Feline Flood
Stray cats straining area animal shelter facilities
By DEAN WELLS dwells@timesobserver.com Source: http://timesobserver.com/page/content.detail/id/534451.html

8/18/2010 It seems as if corn isn't the only bumper crop being raised in the region this summer.

According to Karen Kolos, director of the Warren County Humane Society, area animal shelters have experienced an explosion in the cat population, resulting in a tidal wave of felines flooding the agencies.

"We've got a lot of cats here," Kolos said. "A lot of cats. We're being bombarded with cats."

Which might sound like a good thing, if you're a big fan of the little whiskered creatures. But it's bad news if you're running a place required to shelter strays.

"It's cat season," Kolos said. "People are just abandoning kittens on people's porches and all over the place. We have so many nice cats that need homes."

Compounding the situation? The county's Humane Society has been working with Tidioute Borough lately to remove the town's feral cat population.

In addition, the Jamestown, N.Y., Humane Society has been forced to shut its doors to any new incoming stray cats for the next six weeks due to the population explosion.

"People are calling us from Jamestown, desperate," Kolos said. "It's a crisis and it's all over the place."

Kolos said the county's Humane Society is taking in up to a dozen new cats per day. "We took in 24 one day," she said. "It's a crisis."

Stray or feral cats taken to the Humane Society are spaded or neutered and temperment tested before being put out for adoption.

"It's a great place to get a cat," Kolos said of her agency. "People can get them for free in the (news)paper and need to pay to get all that stuff done."

It doesn't take long to have a neighborhood cat problem....

Jack’s Big Day
Donkey holds up traffic on Jackson Avenue.

9/3/2010  The Warren Humane Society is more than just "cats and dogs."  Karen Kolos and Tera Darts recently assisted in "rescuing" a wandering donkey.  Read the front page story on the Times Observer website.

Tidioute coping with stray cats
By LYDIA COTTRELL lcottrell@timesobserver.com  Source: http://timesobserver.com/page/content.detail/id/533636.html

7/28/2010 Tidioute Borough has a growing problem.

Well, more of a multiplying problem.

After receiving complaints from residents, the borough is teaming up with personnel from the Warren County Humane Society to trap a colony of stray and potentially feral cats in town.

"We have a stray cat problem in town," said borough secretary Crystal Heenan.

The problem originated on the east side of town where a resident reported a large number of cats in the neighborhood.

Heenan said the number of cats is between 20 and 30.

"Now they're multiplying," she said. "They're just becoming wild and a nuisance."

The same resident also reported that the cats are malnourished and often engage in fights.

Although the problem is centered on the east side of the borough, problems are also being reported in other areas of town.

Realizing the magnitude of the situation, the resident who discovered the problem approached borough council for help. With the help of the humane society, the borough has scheduled days to begin trapping the animals. The trapping will take place from Aug. 2 to 13.

During the designated time, Heenan said, "Pet owners of outside cats are advised to keep them inside during this time. If your cat does not return home call the Humane Society...It will be the pet owners responsibility to retrieve their cat."

Depending on the availability of traps, which will be borrowed from the Humane Society, the borough may not catch all of the cats in the determined time period.

"We might have to do it again," Heenan said.

WARREN COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETY IN THE NEWS - Spring 2010
Is Fido Legal? | Proposed law could affect area pet owners | Carson and Humane Society get an early Christmas gift

Is Fido Legal?
State will be checking for licenses next month
By BRIAN FERRY bferry@timesobserver.com  Times Observer Source: http://timesobserver.com/page/content.detail/id/529601.html

4/12/2010 Dog owners in Warren County will soon be getting a reminder that their pets need to be licensed by January 1 of each year.

The Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement will put people on the streets of the county in May checking that dogs are licensed, have current shots, and are not running loose.

"They will be canvassing," County Treasurer Nancy Siggins said on Friday.

According to a release from the bureau, "state law requires that all dogs three months of age and older be licensed. The fee is $6 for each spayed or neutered dog and $8 for other dogs."

Senior citizens and people with disabilities may purchase licenses at a $2 discount.

"Additionally, rabies vaccinations are required for all dogs and any cat that enters a human dwelling over three months of age," the release said.

A fine of up to $300 per violation of the requirements may be levied and court costs assessed.

In addition to being the law, dog licenses serve important purposes.

"For instance, if a dog gets lost, having a current license is the fastest way for it to be reunited with its owner," Nicole Bucher of the Department of Agriculture press office said. "Dogs that lack a current license could be transferred to shelters far from their homes and adopted by other families if the original owner cannot be identified."

