According to the Humane Society of the United States, "At least 117 dogs have been run to death or have died from other causes in the Iditarod. There is no official count of dog deaths available for the race's early years. "

Puppymills are notorious for subjecting dogs to inhumane conditions, and, in some cases, torture. Pennsylvania is a primary location of numerous puppymills. You are invited to attend the Second Annual Paws March Against Puppymills in Harrisburg, PA, on May 4, 2002. As a result of last years' march, there are now 26 fewer puppymills in Lancaster County. The website has information to help you make your plans.

This event has been celebrated at historic Olvera Street since 1930. The public is invited to bring their pets ranging from dogs and cats to snakes and rabbits to be blessed by His Eminence, Cardinal Roger M. Mahony. Colorful and lively entertainment will provide a fun day for the entire family. Approximately, 4,000 visitors are expected to attend.

If you would like to exhibit at the event, call 213-485-8225/213-485-6855 or E-mail:egonzalez@mailbox.lacity.org.

"Our family's beautiful 7-year-old Golden Retriever, Ginger, had to be euthanized 1/24/02. She had been taking Rimadyl for about 18 days. She was fine and healthy when we took her to the vet for minor stiffness, and now she's dead. We did not receive any warning of the potential side effects of Rimadyl, and followed the veterinarian's instructions in administering it. We gave it to her until we started to notice some unusual behavior. First, she stopped eating.... then stopped drinking water....different urine patterns and urine accidents in the house....then vomiting....diarrhea....then jaundice. We stopped the medicine and went to see the vet. He said she was having an adverse reaction to Rimadyl and to keep a close eye on her. A day later, we had to take her to an emergency veterinary hospital because our regular vet was closed for the week-end. She was given intravenous fluids. On Monday, we transferred her back to our vet for continued care at his facility. He said she was hanging on, and they were doing everything they could for her. Finally, after being on IV's for six days with no success, the vet called and said she was not responding and slowly deteriorating and dying, and they had nothing else they could do. We went to the vet to see her for the last time. She just lay in her kennel. We started to pet her and she put her head up a little. She started to gag and tried to vomit, but it was just dry heaving. Her one eye was swollen and she couldn't even wag her tail. We all cried and hugged her. She was the love of our life and truly a member of our family. She brought us so much joy. If only we had known all the facts about Rimadyl. We have sent her body to Colorado State University for an autopsy to prove that Pfizer's Rimadyl killed our beloved Ginger." grodgers@umd.umich.edu

To read other reports about Rimadyl, please see the Rimadyl page.

Last month's newletter included a reminder to make sure your older dog gets enough water to drink. We neglected to mention, however, as obvious as this may seem, that the water you provide should be clean and fresh. Re-fill your dog's water bowl(s) several times per day -- at each meal time certainly, but also at other times, such as first thing in the morning and last thing at night. And, most important, wash the water bowl(s) with hot, soapy water every day to prevent algae and scum from forming. Algae and scum make the water both unappealing and unhealthy.

Be sure you impart this information to other members of your household and to the sitter who takes care of your dog when you're away. (We'll never forget the sitter we hired for our dogs who didn't bother to wash the bowls for an entire week!!....because we never mentioned to her that she should.)

Chesterfield County, VA -- Chyna is a senior Chow mix who arrived at the Chesterfield county shelter in April 2001. The srdogs site began running an ad for her in November 2001.

January 23, 2002 -- We received the following E-mail today:

"My foster baby, Chyna, found a forever home today after a loving couple found her ad on the srdogs website. When she arrived ar the shelter last April, she had an upper respiratory infection and was so matted that she was infested with maggots. She was immediately put on the 'short list.' A Humane Society Volunteer and a shelter worker recognized what a sweet disposition she had and put up a fight for her. In essence, they said, 'Young, cute, mean dogs get adopted all the time...this one just has grooming issues...where are the clippers?' So, Chyna was shaved and treated. What little hair grew back in the stress and stink of the shelter was matted with filth. She wasn't advertised and had no name then other than, 'bald baby in cage G9.' Late last year, I was asked to care for Chyna, when pressure was again on to put her down. There were still a few people wouldn't give up on her. I was horrified when I went to pick her up. She looked bad and smelled even worse! But, I got her shots and got her groomed. They had to shave her again. I could only provide a 'head shot' for the ad on srdogs. But, those who believed in her were right. She was the sweetest dog I have ever had the privilege of caring for. She had perfect manners with adults, children, cats, and other dogs. She liked nothing better than to snuggle in any human's lap, like an oversized baby. Chyna was adopted by a very wonderful couple today, after they found her ad on the srdogs website. She still has about three more months of hair growing to do, but she won them over with her heart of gold. They just lost a senior dog to cancer and wanted another loving, good-mannered senior. Thank you for you and your website." -- Nancy Pagel, Nancy.Pagel@TRW.com

An  E-mail from Eileen Shannon, received 2/1/02: " Two months ago today, I adopted a 12-year-old Japanese Chin named Honcho. I already had a 3-year old Japanese Chin named Kobo, so Honcho made a nice addition to our family. We sure love him. He is a true joy. Anyone considering an oldster should know that it is worth it." (Honcho is sitting on the lap of Merlin Shannon, at the left; Kobo is on Eileen's lap, at the right.)