That Pet Blog That Pet Place Pet Blog

If you have been to That Fish Place – That Pet Place within the last year, you may have noticed all of the different rescues that we have had come into showcase their organization. When we think of rescues, we typically think of cats and dogs, but we often forget about the other animals that are in need of loving homes as well. Like clockwork, our favorite bird man Alan Sipe has brought his own birds in on Saturday’s from 10am-2pm to help represent the Feathered Sanctuary out of Kirkwood. His own expertise, and the hands on experience that some folks have been lucky enough to experience help to establish what it takes to adopt a rescued bird. January is Adopt a Rescued Bird Month, and what better way to celebrate than to interview the birdman himself.

What does Feathered Sanctuary cover for adopting or fostering?
A certificate is given to adopters good for a free wellness check with Dr. Hall at VCA Bridgeport.  Typically a cage comes with the bird. If one is not available, the adoption fee would be a lesser dollar amount.  Range is from $5.00 to $600.00 and anywhere in between.  Since we have a facility, we do not typically foster birds. On rare occasions we do foster special needs birds and food is provided by the rescue.

Is there a foster period? If there is difficulty getting a newly adopted bird settled into a new home we will work with that person.

How can I meet some of the adoptable birds? Stop in at our facility located at 1674 Kirkwood Pike in Kirkwood, PAQ, located just south of Quarryville.

Do you offer educational resources and/or classes? From time to time we do offer Birdie 101 introduction classes. Also, the knowledgeable staff at the rescue will answer questions.

What is a bird’s average life span? Canaries about 10-15 years, Cockatiels 15-30 years, Amazons 50-70 years and Macaws 50-80 years.

Can birds be left alone if I work or go to school? Yes….they do not require 24/7 attention. A few hours of interaction daily is plenty.

What does a bird cost on average a year? Food and toys could run anywhere between $150 a year for a small bird to $500 a year for a large Macaw!

What are some of the things that the rescue does daily? Volunteers clean cages & grates, vacuum floors, feed & water birds as well as get birds out to socialize.

How would I go about volunteering for Feathered Sanctuary?  Stop by the rescue and fill out an application form for volunteering. Must be 16 or older to volunteer alone, but if younger you may volunteer accompanied by a responsible adult!

Are there any other ways that someone can help the Feathered Sanctuary?  Monetary donations are always accepted, supplies such as large garbage bags, vacuum bags, paper towels, printer paper, printer ink and much more.

Where do these rescue birds come from? Birds may outlive their owners, life changes: divorce, newborn, residency move, career change, as well as neglect and/or abuse.

What is one of your happiest memories from volunteering at the rescue? An Umbrella Cockatoo named Angel came in to our rescue with a kicked in cage door and the owners saying the bird was aggressive and noisy. I discovered through interaction with the bird that it was docile and lovable. The poor scared baby was just misunderstood!

Thank you Alan for taking the time to answer all of our questions. If you would like to know more, feel free to reach out, and don’t forget to visit Alan at our store!

Here at That Fish Place – That Pet Place – we always try to assist local rescues and pet organizations whenever we can.  I have personally been on the forefront of this for the last few months in my position as the Local Community and Events Coordinator.  There are a lot of rescues in and around Lancaster County.  As a pet lover, chances are you are either involved with a rescue or you may know someone who is.

Promoting a rescue or other non-profits can be expensive – but it doesn’t have to be.  There are many national event posting sites, as well as local Lancaster, Pennsylvania sites.  Not from Lancaster Pennsylvania? Do a quick Google search using the keywords “Event posting sites” and your current location.  It’s that easy!  Below are 6 FREE ways that I have found to promote your rescues events online.

Yelp.com (National)

• In order to promote an event on Yelp, you must first sign up as a business. Signing up for Yelp is absolutely free.  Once you are signed up, you can add an event by simply clicking on the events tab and inputting the information.  The advantage to using this site is that you can search for an event by category and locale.  The other added bonus is that you can get feedback regarding your event if an attendee submits a review.  This can help you plan future events.

