HALLOWEEN: NO TREAT FOR PETS

October 14, 2019
By: Gina Lattuca, SPCA Chief Communications Officer

WITH A FEW EXTRA PRECAUTIONS, PETS CAN HAVE A HAPPY HALLOWEEN TOO!

Halloween is meant to be fun for children of all ages, but according to the SPCA Serving Erie County, pets often experience the dark side of Halloween fun.  With extra precautions, seasonal problems can often be avoided:

NO CHOCOLATE for you! Just dog treats this Halloween!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-HUNGRY PETS:  CHOCOLATE CAN BE FATAL TO YOUR PET!  Please share this tip with children, who may be tempted to share their Halloween take with their best four-footed friends! The sweet smell of Halloween chocolate and other candy left by a door pleases pets, as do cookies and cakes served at Halloween parties. Sweets can cause diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain or worse.  Purchase Halloween treats made specifically for pets and keep the “people” treats away from where pets can reach them.

-PETS AS VICTIMS:  Halloween is traditionally known for trick-or-treaters…and pranksters.  KEEP ALL PETS INSIDE on Halloween night, and the nights immediately preceding and following October 31.  This will prevent them from being stolen, teased, kicked, blinded by flashlights or abused in other ways.

-NERVOUS/TERRITORIAL PETS:  Constant door-knocking or doorbell-ringing may cause an extremely nervous pet to shake or tremble uncontrollably, or have an “accident” in the house.  Territorial pets may become aggressive at the sound of unfamiliar visitors.  Keep nervous or territorial pets distracted in another room with the door closed.

-CURIOUS PETS:  Keep pets away from costume-making areas, where sequins or buttons can be swallowed.  Scissors used for cutting patterns, or knives used for carving jack o’lanterns, can harm your pet.  Also remember to keep pets away from a candle-illuminated jack o’lantern.  Halloween has become a popular season for decorations as well.  Keep decorations out of your pet’s reach, or securely attached in place to prevent your pet from pulling the decorations down.  Swallowing a decorative object may cause intestinal problems and present a potential emergency.

-KEEP CURRENT ID ON PETS: Exuberant or nervous pets may bolt out doors opened for trick-or-treat candy handouts. Ensure they are wearing proper identification (even if they are microchipped) in case they become lost. Collars are available for purchase at the SPCA Petique, located at the 300 Harlem Rd., West Seneca shelter, and other pet supply shops. If you lose or find a pet, visit the SPCA’s Lost & Found page for tips on what to do next.

Contact the SPCA Serving Erie County with any questions or concerns: 716-875-7360.

Click on the image below for more information!

CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS POSITION!

 

From BuffaloNews.com:

Buffalo’s Workhorse Parade, 1908

By Steve Cichon
Published 8:00 a.m. September 27, 2019|

Read the full story here >>

From 1908 to 1914, Erie County’s Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals – the SPCA – held a workhorse parade on the streets of Buffalo.

Designed after events in New York and Boston, the purpose was, according to the Buffalo Courier, “to induce owners and drivers of workhorses to take more pride in the appearance of their animals, and more interest in their welfare, and also secure public attention to his feature.”

To show concern and care for the thousands of animals that literally drove business in the city was considered “progressive” and “an advanced humanitarian effort.”

There were more than 30 classes of horses on display, based on age of horses and years of service of drivers, and the types of work the horses and drivers do.

Class 1 was for horses aged 14 to 40 being driven by men who’d been employed with the company for at least 20 years. Class 2 were city horses from the fire, police, streets and parks departments. Class 3 were hucksters and class 4 was for delivery animals.

More than 500 “glossy coated horses and mules” marched in the 5-mile 1912 parade. The horse teams of brewers, meat packers and ice dealers took home several dozen ribbons and awards that year, but the SPCA presented the Silver Cup to Kate – a 29-year-old horse that had trod more than 150,000 miles for Siegrist & Fraley. The blue ribbon went to Harry, a 16-year-old owned by the William Hengerer Co.

