GistHub

PEDIGREE Foundation,  LeAnn  Rimes, and Berkeley Humane are teaming up to save more puppies. As part of a partnership between  PEDIGREE Foundation and multi-platinum selling and two-time Grammy® Award  winner  LeAnn  Rimes, Berkeley Humane has been awarding a $10,000 grant to save the lives of puppies at risk for canine  parvovirus . Berkeley Humane's Kristen Loomer, Director of Operations, and Jeffrey Zerwekh,Executive Director, are presented a check by LeAnn Rimes. In California, parvovirus (parvo) has been steadily on the rise, and in the Central Valley specifically, it has escalated to become one of the highest areas of incidences for this life-threatening disease in the entire United States. This is due to a multitude of reasons. The climate, stability of the actual virus, and ease of transfer in overcrowded municipal shelters makes the region a haven for parvo. Subsequently, under-vaccinated puppies are at significant risk of death with...

Honey Run Covered Bridge remains. Photo by Kurtis Alexander, San Francisco Chronicle If you ever visited the town of Paradise, California, then you are familiar with the Honey Run Covered Bridge. Built 123 years ago and listed on National Register of Historic Places, it was thought to be the last surviving structure of its kind in the United States: a three-span Pratt-style truss bridge. It has now been reduced to nothing more than smoldering ash. A looming symbol of the devastation and loss of life caused by the Camp Fire in Butte County. As the smoke continues to impact the Bay Area, we have received many inquires as to the status of the shelter animal rescue efforts. If there is any good news in this tragic story, it is that there is a strong and well-organized animal disaster response team in the North Valley area. The shelter dogs and cats in Paradise have all been relocated safely. Berkeley Humane did receive an initial request for supplies, such as pet food and travel carriers, ...

Will Berkeley Humane have black cats available for adoption during the Halloween season? Absolutely!  FIRENZE There is an old wives tale which cautions shelters and rescues from adopting out black cats near Halloween, due to the idea that people with evil intentions are on the hunt for black cats just to use them for ritualized abuse or sacrifice.  However, evidence shows that this simply is not true.   There are no confirmed statistics, court cases, or studies that support the claim that this type of serious crime is prevalent or even exists at all. Meanwhile, there are millions of black cats entering shelters every year who we know need to find homes, even in October! DRUSILLA Though the individual personalities and looks of these cats vary widely, solid black cats often get over looked in favor of less common coat colors. We tend to observe an even higher percentage of black cats in autumn as kitten season begins to wind down, so it is particularly ...

By Nancy Frensley, CPDT-KA, CAP2, CGC Evaluator, and AKC Scent Work Judge Berkeley Humane’s Manager of Behavior and Training This is the time of year when families all across the Bay Area embrace going back to school, and it’s a good time to remember your canine companions as well. Berkeley Humane’s professional trainers would like to remind the Bay Area community that your four-legged friends, young and old, can equally benefit from going back to school! Puppies ready to start training school for the first time or senior dogs looking to learn new tricks – we have engaging canine courses designed to fit you and your pet. That’s why Berkeley Humane is so excited to announce our new Train the Bay website at: www.trainthebay.org . Train the Bay is the pet behavior and training program of Berkeley Humane. It offers appropriate socialization and training, which helps you and your dog understand how to behave in each situation you encounter. Benefits of Continued Training Keeping dogs in sch...

Donate to help Berkeley Humane's Rescue efforts. Emergency Rescue Update   From Jeffrey Zerwekh, Executive Director Uncontrolled fire causes fear – there is the heat, acrid smell, falling ash, irritation to the eyes along with smoke so heavy that every breath takes effort. This is what we experienced as we began to remove dogs from their kennels yesterday in Shasta County. It was a lot for us, and we could see it was also impacting the dogs. Stress levels were high. We really were not sure if they would even come willingly. These are large dogs, used to living among forested trails and wide-open yards. Some of them have been in the shelter for more than six months and although they have been provided wonderful care by the local shelter, we were concerned that moving them into a transport vehicle might be too much for them. Might they lash out or try to break free? How hard was this going to be? Then something amazing happened. As each one was led acros...

300 Days and Counting Kaye is celebrating her 300th day with Berkeley Humane this week, and although we’re big fans of anniversaries,  this isn’t  a  cause for celebration  – unless a party will bring  Kaye an  adopter! Kaye is the last of 150 animals  to find a home here in the Bay Area that  were  all  evacuated in advance of Hurricane Irma from a shelter in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Why has it taken so long to find a new home for this sweet, 30-pound girl? Because her story did not start in Florida. Kaye began her life on the streets of Puerto Rico, was rescued, and sent to the  Humane Society of  Broward  County (HSBC) in Ft. Lauderdale. Then in September 2017, Hurricane Irma threatened Ft. Lauderdale. With less than 24 hours to plan, HSBC 's  entire shelter population was put onto a plane and flown to California. Once safely landed, the dogs and cats were greeted by a collation of animal welfare age...