Wayward Seal Captured, Dies

When we first wrote a post about the seal near Mims, Florida, it was a fun, slightly strange, animal story. An arctic seal, way out of its element, was swimming around near Hobe Sound. The story has turned out to be a sad one.

The bearded seal, nicknamed Hope, was rescued Monday, May 7th, from Fort Lauderdale's Tarpon River. The experts from Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution loaded her into their marine mammal ambulance for the three-hour ride to Orlando's SeaWorld and that facility's rehabilitation center.

Hope survived the trip, but was in critical condition upon arrival. The shock, however, appears to have been too much and Hope passed away around 11:00 am today. She was dehydrated, fatigued and underweight when caught, but put up a valiant fight to avoid capture. She just couldn't understand that being captured early and easily was the thing she most needed to survive.

Original title: Searching For Seals Near Mims?
Originally posted: 3 May 2007
The Stuart News is reporting that a seal has been found near Hobe Sound, Florida. Experts from Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution are tracking the 300-pound six-foot long adult seal that swam into the Indian River Lagoon (see map) in what may be a first for such a mammal. They are following the animal in a boat and keeping other vessels away.

"What we know is this is very unusual," said Greg Bossart, Harbor Branch's director of marine mammal research and conservation. "Especially in the Indian River this might be a first." He said seals are normally found in the arctic or possibly as far south as the Jersey Shore. The scientists think the seal is a hooded seal similar to two that came ashore on the Treasure Coast in September.

Cinco de "Meow" Adopt-a-Thon

Cinco de Mayo weekend. What a purrrr-fect time for our Cinco de "Meow" Adopt-a-Thon at the Oakwood Plaza PetSmart in Hollywood. Many of the cats and kittens that were with us found happy new homes with loving families. Check here or visit our website often so you'll be able to attend our next Adopt-a-Thon. Thanks to everyone at PetSmart for their support and to all those who adopted feline family members this weekend.

By the way, there are still plenty of dogs and cats, kittens and puppies at our shelter that are looking for a good home like yours. We're open seven days a week. Just give us a call to arrange to come by for a visit to see all the wonderful animals ready to be adopted.

Great Animal Quotes

Like quotes? Try these:

"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion." -- Unknown

"When I play with my cat, who knows whether she is not amusing herself with me more than I with her." -- Montaigne

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." -- Mohandas Gandhi

We have added random animal quotes to the right-side column, just above the archives listings. Want a different quote? Just click on the visible quote and a different one will be displayed. We hope you enjoy them.

FREE Pizza From Pet Recsue

I'm working my way through a FREE pizza from Papa John's, thanks to the Pet Rescue Miami Blog. Well, eating my way through it anyway, so, thanks, PRM Blog!

OK, you don't get something for nothing. I had to buy a pizza to get the second one free. I used one of the online coupons found here in an earlier post. That got me the free, large, one-topping pizza from Papa John's.

About once a month I order a pizza online from Papa John's, www.papjohns.com. I usually get an extra-large "The Works" specialty pizza because, for some unfathomable reason, it costs less than the large size version. I found an online coupon code that offers a free large one-topping pizza if you order an extra-large specialty pizza.

I tried it. It works. I got my regular extra-large "The Works" order, PLUS the second large pizza (half mushroom, half beef), delivered for under $19.00. Even with the tip, it was still a great deal.

Want to try this code or some of the others? Read this post, Online Coupon/Promo Codes, and give it a try. There's even a link to an article that will explain how to use the codes if you're not sure how to do it.

Have fun! Save money. Eat FREE pizza.

Distemper Outbreak, Alachua Co.

Gainesville.com is reporting that the canine viral disease distemper has killed several puppies in Alachua County and has prompted veterinarians and county officials to urge residents to vaccinate their dogs and not let them run free.

Alachua County Animal Services Director Ray Sim said some of the infected puppies passed through the county shelter and have been adopted by local rescue groups that then adopted them out to the public.

"Distemper has a very long incubation period - up to 30 days. Most of the animals that come to the shelter stay an average of 12 days," Sim said. "They may look healthy to us, and then ultimately the signs and symptoms will appear."

Read the entire article.

Dog Haiku – Cat Haiku

There is a cute website called TravelingDogs.com with a very good selection of jokes, quotes, stories and more. Among the plethora of dogdom were a few dog and cat haiku. Here are just a few for your poetic pleasure. I enjoy these because of the inherent truth of their content and economy of words.

Cat Haiku		Dog Haiku
You never feed me. Perhaps I'll sleep on your face. That will sure show you.		I am your best friend, Now, always, and especially When you are eating.
Grace personified. I leap into the window. I meant to do that.		Today I sniffed Many dog butts - I celebrate By kissing your face.
Blur of motion, then -- Silence, me, a paper bag. What is so funny?		I love my master; Thus I perfume myself with This long-rotten squirrel.

Online Medicine Costs

Kirby, my Border Collie, is having a heckuva time this year with fleas. We tried K9 Advantix in October. It did nothing at all for him. We then tried Frontline Plus and the monthly dose wore off after two weeks. So, we went back to what we had used in years past, Advantage. It arrived, was applied and within 24-hours, Kirby was virtually flea free. Now I'm not saying anything about any of the flea treatments mentioned either pro or con. On your dog, Advantage may be worthless and Frontline may be great. For my two boys, the Advantage is, well, an advantage.

