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, artificial preservatives, artificial ingredients or genetically engineered ingredients. But again check the labels!

Alternatively, you may consider becoming a pet chef and making your own pet food. There are several pet recipe books on the market. You can also grow our own catnip or organic cat grass. Remember to consult your vet before switching your pet’s diet.

5. Clean up their poop
Scoop up your doggie doo in biodegradable poop bags. When waste gets into storm drains it can then flow into rivers and lakes and contaminate our water supply. It’s important to always check with your city officials about how to properly dispose of pet waste. They may recommend flushing; however, you should always remove all debris such as kitty litter to prevent plumbing problems.

Cat owners should avoid clumping clay litter at all costs. The clay is strip-mined, permeated with carcinogenic silica dust that can coat kitty lungs and sodium bentonite (clumping agent) can poison your cat through chronic ingestion. Sodium bentonite acts like expanding cement and it can swell up to 15 to 18 times its dry size. Large grocery chains now carry eco-friendly cat litters that help to avoid these problems.

For the die hard greenies, you can compost your pet’s waste. If you have room in your backyard, you can bury an old garbage bin (note: far away from your vegetable garden) to use as a pet-waste composter. Or check out the Doggie Dooley. The makers of the Doggy Dooley also sell an enzymatic “Super Digester Concentrate” for your backyard pet septic system.

6. Give them sustainable goods
Don’t overload your pets with toys that will just end up in the landfill. Nothing can make a dog more happy than just spending time with you–toy or no toy. When you purchase toys, buy toys made from recycled materials or sustainable fibers (sans herbicides or pesticides) such as hemp. You can even get pet beds made with organic cotton or even recycled PET bottles.

7. Use natural pet-care and cleaning products
You don’t use toxic-chemical-laced shampoos and beauty products. Read the labels and use natural pet-care products. Clean up your pet’s messes with nontoxic and earth friendly cleaning products like Simple Green and Mrs. Meyers products.

8. Melt the ice, nicely
Use a child- and pet-safe deicer such as Safe Paw’s environmentally friendly Ice Melter. Rock salt and salt-based ice-melting products, which kids and animals might accidentally ingest, can cause health problems, while contaminating wells and drinking supplies.

10. Tag your pet
If your pet gets lost or a natural disaster separates you, odds are that if your pet is micro-chipped, you will be reunited faster (save time, money, paper for flyers and mental anguish). Coastal Pet Rescue offers several microchip clinics throughout the year. Check the website for more details www.coastalpetrescue.org. The cost is minimal but the result is priceless.

11. Offset your pet
Feeling a little guilty about that electric-powered water fountain or that self-cleaning litter box. Consider purchasing green tags, otherwise known as renewable energy credits, to offset your pets’ carbon emissions. And check if your state sells green power so you and your furry compatriots can go carbon neutral.

For more information and links, please visit: http://www.greensavannah.org

Happy Holidays from Your Furry Friends at GreenSavannah.org!

By now, you all know that Michael Vick has been sentenced to 23 months in prison and three years probation. But is this enough? Last night, our president, Lisa Scarbrough appeared on FOX 28’s News at 10 to discuss with Aisha Tyler what the verdict means to animal welfare advocates. Video will come soon, but in the meantime, you can read Lisa’s thoughts on her blog.