By Dr. Donna Watson

Spaying and neutering your pets and neighborhood community pets is truly the only way we will ever reduce the growing over population of pets in our cities.  Choosing to spay or neuter is one of the single best decisions you can make, not only for the long-term welfare of your pet, but to also help stop pet over-population in the Tri-County area.

Every year, millions of cats and dogs of all ages and breeds are euthanized or suffer as strays. These high numbers are the result of unplanned litters that could have been prevented by spaying or neutering. Tragically, 4 million of these homeless pets are killed each year in America’s shelters.

More than 7 animals per minute are killed in shelters unnecessarily across the country. That means more than 9000 animals per day. That’s INSANE, but true!!

 According to the ASPCA, the 10 top reasons to spay or neuter your animals are:

            Female pets can live a longer, healthier life.
Spaying your pet before her first heat helps prevent uterine infections and breast cancer.

            There are major health benefits for neutering your male pet.
To prevent testicular cancer, neuter your pet before six months of age.

            Spayed females won’t go into heat.
In heat female felines yowl and urinate more frequently – sometimes all over the house!

            Male dogs won’t want to roam away from home.
An intact male will try everything possible to escape and find a mate! Once free, he risks injury in traffic and fights with other males.

            Neutered males are better behaved.
Neutered cats and dogs focus more of their attention on their human families rather than spraying strong-smelling urine all over the house.

            Spaying or neutering will NOT make your pet fat.
Your pet will remain fit as long as you provide exercise and monitor food intake.

            Highly cost-effective.

The cost of your pet’s spay/neuter surgery is a lot less than the cost of having and caring for a litter and treatment when your un-neutered tom escapes.

            Spaying and neutering your pet are good for the community.

Spaying and neutering reduces the number of animals that can prey on wildlife, cause car accidents, damage the local fauna and frighten children.

            Your pet doesn’t need to have a litter for your children to learn about the miracle of birth.
There are tons of books and videos available to teach your children about birth in a more responsible way.

Spay/neuter is one of the greatest gifts you can provide your pet, your family and your community. These routine medical procedures not only reduce the number of animals who enter shelters, but they may also prevent medical and behavioral problems from developing in a cat or dog, allowing your pet to lead a longer, healthier and happier life.

Spaying or neutering is unlikely to change a pet’s temperament, basic personality or levels of playfulness and general activity. However, it can reduce the incidence of some bad  behavioral issues, especially sexual behaviors, such as mounting, howling and the urge to roam.

The word “spay” refers to the sterilization of female pets. The term “neuter,” while more commonly used to refer to the castration of male pets.

Many community programs are available to help the lower income communities by offering low-cost and free spay/neuter assistance to  pet owners and community cat caregivers who can’t afford this surgery but will offer good homes and safe environments for the recipients of the programs.  Voucher programs are available that utilize outside facilities approved by the counties to help with the overwhelming numbers of animals. To learn about these programs, visit the websites of Broward County Animal Control, Miami Dade and Palm Beach County shelters as each has a listing of where you can register to have your animals spay or neutered at a much lower cost then going to your local vet. Their facilities use licensed veterinarians and trained staff to keep your pets safe during the surgeries.

Cost is no longer a deterrent to getting our babies fixed. Please do it for the safety of your pet and for the greater good of our over populated communities where thousands of animals are needlessly killed each year because the owners didn’t do it.

Dr. Donna Watson is a chiropractic physician and founder of Dr. Donna’s Pet Foundation, a non-profit focused on animal overpopulation and animal welfare. Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/drdonnaspetfoundation5.

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By  Dr. Donna Watson

There is so much talk about making our county shelters No-Kill as other cities have done over the last few years.  Broward County passed a No-Kill initiate back in 2012.  Miami Dade passed one as well in 2012 and Palm Beach County in 2014.  Unfortunately, these all were turned into a wish list idea for the future as an immediate mandate wasn’t passed. The realty is it can’t happen now. Not because the counties don’t want it.  It is because our cities are hugely over-populated with strays and abandoned animals, and there are simply not enough places for them to go.  That is why so many are euthanized every year. Published statistics at Broward County Animal euthanized over 5,800 animals, Miami Dade Animal 3,000 and Broward Humane Society 5,600 and 6,100 in Palm Beach County. These are staggering numbers.