Eventful.com (National)

• Eventful is another site that is 100% free.  You can create an account, or log in with your existing Facebook.  Once you have added your event, you can add imagery.  The added bonus by using Eventful is that each event can be tagged to up to three categories.  The more categories selected, the more your event will populate when people search the website.

Eventbrite.com (National)

• Event Brite is a great site to use if you like to keep track of how many people plan to attend your event.  There is no charge for selling free tickets on Event Brite.  Simply create an account, and add your event.  You can use Event Brite for paid admission as well, with the option of deducting the transaction fee from each ticket or adding the fee to each ticket.  The event is still free to post, and any transaction fee will get applied before deposit to your PayPal account.  Attendees can use any major credit card.  Event Brite would be a huge benefit to your large scale event.

Pennlive.com (Central PA)

• Pennlive is an online distribution of the Patriot News, which is directed to Central Pa. Adding an event is simple and you do not have to create an account to do so. You can also link a previously posted event from another site (like Facebook) by adding the additional URL to your event submission.

360lancaster.com (Lancaster PA)

• 360lancaster is another great event source. The process of entering the event is simple with your audience retaining to Lancaster County.  Would you like to expand your audience?  Check out 360York.  The added bonus to this page, there is a Lancaster Nonprofit organization category.  Thus making your event highlighted in one easy click.

Susquehannalife.com (Central PA)

• Susquehanna Life makes it really easy to submit an event.  Simply create an account or log in with one of four existing social accounts (Facebook, Google, Yahoo, or Windows live).  The reach for your event is throughout Central Pa and Susquehanna.  Event postings are free, and their customer service is amazing.

With all of these sources at your fingertips, why not take advantage?  Our generations X ways are the things of yesterday.  It is time to move it on up to the digital era.  Personally, I could do without all of the paper cuts.

If you would like to know more about posting your event on any of these sites or if you have any questions about promoting your rescue please feel free to contact me at tries@thatpetplace.com.  Thank you!

Black cats have served as negative icons of superstition and sorcery for centuries. In many cultures the stigma that follows these animals is so deeply engrained that even today they may be shunned, abused and hated by some for what they supposedly represent. Black Cats face more discrimination and danger than the average tabby, particularly during the month of October as Halloween approaches. Contemporary rescue organizations and animal lovers may even take protective measures in October to protect the interests and well-being of these “unlucky” pets.

A Dark History

Domestic cats, as a species, have a long presence in folklore and superstition in cultures around the globe. Black coloration carries other connotations, so black cats such as pure bred Bombays, are hit with a “double whammy” in regards to how they may be percieved or treated.  Perhaps the most prevalent negative association of cats is that to witches, devilry and black magic in the western world. These beliefs began largely in the middle ages when disease and death were rampant and people were looking for reasons for their dire circumstances.  Actively hunting and exploring by the dark of night, shadowy feline figures unknowingly gained a reputation as being tools of evil practices, supernatural omens of misfortune and death. Some even believed cats could change shape and assume human form to carry out mischief or evil deeds. Read More »

“In speaking of his intelligence, my wife, who at heart was not a little tinctured with superstition, made frequent allusion to the ancient popular notion, which regarded all black cats as witches in disguise.”
– Edgar Allan Poe, “The Black Cat”

Have you ever visited a pet shelter or rescue and noticed that their resident pets were mostly dark in color? It probably wasn’t your imagination. The idea that black dogs and other dark colored pets remain in shelters longer, and are more often euthanized than pets of other colors, is debated by some. But people who volunteer, work in or run animal shelters can tell you that the seeming discrimination against black animals is a reality. The condition has been given a name–Black Dog Syndrome.  Despite the gentle and loving personalities thes pets may have they are often passed over for others in the shelter, but why?  Having known and lived with several inky-black cats and dogs, I can attest that each was as affectionate and sweet as their yellow, white, tan, brown or grey counterparts, maybe even more so.  In fact, their satiny, glossy black coat may have even made them more appealing to me. So what causes these pets to be passed overin a shelter situation? Read More »

