FW: Rat Poison Risks to Dogs in BPC

This message from the Galloways of bpcdogs should be of importance to all
dog owners residing in, or visiting, the contiguous communities in lower
Manhattan. Every few years the local news has an article about the
unauthorized and unmarked use of rat poisons in public places by property
owners or commercial tenants; this poses additional risks to dog owners
whose pet's curiosity might cause them to inadvertanty injest some of these
materials.
We want to thank bpcdogs for advising the neighborhood to "stay safe."

-----Original Message-----
From: Jeff and Paula Galloway [mailto:bpcdogs@rundog.com]
Sent: Friday, December 09, 2011 2:58 PM
To: Richard Horowitz
Subject: Rat Poison Risks to Dogs in BPC

On December 6, a dog association member's dog became very sick after coming
in contact with a rat near the Sirius Dog Run on Kowsky Plaza. He
apparently jumped out of the run and chased the rat. About an hour later,
the dog started vomiting. He was rushed to the emergency veterinarian where
he was cared for. His test came back as having ingested a rodenticide. The
dog survived and is on medication for one month.

The BPC Dog Association made some inquiries about the use of rat poison in
BPC. The BPC Parks Conservancy verified that they never use rat poison in
the Parks.

We then emailed Gateway Management to ask if they use rat poison since the
owner lives in Gateway and exited out of Bldg 400 through the Merchants
Restaurant patio to the esplanade. Gateway confirmed that they use
tamper-proof black bait stations on their property and that nothing is
exposed. Gateway said the material inside the box is an anti-coagulant
where a dog would have to repeatedly ingest it on multiple occasions for it
to have an effect. Since the dog in question had only a brief encounter
with a rat, and as far as the owner knows had no other contact with rat
poison, it appears that some amount of rat poison must have been transmitted
from the rat to the dog. It is difficult to believe that very much poison
could be transmitted in this way, so it appears that there is rat poison in
the neighborhood that is more toxic to dogs than was described by Gateway
Management. (We are awaiting an answer from a Veterinarian on the general
toxicity to dogs of rat poison.) The name of the material in the bait
stations used by Gateway is CONTAC and the antidote is Vitamin K.

We also contacted the BPC Authority to let them know what happened and to
see if they could find out for us if other building managers in BPC use
these bait boxes or other rat poisons and where exactly they are placed.

This is a serious matter as the dog that got sick did not appear to ingest a
lot of rat poison and became terribly ill. We will update our members, as
more information is received.

In the meantime, we wanted to alert you to these black rat poison stations
while walking your dog and to caution you to make sure your dog steers clear
of them.

World's "oldest" dog dies in Japan at 26

The world's oldest dog according to Guinness World Records has died in Japan at the age of 26 years and eight months. Owner Yumiko Shinohara told reporters at her home in Sakura, a city outside Tokyo, that Pusuke, a fluffy tan Shiba mix, died Monday after suddenly falling ill and refusing to eat. Shinohara told TV network FNN that she "would just like to thank him for staying alive so long." The report said Pusuke's life span would have been the equivalent of about 125 years for a human. According to Guinness, the dog was born April 1, 1985. Pusuke was recognized as the world's oldest living dog last December. The Guinness record for canine longevity is 29 years, set by Bluey, an Australian cattle dog who died in 1939.

By Associated Press, Published: December 8

Dognapping in Battery Park City

The following information was compiled from two messages provided today by www.bpcdogs.org

We received a disturbing report from one of our members about a dognapping in front of the Gristedes at West Thames & South End Avenue when this morning a 50-60 pound mutt was taken from outside the store.

Here are some details learned from Captain Falcon of the BPC Park Enforcement Patrol (PEPs): When the dog owner came out of Gristedes, she noticed her dog missing/stolen and reported it to PEP Officer Zura who was on patrol. Officer Zura put the incident and description over the radio and units responded. Sgt. Mercado then encountered an individual with a dog fitting the owner's description. She was able to recover the dog, but while recovering the dog, the dog got loose and the perpetrator fled. The dog was recovered, however, and returned to the much-relieved owner.

Our heartfelt thanks go out to the PEPs who handled this incident.

These kinds of incidents are common in NYC. Nonetheless, we still see dogs tied up outside of stores on South End Avenue, as if this won't happen here. Everyone should keep in mind that BPC is right next to West Street, which is a major highway that allows for quick getaways by thieves.

BPCDogs have posted tips on their website for avoiding dog theft. Please take a minute to review them: News reports show that incidents of dog-napping are on the rise. Many of these incidents could be avoided, if owners would take simple precautions. The American Kennel Club (AKC) has published a set of tips to prevent your "best friend" from being a target of a crime, which we've edited slightly to conform to local needs:

At Home:
Don't let your dog off-leash — Keeping your dog close to you reduces the likelihood it will wander off and catch the attention of thieves. A Saint Bernard that had wandered away from his owner in Nebraska was snatched up right off the road. A similar thing could happen even on the streets of New York.