We have many animal rescue groups in the Tri County area but each has the exact same problem.  They can only take in as many animals as they can afford to care for, many needing to be placed in a safe environment until that animal can be adopted. Some choose boarding as an answer, but it is not always the best answer for these animals. They need a home, love and stability to heal and be able to transition into a new permanent home. That is where the lifesaving gift of fostering an animal comes into play.

When you foster, you agree to take a homeless dog or cat into your home and give them love, care and attention, either for a predetermined period of time or until the dog is adopted. They pay for all the expenses.

Sometimes the animal is too young to be adopted and needs a safe place to stay until they are old enough to go to a forever home usually at 8 weeks old. Sometimes they are recovering from surgery, illness or injury and needs a safe place to recuperate.

Many times a dog shows signs of extreme stress while in the horrible shelter environment and needs to be pulled immediately for their safety. In order for a rescue to do, it needs a foster home to keep them temporarily.

Often the shelter runs out of room for adoptable dogs and they will be euthanized/killed for no other reason then for space unless a  rescue/foster can be found. These are all preventable deaths if we had more people fostering.

Fostering a dog is one of the most rewarding experiences you can have. By taking an animal in need temporarily into your home, you are literally saving its life, and they know it. Rescue dogs are the most loving and appreciative beings there are.

So how can you sign up to foster a dog or cat?  If you know of a rescue group, contact them. They’ll likely have you fill out a foster application and, if you are approved, they will work with you to figure out the right foster dog/cat for your household. In addition, every shelter has a foster program and you can contact each of them and register with them under their foster program. If you aren’t familiar with a group, please visit my website and view the rescue and resource tabs. Many of the bigger rescues are listed as are the shelters.

Please consider opening your home and save a life!!! It is an amazingly good good feeling right down to your soul.
Dr. Donna Watson is a chiropractic physician and founder of Dr. Donna’s Pet Foundation, a non profit focused on animal overpopulation and animal welfare. Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/drdonnaspetfoundation5.

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By Dr. Donna Watson

A puppy mill is a large-scale commercial dog breeding facility where profit is given priority over the well-being of the dogs. These dogs are raised in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions without adequate veterinary care, food, water or socialization. In order to maximize profits, female dogs are bred at every opportunity with little-to-no recovery time between litters. Puppy mill puppies are sold to pet shops or directly to the public over the Internet, through newspaper ads, and at swap meets.

Dogs are often kept in cages with wire flooring that injures their paws and legs—and it is not unusual for cages to be stacked in columns. When female breeding dogs reach a point of physical depletion and can no longer reproduce, they are often killed.

These puppies are prone to congenital and hereditary conditions including heart disease and blood and respiratory disorders and often arrive in pet stores and in their new homes with diseases or infirmities ranging from parasites to pneumonia.

Florida has virtually no animal mills, but what it does have is one of the largest number of pet stores in the country.  Over 45 ordinances have been passed just in Florida in an effort to shut them down.

We have some notorious pet stores here in South Florida that have each been sued numerous times for selling sick dogs for enormous profit. Where they buy these dogs to sell to the public is where the tragedy begins. They buy them at puppy mills, not private breeders.

As of today Palm Beach County has passed bans in 7 cities. Miami-Dade bans have won approval in 15 cities.  Broward now has 12 cities which include Coconut Creek, Coral Springs, Dania Beach, Deerfield Beach, Hallandale Beach, Lauderhill, Margate, North Lauderdale, Plantation, Pompano Beach, Sunrise, Tamarac, Wilton Manors, and Hollywood—but not Fort Lauderdale.

Hallandale city commissioner Michelle Lazarow is the leading expert and legislator getting most of these bills passed. ”I have advocated and educated colleagues in close to 40 communities in Florida and helped pass legislation in over 35 of those cities, saving residents heartache over sick and ill puppies while at the same time helping to stop massive animal cruelty,” she said.

The days of the “Norman Rockwell” paintings of puppies in the windows are over. We have pulled back the curtain of cruelty and deception. It is time for the officials to listen and learn why this form of commerce must cease in their communities.

We do not suggest that these pet stores that sell these dogs close their stores. That serves no one. What they can, and should, do is change the model of their business to where they can sell our wonderful shelter animals. Pet Supermarket and others do that now, and they stay in business.