Licenses are available through the treasurer's office (728-3415) at the Warren County Courthouse; the Warren County Humane Society (726-1961), 212 Elm St., Warren; or Lottsville Milling (489-3977), RD 1, Box 160, Bear Lake.

Complaints about dogs that are not kept under control may be reported by calling the State Dog Law Enforcement officer for Warren and McKean counties at 837-7813.

Unlicensed kennels and unsatisfactory kennel conditions may be reported by calling 877-DOG-TIP1.

More information regarding dog licensing may be obtained by calling the bureau at (717) 787-3062 or by clicking on Bureaus, Commissions and Councils and Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement at www.agriculture.state.pa.us.

If you still need a 2010 dog license for your Fido, come see us! 
More information about dog license options and fees.

Carson and Humane Society get an early Christmas gift
By DEAN WELLS dwells@timesobserver.com Times Observer  Source: http://timesobserver.com/page/content.detail/id/525378.html?nav=5006

12/12/09 The Warren County Humane Society and a injured dog named Carson got quite a gift from the doctors at the Kinzua Veterinary Clinic over the weekend.

Dr. Adam Miller and his wife, Dr. Blayne Bergenstock, performed surgery on Saturday on Carson, a four-year-old cattle dog mix, donating their services to the Humane Society as a holiday gesture.

Miller and Bergenstock amputated the dog's badly broken leg during the 45-minute operation.

Carson was found in Columbus Township on Dec. 1. Upon an initial examination, Humane Society officials discovered the dog's leg was broken in several places.

According to Humane Society Director Karen Kolos, no one has come forward to claim the dog since he was turned in as a stray animal.

"He did pretty well," Miller said of the surgery. "We don't really know how long his leg was broken, but it was at least a week or two. It wasn't going to heal unless we did some sort of bone graft. Since we couldn't find the owner, we figured the best thing to do was to take the leg off."

Miller said that Humane Society officials asked for a quote from the clinic on how much it would cost to treat Carson. Miller said that he and his wife told the society that they would donate the surgery, "Being it's that time of year and they can use any little bit of help they can get,"

"It's a nice little dog," Miller said. "Somebody will adopt him and he's going to be in a better place."

According to Miller, Carson returned to the Humane Society on Monday.

"Three-legged dogs do very well and are great family pets," Kolos said. "Carson is outgoing and lovable."

Kolos thanked Miller and Bergenstock for "their gift of life for Carson."

See: Shelter Pet Photos for more information about pets still looking for their "forever" homes.

Proposed law could affect area pet owners
By COLIN KYLER ckyler@timesobserver.com Times Observer Source: http://timesobserver.com/page/content.detail/id/528670.html

3/17/2010 A state lawmaker intends to introduce legislation to curb tethering laws, which will affect pet owners.

According to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Democratic Caucus website, Rep. James Casorio Jr. (D-56) has announced he is working with animal welfare and other groups to draft the legislation. Tethering involves chaining dogs to a stationary object.

Karen Kolos, executive director of the Warren County Humane Society, said she supports such a ban.

However, Kolos said she understands there are different reasons why dogs would be outside and is not against the practice by hunters and farmers.

Dr. Kent Wiggers of the Warren Veterinary Hospital said he hasn't seen health effects of the practice other than dogs spraining their leg from getting it caught in a chain.

Kolos said many dogs she sees are attached to big log chains, and that she often thinks what it would feel like to have it on her neck.

Dogs isolated from people are often not socialized, Kolos said, and can get loose and bite people. Dogs are social animals, she emphasized, and need to be trained and feel like part of a family.

One alternative is a kennel situation, Kolos said, with a 10 foot by 10 foot area surrounded by a fence and containing a dog house where the animal can move freely. The area must be cleaned and dogs still need time out of the area in order to exercise daily, she added.

Owners could also have buried electrical fences and have their dog wear a shock collars to keep them on their property, Wiggers said, but he was unsure how the method goes along with laws already enacted to keep pets under control.

Over half of the cruelty complaints Kolos said she goes on involve dogs that are tied outside, where they lack proper shelter, living in dog houses containing holes and no floors.

Some people believe the myth if dogs are tied up they will protect the owner's home, Kolos said, but this is the furthest from the truth. Those wanting protection should put their dogs inside, she added, because outside animals will not help.

Animals must feel attached to a family in order to protect it, Kolos said, and outside dogs may become friendly towards neighbors and find it hard to distinguish between friends and enemies.

Wiggers pointed out dogs must be kept under control somehow to prevent them from being hit by cars.

When puppies don't work out as inside dogs, Kolos said some owners believe the answer is to tie them up outside.

"The average dog is a nicer person than the average person." Andy Rooney