It did get me thinking though, about what online medicines cost after everything is added up. In other words, what does it cost to have this stuff delivered to your door. Well, since I use Advantage, I figured that would be the thing to test. By the way, the online coupon codes we mention are listed in our post Online Coupon/Promo Codes, so you can use them too. In all cases we selected the standard shipping option.

At 1-800-PetMeds.com

Advantage 6 pack Dog Blue Over 55 Lbs cost +$69.99
I used an online coupon code (PA35) for $5 off –$  5.00
They did charge sales tax +$  4.90
Shipping is free on orders over $35 +$  0.00
Total delivered price = $69.89

This is where I normally buy the stuff.

At PetCareRx.com

Advantage 6 pack Dog Blue Over 55 Lbs cost +$68.29
I got an automatic $5 off for clicking through from this site –$  5.00
They did NOT charge sales tax +$  0.00
Shipping is free on orders over $35 +$  0.00
Total delivered price = $63.29

I tried three times to make this purchase before their website accepted it. Granted, I'm on a dial-up connection, but this site is SLOW. I could have used an online coupon (SMART407) for $5 off $35 or more, but can't use that code with the automatic $5 off.

At EntirelyPets.com aka PetMedsStore.com

Advantage 6 pack Dog Blue Over 55 Lbs (sale price?) cost +$54.99
No coupons were available –$  0.00
They did NOT charge sales tax +$  0.00
Shipping +$  4.95
Total delivered price = $59.94

There was a coupon for EntirelyPets.com. $3 off $55 or more (MAY07OFF3), which missed the order amount by 1 cent! I could have added a $1.99 Nylabone to the order (the cheapest thing I could find), used the $3 coupon, saved another dollar, and gotten the Nylabone for free!

At DrsFosterSmith.com

Advantage 6 pack Dog Blue Over 55 Lbs cost +$53.99
I used a coupon code for 15% off any order (DODGE) –$  8.10
They did NOT charge sales tax +$  0.00
Shipping is a flat rate +$  3.99
Total delivered price = $49.88

One really nice thing about this site, they take your address and give you the total price of your order, including shipping and taxes, before asking for a credit card number. I don't know how long that 15% off coupon code will be valid, so if you want to use it do it quickly.

Different items have different prices at each store. Depending on what you buy will have an effect on shipping costs, taxes, etc. In other words, you need to check several suppliers every time you want to buy something. You have to check for available coupon codes, including codes we may not have listed on our sites. Try entering "coupon promo code" and the name of the company in a Google search and see what happens. That's how I found the DODGE code for Drs. F & S.

At the same time, if I switch to Drs. Foster and Smith from 1-800-PetMeds for Kirby's Advantage fix, I can save $20.01 on my 6-month order. I would still have saved $11.91 without the 15% off coupon and that's not bad for a little research. After all, it adds up.

Doggie Best Seller

Among the Wall Street Journal's Lists of Best-Selling books, at number four in the non-fiction category, is "The Loved Dog: The Playful, Nonaggressive Way to Teach Your Dog Good Behavior" by Tamar Geller with Andrea Cagan (Simon Spotlight Entertainment).

If you plan to buy this book online please be sure to use the links in this post, or any of the links in the "Online Supplies and Stores" section at the bottom of the right column on this webpage. You'll pay the same amount as normal for the book, or other products, but Pet Rescue will receive a donation from the seller. You'll get your book at a discount and the shelter will receive extra funding.

Overstock.com $13.48 book + $2.95 shipping = $16.43 total
You should get an additional 8% discount ($1.07) at checkout for clicking through this website, for a total delivered cost of about $15.36

Amazon.com $14.97 book + $3.99 shipping = $18.96 total
(for free shipping the order needed to be over $25)

Barnes and Noble $14.97 book + $3.99 shipping + $1.20 tax = $20.16 total
(good store, but our partnership is not established so no donation to Pet Rescue for purchases yet; price shown is the member price, $17.46 for non-members)

Got a great dog or cat book to recommend? Leave a comment. Just click the comment link below.

Steve's King Daley Shepherd

Ever been asked what breed of dog your pound-puppy is? Steve has a perfect answer for those who inquire about his pup Ethyl. Steve Dale writes for Tribune Media Services and owns a pair of dogs, named Lucy and Ethyl. Lucy is a miniature Australian shepherd and Ethyl is a "King Daley shepherd," a very rare breed according to Steve, almost a one-of-a-kind. Read the article and you'll see how very special a dog this is and get an idea of what kind of dog you may have.

Duval County Rabies Alert

A feral cat that bit a woman at Blue Cypress Park in Arlington has tested positive for rabies, prompting Duval County's first rabies alert of the year. The alert is in effect through Aug. 2.

Jacksonville area pet owners should confine their animals and be certain that they have received current rabies immunization shots. Stray animals should be reported to the county Animal Care and Control Division at 904-630-2489. Animal bites should be reported to Rabies Control at 904-630-3260.

This comes on the heels of a rabies alert several days ago in northwest Miami-Dade County after a bat attacked a dog and the bat was found to be rabies positive.