Don't leave your dog unattended in your yard — If you take your dog to a home out of the city, your dog can be a potential target, if it is left outdoors when no one is home for long periods of time can, especially if the home is in a rural area and the fenced-in yard or dog run is visible from the street.

Keep purchase price to yourself — If strangers approach you to admire your dog during walks, don't answer questions about how much the dog cost or give details about where you live.

Breeders need to be aware of home visits by potential puppy buyers — Criminals posing as would be "puppy buyers" have visited breeder homes to snatch dogs, while other homes have been burglarized when the owner was away. From Yorkies in Los Angeles to Bulldogs in Connecticut, thieves have targeted young puppies of these highly coveted breeds.

On the Road:
Never leave your dog in an unattended car, even if it's locked — Even if you are gone for only a moment, an unlocked car is an invitation for trouble. Also leaving expensive items in the car such as a GPS unit or laptop will only invite thieves to break and possibly allow the dog to escape.

Don't tie your dog outside a store — This popular practice among city dwelling dog owners can be a recipe for disaster. Reports have surfaced of such thefts in Manhattan. If you need to go shopping, patronize only dog-friendly retailers or leave the dog at home.

Be vigilant when entering or leaving establishments or venues catering to dogs such as grooming salons, veterinarians, doggie day care or hotels — Be aware of your surroundings, such as slow moving vehicles, or people watching you and your dog. Carry pepper spray as a precaution and, if possible, don't walk alone late at night or stay in a well lit area.

Recovery:
Protect your dog with microchip identification — Collars and tags can be removed so make sure you have permanent ID with a microchip. Keep contact information current with your recovery service provider. Several pets have been recovered because of alert people scanning and discovering microchips.

If you suspect your dog has been stolen — Immediately call the police / animal control in the area your pet was last seen.

Have fliers with a recent photo ready to go if your dog goes missing — Keep a photo of your dog in your wallet or on an easily accessible web account so that you can distribute immediately if your pet goes missing.

FiDi resident are also cautioned that dog thefts can happen on the east side of Broadway as well. See Eastriverdogs' posting about an attempted dog theft on Pier 16 at the South Street Seaport.

Dirty Dog Run is Sickening Downtown Pups, Owners Say

Amanda Burden, NY society matron, chats with the Mayor at the opening of the dog run that is making dogs ill.



The following text copied from: DNAInfo.com
August 29, 2011

Original article by By Ben Fractenberg and Julie Shapiro, DNAinfo Staff
Photo credit: DNAinfo/Ben Fractenberg


FINANCIAL DISTRICT — The brand-new South Street dog run has gotten so dirty that it's making dogs sick, worried owners say.
Several owners said their pooches recently came down with stomach bugs after playing in the new 4,300-square-foot oval dog run, which is often dotted with dog waste.
"There are tons of dogs, and they're all roaming around in each other's pee and poop," said Debbie Weiss, 45, who lives on Peck Slip.
Last week, Weiss's 3-year-old Havanese poodle, Amelia, vomited repeatedly and had diarrhea after visiting the dog run. It was the first time the tiny dog, which weighs less than 15 pounds, has ever been so sick.
Weiss said she was so concerned that she stayed up all night with Amelia and fed her Pedialyte with an eyedropper until the dog finally felt better.
"The situation [at the dog run] is horrible," Weiss said.
The dog park, under the FDR Drive near Pine Street, is part of the city's new $165 million East River Waterfront and has many pup-friendly features, including a giant dog house, a fountain and a sculpture of a squirrel.
But dog owners say the fancy run has so many nooks and crannies that it's hard to monitor exactly where the dogs are marking their territory, which leads some irresponsible owners to not even try to pick up after their dogs.
And despite all the dog run's fun features, owners say it's missing one of the most basic amenities: a hose.
"People don't clean up the poop, and there's no hose to clean," said Emily-Jane Finigan, 28, who has a puggle named Rocky.
Finigan said Rocky vomited last Friday after frolicking with other dogs in the dirty park.
The worst areas of the dog run are usually a patch of small rocks that is hard to clean and a pool that some dogs use as a toilet and others use as a water bowl, owners said.
Dog owners added that while the city appears to clean the park daily, that is not sufficient.
"They try to clean, but they don't do a thorough enough job," said John Larson, 46, who takes his 10-year-old pit bull Ginger to the park.
Larson said Ginger was recently sick with diarrhea for a week, which she had never had before playing in the dog run.
Although Hurricane Irene had largely washed the dog run clean by Monday morning, the mess over the past few weeks had gotten so bad that Janet Carhuayano, manager of The Salty Paw pet spa, stopped taking her dogs and those she dog-sits to the South Street run.
"I've been noticing how dirty it is, and I can't take that risk," said Carhuayano, who has a Maltese named Theo and a terrier mix named Teddy. "I can't go in there and risk someone else's dog getting sick on my watch…. It's just not safe."
A spokeswoman for the Economic Development Corp., which built the dog run and is responsible for maintaining it, said the agency is open to comments and suggested people call 311 to report any issues.

Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/20110829/downtown/dirty-dog-run-is-sickening-downtown-pups-owners-say#ixzz1XPtlOaad

Your micro-chipped dog is not safe

A Prospect Heights couple is desperately searching for its beloved pooch after a trio of alleged lady dognappers convinced a cop that they owned the furry little guy.  Source: http://bit.ly/pu7Fke

Union Square’s Dog Run uses easy to read safety signs

The Union Square Dog Run uses these hard-to-miss signs at their entry gates.

They’re easy to see and quick to read as you approach the run.

With the number of passers-by who we’ve already seen entering the Esplanade South Run to touch our dogs and take photos of one another with the dogs, not always closing the gates behind them, we wish that the Esplanade’s run had these signs too.

Tracing Unscooped Dog Waste Back to the Culprit

Deborah Violette, a property manager, takes dog waste seriously. photo credit: Jim Cole/Associated Press

from The New York Times
Published: July 1, 2011
By KATIE ZEZIMA

Sherlock Holmes had the case of the dog that didn’t bark, but it has taken two dozen apartment complexes and a testing company in Tennessee to bring the art of canine detection into the “CSI” age.

And the evidence is right underfoot.

Canine DNA is now being used to identify the culprits who fail to clean up after their pets, an offense that Deborah Violette, for one, is committed to eradicating at the apartment complex she manages.

Everyone who owns a dog in her complex, Timberwood Commons in Lebanon, N.H., must submit a sample of its DNA, taken by rubbing a cotton swab around inside the animal’s mouth.

The swab is sent to BioPet Vet Lab, a Knoxville, Tenn., company that enters it into a worldwide database. If Ms. Violette finds an unscooped pile, she can take a sample, mail it to Knoxville and use a DNA match to identify the offending owner.

Called PooPrints, the system costs $29.99 for the swabbing kit, $10 for a vial to hold the samples and $50 to analyze them, which usually takes a week or two. The company says that about two dozen apartment complexes around the country have signed up for the service. In 2008, the Israeli city of Petah Tikva created a dog DNA database for the same purpose.

Ms. Violette said that at her complex, which opened in December and has a designated building for pet owners, unwanted surprises have sometimes been found on lawns.

“We had a little bit of a problem,” Ms. Violette said. “Enough that I wanted to try to nip it in the bud.”
Dog owners were notified about the testing last week, and most are now taking their pets in to provide DNA samples. But not everyone.

“I’ve had some people say it’s completely over the top and ridiculous,” Ms. Violette said. “I’m sure I’ll have a few people who won’t come in, and I’m sure those are the people we’ll have to chase and those are the people who are doing it.”

read the full article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/02/us/02dogs.html?ref=us

Dog Run Opens Monday June 27th

More than four years after a small group of neighborhood dog owners organized and started lobbying the city and local authorities to provide a dog run in our neighborhood, the dog run finally opened under the FDR Drive at Wall Street on Monday June 27th.
Our thanks go out to the neighbors and friends in our community who gave their time and championed this cause.

East River Dog Owners Group

Man loves his pet Schnauzer, 11 million bucks worth.

"Ilich Jorquera is suing ex-girlfriend Carla Pimentel for $11 million in Queens Supreme Court, complaining  she ran off with their two-year-old Schnauzer Guapo after they broke up."

"Jorquera wants a judge to force Pimentel to at least share custody of the scruffy white pooch who was so darn cute they called him Guapo - Spanish for handsome."

"Jorquera concedes that Guapo is legally registered in Pimentel's name. But, he says, he paid to buy Guapo from a Long Island breeder in 2009. And he was the one who took him to the vet and walked him four or five times a day while Pimentel was at work."

"Guapo's absence has caused him extreme emotional distress for which he's due millions, court papers say."

Read Full Story: http://nydn.us/lPBsgl

Bionic Dog Paws

"Naki'o is the first dog to be fitted with a complete set of bionic paws that work naturally to allow him to run, jump and even swim. Naki'o received the paws after his own were severely hurt from stepping into an ice puddle as a puppy. The prosthetics were designed and fitted in a pioneering procedure by Martin Kaufmann, founder of Orthopets."