We want these stores to stay in business  and prove that they can make this transition. There are plenty of full breed dogs in the shelters and others that are just as adorable and loving, and in need of a good home. This encourages a more “Humane model of pet stores” and decreases the large number of euthanasia’s happening at the shelters due to over population. They can also sell supportive items for pets like the commercial stores do and still make a profit. It is truly a win-win for all. They should not be able to make large profits on the souls of these helpless animals.

Recently the Broward County commissioners refused to pass the ordinance in an abysmal display of lobbyist pressure. Many Broward residents wanted the ban, but did not appear at the hearing and voice their opinions, since it was scheduled in the middle of the work day.

Miramar is up next on August 17th to hopefully embrace the ban. I urge all of you to attend this meeting, email the commissioners and let them know we support the humane treatment of animals over big profits by these pet stores. One city at a time, we are making a difference in this most important subject of animal rights.

Please follow us on Facebook as we continue this fight. https://www.facebook.com/drdonnaspetfoundation5

photo: nbcmiami.com

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By Dr. Donna Watson

Here in South Florida, a vastly under-recognized phenomenon is Kitty Season. Stray cats tend to mate in our streets between May 1st to September 30th.

As a result, around 1,800 kittens will enter the Broward County Shelter by next October, and many will not make it out alive. In an effort to break this cycle, the Broward County Shelter has implemented a “Foster Program.”

Every kitten needs fostering until they are eight weeks old. At that time, they can be spayed/neutered, vaccinated, then placed up for adoption by the shelter. Currently, however, kittens arrive so young that they need to be bottle fed every two hours in order to survive. There aren’t the resources of employees or volunteers who can hand-feed hundreds of kittens a month. The shelter is no place for newborns as they are very prone to infection and many die from viruses while there.

They get there by local residents who trap them and bring them to the shelter thinking they are helping. It is tempting to try to save the baby kittens at the corner house. It pulls at your heart. But the reality is that you probably shouldn’t. Even the most well-meaning are actually creating a situation for those kittens that may lead to their death.

Generally speaking, unless they are in distress or immediate danger, it is always best to leave kittens in that place because there is a food source somewhere nearby. Remember, the mother has pick that spot for a reason. If mom is not there, it’s probably because she’s hunting or moving them. Kittens should not be moved or picked up unless it’s known for sure that she’s not coming back because of injury, etc. They need their mother’s milk to survive and build their immunity.

The Broward Shelter Director Thomas Adair  states, “Kittens less than 4 weeks old cannot live without their mother, and must be bottle fed around the clock in order to survive and build immunity.” Here is a great link for teaching you what to do right from the experts:

http://www.broward.org/Animal/Resources/Pages/FoundKittens.aspx

All of which brings me back to the Foster Program. This is typically only a 2-4 week commitment for older kittens, while newborns are more like 6-8 weeks. Food and supplies will be provided to you. If you can take two, then you can save two lives, etc. Medical care is provided by the shelter.

The program is available for any Broward County residents; and if you have animals in your household, they must be vaccinated.  As for the kittens, they can be kept in a crate or bathtub. They do not need much room. Just keep them safe inside the house and feed them twice a day.

We need your help now. Please, if you can just commit for just a few weeks, go to the shelter and register at the front desk, you can take them home right away. You can email rescue@broward.org with questions. Or lastly, you can call 954-359-1313 and ask for rescue.

Dr. Donna Watson is a Chiropractic Physician and Founder of Dr. Donna’s Pet Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization focused on animal overpopulation and animal welfare in the Tri-County area.

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Are you hurting today – perhaps reeling from the senseless attack that took place in Orlando at the Pulse Nightclub over the weekend? If so, you wouldn’t be alone. Just tap on your Facebook feed and you’ll see countless posts from people throughout the LGBTQ rainbow expressing deep shock, sadness, and anger over the killings. Let’s be real. A rage filled, radicalized asshole, armed with an automatic assault weapon that should not have been legal to own walked into one of our bars and decided to take out as many people as he could. While we may never know his exact motivation, we can say with certainty that hate was part of the dynamic.

The Pulse massacre stings because it could have been any one of us at that nightclub, and for friends and allies of the LGBTQ community, it could have been you too. But here is why this tragedy truly hurts so much for gays. The bars have always been considered a safe haven for us. For the most part, they were places that we could go to just be ourselves without having to worry about being harassed, let alone killed. The next time you go to a bar, can you honestly say this incident won’t be on your mind? Not even just a little?