Recent concerns over animal hoarding, introduced species and animal attacks have resulted in a confusing maze of new laws.  Many are legitimate attempts to address serious problems, while others seem over-reactions based on poor research.  I’m an attorney as well as a biologist, and yet even with this background I find it difficult to keep up with all the changes.  However, I’ve found several organizations that track pending legislation and provide links to actions that can be taken…I hope the following helpful information is useful. Read More »

Adopt from a Shelter There are so many unwanted animals already in the world waiting for loving homes. Bring home one of these loveable mutts rather than opting for a purebred dog – who was born and raised purely for profit.

Donate Clean out your closets, but before you toss away any old towels, leashes, or toys call your local animal shelter to see if they are in need of donations. You would be surprised by the variety of stuff shelters are in need of (even old computer equipment)! Read More »

Animal fans often have difficulty finding hands-on animal work, and most animal shelters are underfunded and cannot hire enough help.  Volunteering at a shelter is, therefore, a win-win situation….as most who have volunteered at anything will attest, the helper benefits as much as the “helped”.

Typical Volunteer Duties

Hands-on animal work at shelters may involve walking, grooming or bathing dogs, cleaning cages and preparing food.  Many volunteers find interacting with dogs, parrots, cats and other animals in need of human contact to be a very pleasurable aspect of their experience.  In doing so, they make the residents’ stay more pleasant, and fulfill their desire for close contact with a variety of creatures.

People with other skills can often help out in office work, fund-raising or educational programs. Read More »

I grew up in the country, rural Northeastern Pennsylvania to be exact. Raised on a beautiful 30 acre farmette, my family always had animals from cats and dogs to poultry, llamas, sheep, horses, and lots of others. It was hobby farming, no production other than new babies in the spring and hayfields to harvest for winter feeding. Over the years our little farm became the home to many pets tossed out along the roadside and left to their fate by others far less compassionate towards them. While from origins unknown, more than one of these unfortunate animals found a place in our hearts and home. Read More »

Despite the many people and groups involved in animal welfare and conservation, the sad fact is that animal abuse and neglect remains a serious problem USA.  Unfortunately, the relevant laws are quite confusing and lack uniformity, and it is often difficult which agency is responsible for enforcing them.  It is worthwhile, however, to learn as much as you can about how to proceed – most enforcement authorities are poorly staffed, and rely almost exclusively upon citizen complaints for leads.

State and Federal Laws

Animal abuse is a crime in all 50 states, and almost all aspects of the problem are controlled by state law.  The only areas covered by a federal law (the Animal Welfare Act) are commercial animal breeding facilities, zoos, circuses and research labs.

Details, such as what constitutes abuse or neglect and how the laws are actually enforced, vary from state to state.  In some states, various types of illegal situations (i.e. dog-fighting, neglect in pet stores, abused animals in private residences) are handled by different law-enforcement agencies.  Read More »

Let me give you a little history. For as long as I can remember, I have loved animals of all shapes and sizes. At the age of 6, I got my first pet (a Bichon Frise named Francis). When I was in middle school, my mom bought me another dog, a Bichon named Mandee. A few years later, we brought home her sister, a bichon/poodle mix named Mollie. Mandee and Mollie were my responsibility to train and care for when I lived at home, which gave me my first glimpse into responsible pet ownership.

When I was in college, my now-husband and I took in some feral kittens. Kitten ownership was a challenge, never having owned kittens before I did not know how to prepare myself or my home for such chaos! We got through it with minor bumps along the way. Fast forward four years. A few months after we bought our first home, we wanted a dog (we finally had a yard!) Read More »