PetHobbyist.com Site Blog

Veterinary critical care specialist Dr. Tony Johnson has seen it all... and tonight he's going to share it with you in "Tails from the Pet ER," at 10 PM Eastern Time in the Auditorium!

Dr. Johnson, a veterinary emergency care specialist and professor at Purdue University's College of Veterinary Medicine, will be talking with PetHobbyist.com's Christie Keith in live streaming audio -- a perfect "fit" for this particular guest event, since his "Tails" are long on humor -- so long, in fact, that you'd better consider this a warning not to listen with beverages in your mouth.

You won't just be listening, though -- bring your questions! You'll be able to type them into the chat room so Dr. Johnson can answer them.

To join us the evening of the chat: Registered users log in here; if you're not registered, log in as a guest here and select "Auditorium" from the drop down menu!

We'll see you tonight!

Tonight, Sunday, February 7, at 10 PM Eastern Time/7 PM Pacific Time in the kingsnake.com chat room, Dave Colling and Jeff Clark join us for a Rainbow Boa Panel in live streaming audio.

Jeff Clark of Savannah, Georgia has been hunting and keeping and breeding snakes much of the time since his first pet snake had babies in 1964. He has kept many different species and has captive bred dozens of different ones. He has specialized in Rainbow Boas since 1989. He currently keeps 6 different subspecies of Rainbow Boas and has kept and captive bred one other Rainbow Boa subspecies. Jeff will be able to answer local specific as well as general husbandry questions.

Dave Colling started breeding Rainbow Boas back in the early 80s with the Brazilian Rainbow Boas and was instantly hooked! Specializing in the genetics and color morphs, Dave has amassed a great collection of animals that are pure stunners. Dave will be joining us to touch upon the genetics and color variations in the breeding process as well as sharing his husbandry tips.

We'll see you there!

Tonight at 10 PM Eastern Time in the kingsnake.com chat room, Dr. Bryan Grieg Fry will be interviewed via streaming audio by kingsnake.com site coordinator Cindy Steinle. Dr. Fry is always one of our most entertaining and popular guests. He heads a laboratory at the Department of Biochemistry in the Bio21 Institute of the University of Melbourne that specializes in the research of animal venoms.

His life in his own words: "My name is Dr. Bryan Grieg Fry and I consider myself to be one of the luckiest people alive. I get to travel the globe catching snakes! Ever since I was a small child, all I have ever wanted to do is play with venomous animals for a living. Its quite a satisfying feeling to have this childhood obsession come true. It makes my mum feel a bit better about the myriad of strange, unusual and often dangerous animals that took up residence in our household during my years at home!"

Dr. Fry is a fantastic and lively speaker, and that's why we're leading off with him for our first ever kingsnake.com chat in streaming audio!

On the second night of our 12th Annual Chat Month, Complete Care for your Aging Cat author Amy Shojai, a perennial favorite guest on PetHobbyist.com, joins us this evening to discuss a subject dear to all our hearts: senior cats. As part of this year's focus on "Ending Pet Homelessness," she'll be discussing adopting older kitties, how to care for them, and tips to making their lives longer, healthier, and happier.

Whether you're considering giving a senior feline a home (and you really should -- there's nothing quite like the love of an older kitty!) or want to address the needs of your own cat in his or her golden years, Amy's got you covered. Don't miss it!

The chat will be held tonight, Saturday, Feb. 6, at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT, in Cat Care Central.

Amy Shojai is a certified animal behavior consultant and nationally known authority on pet care and behavior. She began her career as a veterinary technician and is the award-winning author of 22 nonfiction pet books and more than 1000 published articles and columns.

"I've been an equal-opportunity pet lover since birth," she says. "All kinds of furred, feathered, finned and fanged beasts have shared my life, but I must admit that dogs and cats top my list. I'm very grateful for my success as a pet writer, but feel even more fortunate that I truly love my work. Bottom line, I get paid to talk and write about dogs and cats -- wow!"

Shojai has written widely in the pet field on training, behavior, health care (both allopathic and holistic), and the health benefits of keeping cats and dogs. She is the founder and past president of the international Cat Writers' Association, a member of the Dog Writer's Association of America, Inc. and of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. She has won numerous awards for her books and articles.

She frequently speaks to groups on a variety of pet-related issues, and often lectures at writing conferences. She regularly appears on national radio and television in connection with her pet writing. Perhaps most memorably, she represented the "cat side" and won a nationally televised tongue-in-cheek debate (NBC Today Show, Fox, CNN and others) arguing whether cats or dogs are the more appropriate White House pets.

In honor of our 12th Annual Chat Month focus on "Ending Pet Homelessness," PetHobbyist.com will be leading off the event with an interview with Bonney Brown, director of the Nevada Humane Society.