We reached out to some of our local bar owners and asked them how they felt about their security and if they were going to make any changes. Scott Laughtry, one of the owners at The Boardwalk and Beefcake’s Grill commented, “ We have always had security that monitored our parking lots and used inside when needed. However, we are changing our security drastically from our normal. We are adding an officer at the front door area that will do backpack, purse and ID checks. Then our outdoor security will be on continuous monitoring system and may be armed. We do not want to discourage anyone from coming to the bar. We just want everyone to be safe and feel secure.”

Georgie’s Alibi/Monkey Bar posted on their Facebook Tuesday that they will be implementing the following measures: Increased presence of law-enforcement and security, no backpacks or large bags will be allowed, small personal bags and purses will be subject to security screening, additional security measures may be taken to ensure the safety of our patrons. During this difficult time for our community, we ask for your help and understanding to ensure your safety. Our prayers and thoughts are with those that have been affected by the tragedy at Pulse in Orlando.

Mark from Hunters Nightclub, “Obviously this is a concern for all the businesses on Wilton Drive, not just the bars. Yes, we have made some changes and are going to make some more changes in the near future. We have also reached out to the Wilton Manors police department for further direction.

In this time of new awareness, change, we must be willing to understand that these and other business may increase their security procedures. They are doing this for our safety. Be appreciative. But we can also help if you see something, say something. It’s NOT okay to look the other way. It’s not okay to remain silent. And it’s not okay to pretend this happened to “someone else.” One day, perhaps in our lifetimes, we will see an end to bigotry. But for that to happen, we need to come together as brothers and sisters and say – enough!

Photo Credit: heavy.com

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Turning 25 to anyone under the age of 18 sounds like death a sentence. Turning 36 to anyone under the age of 25 just sounds like wind in an empty hallway – lonely. We all get old and according to Bette Davis, “old age ain’t no place for sissies.” Well, Miss Davis, sissies get old too, regardless if it’s not a place for them.

All of this is said because the gay men and women that paved the way for the younger generation to be able to live their lives with dignity and honor have gotten older and feel neglected. Why? Old age. If you think about it, our film icon was right. Old age isn’t a place for sissies or at least it’s a place that does not treat them as well as the land of young once had.

Pride is in full swing around the world and is a time to acknowledge and celebrate all of the accomplishments that have been achieved in and for the LGBT community. To be quite honest, we’ve been doing our forefathers a disservice by passing them by as if they don’t exist. A UCLA Professor and his colleagues studied a group of gay men over the age of 40 and in the study, these men were asked horrifying questions and were confronted with concepts such as, “As I get older, I feel more invisible when I am with other gay men,” and “Aging is especially hard because I am a gay man.”

Why do these men feel this way? What are ways the younger generation can make these men feel valued again? First of all, these men are responsible for homosexuality being visible. They held protests and began the fight for LGBT civil rights with the likes of Harvey Milk and other LGBT activists. Also, these men lived through the brutal annihilation of AIDS and HIV that took the lives of their closet friends and lovers. Our men that have dedicated the majority of their youth fighting against discrimination deserve respect, they deserve every goodwill proclamation possible, they deserve to be acknowledged. Yes, to some younger looking men are more appealing. But, to others, a seasoned experienced hot Daddy beats the blank canvas of youth more often than not. Get to know our older population and discover that and other surprises.

Throughout our youth, we see images that are nearly impossible to duplicate. Some of us over indulge at the gym, and develop an exclusive diet of water, almonds, cigarettes and vodka. Because of the highly sexualized subsulture in our community, we place a premium on physical appearance. Valuing chiseled abs and a strong jawline more than anything else has gotten to the point where our fellow gays are not only shamed for foregoing a muscular chest, but also for their older age. We’re discriminated against enough as it is from people outside our community, there’s no need to bring it inside the community.

In the last month alone, we’ve seen historic changes in the LGBT community: The Obama Administration implemented new federal rules on school bathrooms designed to protect transgender students from bullying (discrimination law Title IX); Eric Fanning became the first openly gay Secretary of the United States Army; same-sex marriage laws passed and came into effect in places such as Mexico and Greenland–among other milestones. All of these accomplishments wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for the now 40, 50, 60 and 70 somethings. These men and women risked their lives for the next generation to live their lives openly and without discrimination.  Now that’s hot. Never forget. Happy Pride.

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