The Adventures of Salt, Soap and Lori Rome

Lori with Salt and Soap on the Lower Colorado River

The Adventures of Salt and Soap at Grand Canyon is the true story of two puppies who wandered into the Canyon and maneuvered their way into some great escapades--multiple rim-to-river hikes, a white-water rafting trip, and even a helicopter ride—all while ultimately snuggling their ways into park rangers’ hearts.

 

Lori Rome with Morri, Salt and Soap

The author of this charming book for children, interpretive ranger Lori Rome, adopted this pair of adventurers after meeting them at the bottom of the Canyon at Phantom Ranch, the historic oasis on the north side of the Colorado River that’s tucked in right next to Bright Angel Creek. She took Salt and Soap in as “lost and found items” but, with Lori, the intrepid duo found a home. And home for all of them is now Capitol Reef National Park in south-central Utah where they’ve been joined by a third dog (another stray, Mo, whose proper name is Morri, after the Morrison rock formation near where he was found). Morri, who’s a delightful little border collie has just three legs but, Lori insists, he's still the fastest herding dog you'll meet...and a mean frisbee catcher!

In Episode 30, Donna chats with Lori about Salt, Soap and their buddy Morri. Lori gives us entrée to her life as a ranger in parks from Alaska to Florida, shares stories about pets and wildlife in the parks, and details her exciting work with mountain lions at Capitol Reef.

The book is available on Amazon and on the Grand Canyon Association website: https://www.grandcanyon.org/shop/online-store/salt-soap-grand-canyon.

Paw Prints at Owl Cottage

Four kittens. A crumbling English cottage. One touching tale of life in the British countryside.

In Paw Prints at Owl Cottage, the sequel by Denis O’Connor to Paw Prints in the Moonlight, the author tenderly and humorously charts the ups and downs of days shared with feline companions. In his first book, then bachelor Denis detailed his life with his much-loved hybrid Maine Coon cat, Toby Jug.

In the newest release, we come upon Denis more than 20 years after Toby Jug’s passing as the now-married author returns, after some years in the city, to Owl Cottage, his former country home. Here—in West Thirston on the Northumbrian coast—Denis and his wife, Catherine, meet the daily challenges posed by four mischievous little felines whom the couple name Pablo, Carlos, Luis and Max.

Denis O'Connor with Luis

Denis, now a retired psychologist, who takes immense pleasure in applying his skills to the study of animals, and Catherine, an experienced researcher and educator in the field of disruptive and deviant behavior, learn and learn again—over the course of the ensuing years—that a cat can be, not only quite the handful but also the most cherished of friends.

In Episode 29, I chat with beloved best-selling author Denis O’Connor about Toby Jug; Carlos, the out-of-control commando; Luis, the regal and aloof little prince; and Max, the melancholic that eventually lived up to his full name, Maxamillion (the one in a million cat).

Carolina Tiger Rescue: Saving Wild Cats and Calling for Laws "With Teeth" in the Regulation of the Exotic Pet Trade

In Episode 28 of On the Road with Mac and Molly, I chat with Kathryn Bertok, Curator of Animals at the Carolina Tiger Rescue. The organization, formerly known as the Carnivore Preservation Trust, is a 501(c)3 nonprofit wildlife sanctuary whose mission is saving and protecting wild cats in captivity and in the wild.

Kathryn Bertok with Rajaji

In this program, Kathryn and I touch on all things tiger, discussing everything from chuffling (tiger speak) to mother-cub interactions to the tiger’s affinity for water (not only for drinking but for bathing). We review how tigers are faring in the wild and what happens to an ecosystem when a top-of-the-food-chain predator is diminished or removed.

We discuss the $15 billion exotic pet trade (only drugs and weapons are bigger moneymakers on the black market) and we expose the use and abuse of exotic animals for the entertainment of human beings. Most heartbreaking of the stories shared by Kathryn is one involving tiger cubs that are used for photo opportunities in petting zoos; once these animals pass the cute and cuddly stage (after they're only about three months of age), they may be euthanized, end up in canned hunts, or be sold as "pets."

Kathryn and I lament how little there is in the way of laws in the U.S. regulating the sale and purchase of exotic animals. The health and safety of not only the animals but human beings as well are put at increased risk through this lack of oversight.

