Dear Porky and Buddy,

I just received a reminder card about vaccinations for my pets, a dog and a cat, but I keep hearing horror stories about the dangers of vaccinations and now I don’t know what to do. I hate to annoy my vet, as I basically adore her, but still, I worry. Do you have any suggestions?

Dear Porky and Buddy,

I just looked at the outdoor thermometer and it’s 10 degrees. My adopted boxer mix is crossing his legs and begging me to just this once not make him go outside to do his business and my elderly cat won’t come out from under the covers. Are there any special things I should know about taking care of my pets when it gets this cold.

Dear Porky and Buddy,

I have been following events in Haiti and sending in donations to several organizations whose work I respect to help with the terrible human suffering. But now I am thinking about the animals too. Are there a lot of animals in Haiti and is anyone helping them? Is there any way I can help with those efforts too?

Dear Porky, I just adopted a long haired cat and I know I will need to brush her to keep her clean and healthy, but I don’t know much about that. Do you have any tips?

Lynn

Adopt a new pet. Already have a pet? Remember, they’re like dog biscuits, or cat treats, or chips—you can’t have just one.

And you can find your next new pet at our “Ring in the New Year with a New Pet Adoption Day,” on Saturday, January 16th from 11 to 2 at the Tractor Supply Company, State Route104 East, Oswego. See our pets online at www.oswegohumane.org.

The picture you see here is a cat that we recently found begging for food at Patz on the River. The kind people at Patz trapped her and brought her to us. She was wearing a collar, and seemed to be in good health– shall we say “abundant” good health.

Dear Porky & Buddy,

I heard that there is a statute requiring that dogs have good shelters. Is that true? My neighbor has a dog tied out in his yard with nothing but an old plastic barrel for shelter and the poor thing stands in the mud most of the time. Is there anything I can do?

We doubt that people who read this column would do such a thing anyway, but if you see what you think is an act of animal abandonment, try to get a license plate number or a description and call 911. Don’t tolerate it. Not for a minute.

Dear Porky & Buddy,

Halloween is coming, my very favorite holiday, and I am so excited. I plan to dress up as a witch and then my dog Skip and my cat Sadie as little devils (which they are) and have them with me when I greet trick or treaters. Isn’t that a great idea?

Dear Porky and Buddy,

Help! Two weeks ago I rescued a stray kitten, took her to the vet for a health check, made a big effort to find her owner, (without success) and now I really need to find her a permanent home, as I really can’t keep her. Do you have any suggestions about how to go about doing that?

Forgive me if I seem like a busy body, but I have a number of neighbors with pets that are not spayed or neutered. When I ask them about it, in the nicest possible way, they usually tell me that they just can’t afford it.

Dear Porky, My twelve week old male kitten that I just adopted is pooping in my tub! He uses the litter box in the same room for urinating. He’s even been caught doing this right after the box was just cleaned. It’s really icky! What can I do?

Dear Porky and Buddy,

Well, I just bought my first house and then I went and adopted my first dog, Skippy, and now I am getting ready to put in my first garden. Skippy and I are getting lessons in obedience training and that is going well, but are there precautions I should take when I put the new garden in to make sure it is “dog friendly?”

Dear Buddy,

I just adopted a new dog, Amelia. She is about nine months old and she is perfect except for one thing. Whenever I leave the house, even for short periods, when I come back it seems that she has been frantic and destructive the whole time. I know I could leave her in a crate and prevent this, but since I work during the day, I would prefer that she have the run of the house if I can just get her to stop this behavior.

Dear Porky, I have two cats, Punch and Judy. Judy is about five and Punch is one. They mostly get along pretty well and I adopted Punch as a companion for Judy when I am at work, but every once in awhile they have a horrible knock down drag out fight. They haven’t hurt each other yet, but it worries me. What should I do?

The Fulton District Wide Storytelling Festival was held and storytellers from throughout the district showcased their talents in telling a wide variety of stories. Participants told a folktale, fairytale, myth, legend, tall tale or fable. The stories ranged from spooky legends to hilarious tales and many had a useful moral attached that provided a bit [...]

Parents: Get your social life back on track! Go out “guilt-free” and have fun knowing that your children are not just waiting for you by the TV — but are having fun too!

The following students are on the Dean’s List for their outstanding academic achievement for the Fall 2009 semester from the Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering at Binghamton University, State University of New York.
The criteria for the Dean’s Honors list is a minimum grade point average of 3.5.
Christopher Marnell Mohr — Pennellville
Joseph T. Troia — [...]

Happy New Year to all of our readers in the tri-county region!
While our Richland facility is closed until April, the society is still active with Friday afternoon hours at the Barclay Court House in Pulaski (2nd floor over DMV, 2pm until 5) or by appointment. We got off to a rocky start following our [...]