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Show Pets should 9t be left in hot summer autos HOW LONG WILL YOU BE GONE? By GARY R. BLODGETT FRUIT HEIGHTS There are more than just children being abused in Davis County. Cruelty to animals is on the upswing up-swing and increasing in astronomical astrono-mical numbers, according to Dean-ne Dean-ne Hess, director of Davis County Animal Care and Control. She said there have been four major cases of animal cruelty to the extent of having criminal charges filed against the owners so far this year. "We usually get one or maybe two such cases per year," she said. "But this year we have had four in the first six months." Each case has featured extreme cruelty of animals as small as cats to include horses, she explained. "They are so gross that it makes you sick," she said. "It's hard for me to believe that people neglect animals to the extent that they do. " The most recent cruelty to animals anim-als case handled by the county animal control occurred a couple of weeks ago in north Davis County where a woman had allowed her 14 cats to nearly starve to death "under filthy conditions," Mrs. Hess noted. Another recent case involved a beautiful quarter horse that was abandoned in a field without food or water and had lost "several hundred hun-dred pounds." She said it was nothing no-thing but skin and bones when picked up last May. The horse and cats are under constant care and rehabilitation at the animal control and care center. "Calls to the center have multiplied multi-plied this year with neighbors and interested persons reporting on animal abuse cases and there are many more similar cases that go unreported," said Mrs. Hess. She noted that recent animal neglect incidents reported to the center reveal that "many residents actually spend more time arranging to have the paper picked up and lawn watered while on vacation than to arrange for the care of their pets." She emphasized that pets suffer incredible stress when left alone, but there are things that can be done to provide for the pets' needs while you are away. These suggestions sugges-tions include: 1. Never leave pets alone and unattended for more than 24 hours. 2. Never leave pets locked inside garages or outside buildings where temperatures could soar to 120 degrees de-grees in the summer. 3. Always leave plenty of food and water for the pets, even for short periods of time. HOW LONG WILL YOU BE GONE? D q 4. Hire someone dependable to check on the condition of your pets and to be certain there is plenty of food and water. Also, be certain that the area where the pets are housed is cool. 5. Let your pets become familiar with the caretaker before you leave for an extended period of time and be certain that the caretaker has the name and telephone number of your veterinarian in case there is a need. Consider the needs of the pet including in-cluding adequate exercise as well as the basic needs of food and water. wa-ter. Remember, your dog will function func-tion at a dog's level, not at the human hu-man level. At the same time, dogs do share some emotional responses with humans, among them being upset when left alone for an extended ex-tended period of time. If you take your pet with you on vacation, there are other considerations consider-ations and responsibilities. Legally, every dog or cat traveling travel-ing across the state line must have a valid health certificate and certificate certifi-cate of rabies inoculation. Your pet should be examined by a veterinarian veterina-rian shortly before leaving on vacation vaca-tion and should be in good condition condi-tion and have the necessary shots. Pets should travel in a carrier which is spacious enough to allow the pet to sit or lie down. Remember, Remem-ber, pets on vacation require a lot of exercise as well as a proper diet and plenty of water. Although pets need frequent stops to go to the bathroom and to get exercise, they should not be allowed outside without being on a leash. Dogs cannot tolerate excessive exces-sive heat so they should be kept as cool as possible at all times. Plan ahead to stay at motels which allow pets many do not. One big, and sometimes tragic mistake, occurs when dogs are left in a closed-up car on a hot day. Enclosed vehicles can quickly soar to 150 degrees or more in a few minutes, enough to cause a canine to suffer heat stroke or possibly die. Since nearly 70 percent of a dog's weight is liquid, it is important impor-tant that he maintains a high lei of liquid intake. High-quality J) food makes for an all-around pet diet; and fresh meat and candy treats are not only unnecessary, but not very healthful, Mrs. Hess explained. If you are aware of anyone who is mistreating a pet, call the animal care and control center and an immediate im-mediate investigation will be made. The number at the center is 544-8355. |