Just a few days ago, Noah Barthe, 4, and his six-year-old brother Connor were killed (strangled to death) by a 100-pound African rock python after it escaped from an enclosure inside a friend's apartment in Campbellton, New Brunswick, Canada. Authorities believe the snake escaped from its tank, slithered through a ventilation system and fell through the ceiling into the room where the two boys were sleeping. The snake has been euthanized and the Canadian government is now considering what it should be doing to help ensure something like this never happens again. The CBC reports that the coroner who presided over a snake death inquest in Ontario two decades ago bewails that nothing was learned from that earlier tragedy. "Dr. David Evans says the inquest called for changes to municipal, provincial and federal rules regarding exotic pets, but none of the jury's five recommendations was implemented, including the suggestion for an exotic pet registry." Perhaps now, following these most recent deaths, greater protections will be put into place in Canada. And, perhaps, the United States will follow suit.

In the U.S., you could have a lion or tiger--or a 100-pound python--living next door to you and there may well be no laws in your area requiring your neighbor to make you aware of that fact. (For more information on the U.S. laws regarding exotic pets, see "Saving Aria: Finding Sanctuary at Carolina Tiger Rescue" at http://www.rubberhobos.com.)

Aria, shortly after her arrival
at Carolina Tiger Rescue

Kathryn and I conclude our time together with the story of Aria, a tiger who was confiscated from her "owner" after she was determined to be desperately ill. Carolina Tiger staff traveled down to South Carolina to collect her. She weighed only 200 pounds (a healthy female should weigh closer to 360), was suffering from diarrhea, and had no muscle mass and no fat coverage on her ribs. The staff had difficulty getting a heart rate. Kathryn said, "I have no doubt the man [who'd kept her as a pet] loved this cat and had tried to care for her . . . [Nevertheless] in my fourteen years [with Carolina Tiger] this is by far the worst condition in which I’ve ever seen a rescued animal arrive.”

Aria was placed in thirty-day quarantine at the sanctuary and run through a battery of medical checks. She was started on anti-diarrheal medications, Pepcid, and antibiotics and, as she wasn’t eating, an appetite stimulant. “You can’t force-feed a tiger,” Kathryn noted. “The first day, we weren’t sure she’d survive. Then she started to eat a little and became more active.”

Aria on the road to recovery

Bloodwork revealed a pancreatic insufficiency so the staff started feeding her beef pancreas, the enzymes from which worked to break down the food she was eating so it could be digested. The enzymes were powerful enough to eat through the latex gloves of the individual handling the beef pancreas but they were exactly what the tiger needed to jump start her system. Following other medical treatments, Aria is now making a wonderful recovery.

In addition to Aria, the 55-acre Carolina Tiger Rescue has more than 70 animals in its care at the Pittsboro, North Carolina facility. Along with tigers, binturongs, lions, cougars, bobcats, caracals, kinkajous, ocelots and servals have found sanctuary there.

The organization is working toward the day when “wildcats are not owned by individuals as pets; wildcats are not used for entertainment purposes; no trade exists for wildcats or their parts; and all wildcats prosper in sustainable, native habitats.”

Rajaji

To achieve that mission, Carolina Tiger Rescue:

• rescues wildcats;
• provides lifelong sanctuary for wildcats;
• educates the public about the plight of wildcats in captivity and in the wild;
• conducts non-invasive research to further understand and aid wildcats; and
• advocates for action to maintain wildcats in sustainable native habitats, or--when that is not a viable option--for the respectful, humane treatment of them in captivity.

I hope you'll listen to this program and I hope you'll care enough about the plight of tigers to act on their behalf. There are only 3,200 tigers left in the wild but perhaps as many as 10,000 are kept in captivity in the United States; five thousand of these animals are in Texas. These magnificent cats and other wild animals deserve our respect. Please care. Educate, advocate, volunteer, donate.

Here is a link to a video on Carolina Tiger Rescue and its work in saving Aria:

http://hooplaha.com/pet-tiger-rescued-back-to-health-aria-the-tiger/

Photographs by Carolina Tiger Rescue.

Jellybean

Grieving the Loss of Your Pet or Horse

In Episode 27, I chat with Rebecca Cagle, life coach, counselor and author of Grieving the Loss of Your Pet and Grieving the Loss of Your Horse. 

In this program, we discuss grieving the loss of a pet through trauma or illness; through natural causes - old age; through euthanasia; through loss in the event of theft or a pet’s wandering away or when a pet has to be given away or sold.

The questions addressed include: What added elements come into play when a pet has to be brought to a shelter knowing that the facility is a kill shelter? How can folks deal with guilt especially when a pet has been lost because of a family member's error or when an animal has to be given away because of an allergy or a mismatch with a family? Is it wise for parents to involve their younger children in decision making when it comes time to euthanize a pet or when a pet must be sold or given away? How should teenagers be involved in these decisions? What do you tell children when a pet has died? Do pets go to heaven?

