It is with great sadness that we report that Dr. Josephine Deubler died on May 17th. She was the first woman veterinarian to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Jean Cunningham had Deubler as a teacher and told me that there were only 10 women in the class. How things have changed! I am sure we have more than 10 women veterinarians practicing in the Valley and many of them have either a large animal or mixed practice. Deubler was also show chairman of the Bucks County Kennel Club as well as the Montgomery County Kennel Club–the world’s largest all-terrier show. A Dandie Dinmont terrier fancier, she won Best of Breed at Westminster. She was a licensed AKC judge and judged Westminster in 1998. Deubler helped to establish the Animal Rescue League of Philadelphia. She was a member of the Dog Writers Association of America–truly a renaissance woman. We don’t find such a combination of talents and skills often in one person. We definitely need more veterinarians who are actively engaged in the pet world outside of their practices. It is also a bonus when they can communicate skillfully.
When I read about the Visitor’s Bureau marking “Backyard Tourism Week” I have to wonder how many tourists will wonder at Pennsylvania’s backyard dogs–and the dogs wandering the roads in search of a family who abandoned them? In the videotape on the Canine Good Citizen Ed Sayres Jr., ASPCA president, is shown discussing the “backyard dog” . According to Sayres, puppies begin their family life inside the home and as they mature and become training problems they are banished to the yard. But this is too often just a temporary residence, according to Sayres. These “backyard dogs” are on their way to a shelter. When Sayres did the videotape he was the director at St. Huberts in New Jersey. There are lots of backyards in New Jersey, particularly in that area of the state. Today his jurisdiction is New York City–quite a difference in backyards. I am sure the behavior problems are due to more than a lack of socialization. They are probably “street dogs” with more than a tinge of aggressive behavior. Today, however, many dogs no longer have a backyard because of foreclosures or because owners have to move to residences that won’t accept family pets. Although members of the organization “Dogs Deserve Better” seek to make sure that dogs living in backyards have adequate shelter and care, the dog owners also are in need. Dogs and all pets have become what Kathi Lynn, director of the Columbia/Montour Agency on Aging, calls “the other family members”. They are sharing a frugal family life but if they are not in a shelter and they are either living on the street or in a home where there are not enough resources they are forgotten. There are no food drives and free rabies clinics for these pets.
Probably the most dangerous virus of all is not swine flu but rabies. Now there is an unsubstantiated rumor of a social contact mutant rabies virus in Arizona that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating. Right now it is being reported in bats and foxes. The key word here is UNSUBSTANTIATED. There has been a reported drop in rabies vaccinations in the state for both cats and dogs. It is wise to remember that the fine for having an un-vaccinated dog is $300 a day.
May 25, 2009 | | Uncategorized