To join us the evening of the chat: Registered users log in here; if you're not registered, log in as a guest here and select "Auditorium" from the drop down menu!

Host Christie Keith will be asking her to answer a simple question: With shelter intakes in excess of 15,000 in the Reno area that you serve, the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression and sky-high foreclosure rates, how come you're smiling?

If you're an animal lover, shelter or rescue volunteer, or work in the shelter industry and are struggling with feelings of being overwhelmed, underfunded, and burnt out, come join one of America's most successful shelter directors and learn how Washoe County saved 90 percent of its homeless animals last year, and how your community can do the same, without bitterness, burnout or bankruptcy.

Brown is a dynamic and upbeat speaker, and we'll be listening to her via streaming audio, while guests can comment and ask questions in the text-based chat room.

Join us on Friday, Feb. 5, at 10 PM Eastern/7 PM Pacific Time!

Be sure to tell MiragesMom you liked it here!

There are lots of great pet photos in our Photo Gallery... and throughout the year, we'll be featuring the best of the best. So come upload yours... it's free.

I always say I'm normal, and in some circles, I am. This week has been a very fun one for me and I also realized, what I think is normal is not always....

I've been a member of the Chicago Herpetological Society for about 15 years now, and a board member for about 5 years. I love being part of the community and being part of a great society with a strong focus on education.

On my way down to a recent meeting of the society, I needed to pick up a pair of alligators that had been abandoned in a home when their owners were evicted. I transported them to their current resting place with the Chicago Herpetological Society. This is all perfectly normal to me, but on my way to Chicago I had the giggles. I had sent Christie Keith an email about other things, and the end of my email included the following lines.

"I am heading to the meeting. I will be available both by email and phone. I will however NOT be available for the next 30 minutes AT ALL. I have to pick up a pair of alligators and will be with out my phone for that venture. I am sure you understand."

Here's a shot of one of the gators, handing off to Dan of the CHS:



The meeting was lovely with a nice talk by Ray Pawley (former curator of reptiles at the Brookfield Zoo) discussing the rearing and breeding of Galapagos tortoises. The ability to talk and share with those who are involved in the keeping of reptiles is always a nice getaway for me. To be with others with the same feelings as I have towards these wonderful animals is great. Seriously, if you are a herper, share with us why you are not part of a herp society?

Then I hit the road with my bulldog in tow to do the rodent run. This is another benefit of having herp society friends. A group of us from the herp society put an order together a few times a year from Rodent Pro. We watch for their blow-out sales and load up. I made the 8 hour drive to Evansville, IN, to meet the guys from Rodent Pro to pick up our order. This was my first time picking up, but boy was it entertaining.

Now, when I say picking up a rodent order, I mean a rodent order. The total order was 1800 lbs and 35 boxes. The actual shipping for the order would have equaled the order itself! Here are some photos from the trip, below...

Continue reading "A week in the life of a herper: What is normal, anyhow?"

Be sure to tell PHEve you liked it here!

There are lots of great pet photos in our Photo Gallery... and throughout the year, we'll be featuring the best of the best. So come upload yours... it's free.

Be sure to tell WhiskeyTango you liked it here!

There are lots of great pet photos in our Photo Gallery... and throughout the year, we'll be featuring the best of the best. So come upload yours... it's free.

Via DogHobbyist.com site coordinator Cheryl Cooper, this letter, signed by AKC chairman Ronald Menacker and president/CEO Dennis Sprung to Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeff Lurie and the Ed Block Courage Award Foundation:

On behalf of the American Kennel Club, our 5,000 clubs nationwide, and the millions of responsible dog owners we represent, we are writing to ask you to withdraw Michael Vick as the Philadelphia Eagles' recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award.

We understand that his teammates selected Mr. Vick for this honor, but in doing so they are demonstrating a lack of understanding about the nature of both animal and child abuse, and are trivializing Mr. Vick's heinous actions. Michael Vick horrified the world, and especially those of us who devote our lives to promoting the health and welfare of dogs, with his engagement in dog fighting. In addition to the bloody fighting contests, reports indicate that many dogs were electrocuted, drowned or hung for underperformance.

A man who has been convicted of these atrocities should not be held up as a role model of sportsmanship and courage. Further, Ed Block, the award's namesake, dedicated his life to ending the vicious cycle of pain and despair suffered by children at the hands of their abusers. It is unconscionable that a man who tortured and abused helpless animals be honored by an organization dedicated to ending abuse.

Please take a stand against ALL forms of abuse by selecting another player to represent the Philadelphia Eagles at the 32nd Annual Ed Block Courage Awards.

We at PetHobbyist.com can't help but agree.

Photo of Leo, one of the Vick dogs, courtesy of Our Pack. Leo is now a certified therapy dog.