Kasey’s Cure

Do you know someone who wants to buy a puppy for Christmas? Do them a favor and have them read this post before they head to the pet store or read through the classified ads.

Winter is a difficult time to house train a puppy and with all of the commotion around the holidays not the best time to bring a new member of the family home. Puppies are a lot of work — they need constant care. They pee, they poop, they chew, break things, throw up and cry — just like babies do.

Animal shelters report a sharp increase in unwanted pets just after Christmas. This is because the owners underestimated the time and energy it takes to train a puppy. They fall in love with the idea of a sweet bundle of fur wearing a big red bow, but are unprepared for the constant care and supervision that a puppy requires.

Bringing a puppy home for Christmas is a major decision that should involve the entire family making sure that everyone understands the long term commitment involved.

If hearing this still does not dissuade you and you are certain you are up to the challenge, then consider adopting from a shelter rather than through a breeder or pet shop. For every puppy bought at the store, there is another one just like him at the pound, just months older – potty trained and ready to be adopted.

Some pet owners want a certain breed and cannot find that dog at the shelter. I totally understand — personally I am crazy about Westies. No problem — www.petfinder.com can help you find even the rarest of breeds. The website tells individual stories about the pets, like where they came from and why they ended up in foster homes or at a shelter. Foster care-givers know the personality of the animal and how he interacts with others, including children. You can even go and meet the dog with your other pets or your children to see how they all get along.

So this holiday season, if you just cannot wait until the Spring to bring a puppy home then I hope you will consider visiting you local animal shelter or going online to petfinder.com and a bring a rescued dog or cat home.

An adopted pet is a gift that keeps on giving, with gratitude, loyalty and love for years to come.

Happy Holidays!

Do you have room in your home and heart to adopt sweet George? He is a gentle gray, tabby kitten found on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. We have had him neutered and he has had all of his shots.

If you or someone you know is interested in adopting George, please email me. kl

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The Humane Society of the United States is warning shoppers to be on the lookout for real fur described as faux when shopping at department stores and online retailers this holiday season.

Following up on last winter’s HSUS investigation that uncovered a faux fur scandal in the retail and apparel industries, HSUS discovered again this winter that many leading retailers — including Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus, Lord & Taylor, Dillard’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and Yoox.com — have not addressed this consumer deception.

Certain jackets sold by these companies with the brand names Burberry, Andrew Marc, Marc New York, Preston & York, Aqua, Ramosport and Adam+Eve were found to be falsely advertised or mislabeled as faux fur or “ecological fur” when in fact they are trimmed with real animal fur.

SaksFifthAvenue.com Burberry “faux” rabbit
Neiman Marcus Andrew Marc “polyester” raccoon and dog
Neiman Marcus.com Adam+Eve “Faux” rabbit
Lord & Taylor Marc New York “polyester” raccoon dog and rabbit
Dillards.com Preston & York “Faux” raccoon
Yoox.com Ramosport “Ecological fur” raccoon and dog

Falsely advertising or mislabeling a real fur product is a violation of the federal Fur Products Labeling Act, which the Federal Trade Commission is empowered to enforce by seizure of false or deceptively advertised or labeled garments, the initiation of proceedings for injunctive relief, and the imposition of monetary penalties, which can range up to $5,000 per violation.

The violations documented by HSUS include a Burberry brand jacket advertised online by Saks Fifth Avenue as “faux.” The jacket’s label does not indicate that it contains fur, but laboratory tests reveal that it is trimmed with rabbit fur. The Fur Products Labeling Act currently requires the labeling of fur apparel only if the garments contains more than $150 worth of fur.

Because of this loophole, consumers don’t even realize they’ve been duped into buying real fur — so be on the lookout this holiday season when buying any garment labeled “faux” — it may be the real thing