By 1912, though, horses were sharing the roads with automobiles, often unwillingly. “Disdainful glances were cast upon the horses, but no notice taken of the growling horns.”

“The days of the horse are not yet numbered,” predicted The News. “No gasoline wagon can down him. He is faithful and can be depended upon. The automobile cannot.”


Steve Cichon– Steve Cichon, communications professional, pop culture historian, and publisher of BuffaloStories.com, tells the stories of Buffalo’s past through The News’ BN Chronicles. He is a local radio and TV veteran, historian and author of five books.

Click the image below for more details:

From BuffaloBills.com; read the full story here >>

See our Hauschpups here >>

How kicker Stephen Hauschka will help dogs find their forever homes this season

By: Kelly Baker
Contributing Correspondent, BuffaloBills.com

Stephen Hauschka and Lindsey Hauschka smile with their son and dogs, Jack and Bee.
Stephen Hauschka and Lindsey Hauschka smile with their son and dogs, Jack and Bee.

For Bills veteran kicker Stephen Hauschka and his wife Lindsey, staying in Buffalo means that they have more time to make an impact. Not only has Hauschka worked tirelessly on perfecting his craft this offseason, he and Lindsey have also worked to find a way to give back to those in the area. Throughout the 2019-20 football season, the Hauschkas are teaming up with the SPCA Serving Erie County to help the good boys and girls at the Western New York center find their forever home through the new “Hauschpups” program. For each field goal that the special teamer makes during games at New Era Field, he and Lindsey will pay the adoption fee for a dog at the center.

A cause that’s near and dear to them, the Hauschkas, who have two dogs of their own, couldn’t think of a better way to make a difference.

 “With Lindsey’s involvement in the SPCA, she’s been volunteering there for a little while, and we’ve been involved with [the] Seattle Humane Society too, so it’s kind of a continuation of something that’s true to our hearts,” explained Stephen. “[It’s] a cause that we care a lot about [and] that’s animals. We have two dogs ourselves and love them so much. You know, I think every time Lindsey comes home from the SPCA, walking the dogs there, she just feels bad for some of these dogs that don’t get a home. They have good living conditions there, but it’s not the same as having a loving family to go back to. These are great dogs too and she shows me pictures of them and asks me if we can adopt them.

“With our lifestyle and a bunch of travel, we can’t have more than two, but that’s really where the involvement came from…”

091319-hauschpups-2

Lindsey, who spends time walking dogs from the SPCA Serving Erie County when she’s in town, has developed a true connection with the caring staff and lovable animals she interacts with. Wanting to expand on her efforts, she drew upon her experiences volunteering to form the idea for “Hauschpups.”

“It kind of dawned on me,” said Lindsey about the program. “It was right around when Steve signed his new contract. I’m like, alright, this is awesome. This seems like a really good opportunity to get involved in the community and also do something that we’re super passionate about, which is helping animals and [to] support the people who work so hard to help the animals at the SPCA.

“Something that kind of stuck with my through volunteering, is that sometimes volunteers will pay the adoption fees themselves just if there’s a dog they really love – if they can’t take them home and that’s awesome,” she said. “Of course, there are other financial responsibilities that come from getting a dog…but if we can help in some way [to] have a family get a dog that maybe they wouldn’t be able to afford that day…[is special because] the dogs come and go really quickly…”

See our Hauschpups here >>

From BuffaloBills.com; read the full story here >>

September 22’s Hauschpups have been adopted!

Moose went home to Buffalo 9/26/19!

 

As of 9/23/19, Gina became a North Tonawanda resident!

Additional dates:

Session 1: Filled

Session 2: October 22, 29, November 5, 12

Session 3: November 19, 26, December 3, 10

For more information, contact SPCA Humane Educator Katherine Gillette-Cockerill at (716) 875-7360, ext. 234 or KatherineG@yourspca.org.