Rebecca shares some stories of folks she’s assisted through the grieving process and offers advice on how individuals may help friends and family members move to a place of healing. She also brings alongside some of the key elements from her book, Grieving the Loss of Your Horse.

Choosing the Next Class for the Pawsitive Partners Prison Program

I spent a morning this week with folks from the Pawsitive Partners Prison Program at an animal shelter in Burgaw, North Carolina. The group was present to choose dogs to be trained in preparation for adoption into permanent homes. On this day, the kennels were full and it appeared to me there would be no problem in finding good candidates.

The program's director, Barb Raab, told me that most of the dogs coming into the shelter are hounds that have been used for hunting and pit bulls, used in fighting. North Carolina law prohibits organizations like Pawsitive Partners from bringing dogs of any breed deemed aggressive into their programs and pit bulls are on that no-train list.

As we walked along the outdoor kennels, some dogs snarled at us. Others cowered in corners. Several, however, either warily or eagerly, came near looking for attention. If a dog passed this initial assessment, referred to as "cage presentation," he or she was brought inside the shelter to undergo 18 more tests. Through these, the evaluators sought to get a sense of how the dog might respond to a tooth exam, a baby, a toddler, a cat, another dog, a loud noise, a hug, a toy, a food bowl. A doll and a stuffed animal stood in for the baby and toddler and the cats were safely secured out of reach.

If a candidate passed these evaluations, he or she was then tested for heartworm. I was saddened to see two delightful little dogs being returned to their cages when they were found to have high-antigen levels for the parasite.

Barb Raab, Founder and Director of the
Pawsitive Partners Prison Program,
working with one of the dogs under
consideration.

Just five animals would be selected this day for an eight-week round of training and these successful candidates will be put through their paces by specially-screened inmates at the Pender County Correctional Institution.

The fear in the eyes, the tension in the bodies, and the tightly-tucked tails made me wonder what kind of abuse some of the dogs I saw must have endured prior to being brought into the shelter. It delighted me no end to think how different their lives are likely to be once they are placed in loving adoptive homes.

Pawsitive Partners is credited with saving the lives of  canines but human beings are being transformed through their efforts as well. One of the program's volunteers told me he has never forgotten the words shared by one of the inmates after his first round of classes with the Pawsitive Partners dogs. The man said the experience marked the first time in his life he'd ever thought of anyone but himself and drugs.

These two dogs, having passed the temperament tests and heartworm
screening, will be participating in the next round of classes. Two other
dogs were not as fortunate; they passed all of the temperament
evaluations but had to be rejected due to high-antigen levels for
heartworm.

All Things Snoopy

On October 2, 1950, three kids - Charlie Brown, Patty and Shermy - appeared on the funny pages of seven newspapers. Over the next 50 years plus - via television specials, a Saturday morning cartoon, books, live theater productions, recordings, amusement parks and 17,897 comic strips - these three, along with Snoopy, Woodstock and others in a sizable cast of characters, have taught us and entertained us.

The Peanuts Gang was the invention of Charles M. Schulz and, today, visitors to Santa Rosa, California may explore the art and nuances of his craft at a museum that carries on his legacy.

Schulz was born in Minneapolis in 1922 and 12 hours after his birth, an uncle gave him the nickname “Sparky” after the racehorse character Spark Plug in a popular comic strip of the time, Barney Google. Thus, almost from the moment of his birth, Schulz had a connection with comic strips. Early on, “Sparky” showed an aptitude for art and, following service in the European Theater of Operation during World War II, he launched into a career in the funny papers.

In Episode 26 of On the Road with Mac and Molly, I chat with Karen Johnson, Director of the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center and longtime friend of the Schulz family. We hear about the Peanuts Gang, its creator and the museum. And then we center, most especially, on all things Snoopy from his doghouse decor (a pool table, Wyeths and a Van Gogh . . . ); to his impersonations (from a moose and a pelican to Mickey Mouse); his moments at the typewriter (“It was a dark and stormy night . . . “); his alter-egos (who doesn’t love his WWI flying ace and his battles with the Red Baron?); his “band of brothers” (siblings Spike, Marbles, Olaf, Andy and Belle); and his connection with aviation (from NASA to the U.S. Air Force).

It was not until 1957 that Snoopy walked on his two
hind feet like a human.

Karen explains how Snoopy’s character evolved over time to embrace more and more of the fanciful. We also hear why Schulz believed the best idea he ever had in the strip was to move Snoopy from inside the doghouse to the rooftop.

All photos taken at the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center in Santa Rosa, California by Donna Hailson.