B10 Terrace Review — Wednesday, March 27, 1991

‘Unwanted animals preventable | t

Contributed by
the Terrace SPCA

Spring is on its way, and itis a
good time to discuss a common
‘problem — the number of un-
wanted puppies and kittens that
-are born every year.

Most people who own cats
and dogs realize that female
dogs. and cats do not need to
have a litter before being fixed,
an ‘old wives’ tale that is not
"true. Most vets will agree it is
_ best to spay females before their
- first season and to neuter males

before a year of age.

An important question is the
age at which they are old enough:
to breed. With dogs, the female

- will come in season or heat twice

season for a variable length of
time, but if not bred they will
usually come in season again,
several times a year until bred or
spayed.

Female cats and dogs carry
their young for about 63 days.
Females have and can become
pregnant again while still nurs-
ing their kittens. Male dogs and

_eats are fertile year round, in.

cats from about five on and. in

dogs from six months to a year,

depending on breed and size.

A pregnant cat or dog can still
be spayed safely, usually at a
slightly higher price. A cat or
dog can also be spayed while in
season. The SPCA suggests that
unless you have reason for

alike, who donated money to the
SPCA during our two weekends
in the mall, Dec. 1 and 14. Our
total donations for the Terrace
agents came to $659.88. We also.
adopted out the three kittens
brought in by the SPCA shelter
in Kitimat. With the sale of the
animal treats, calendars, cards,
plus the adoption fees, we col-
lected $524.23 for the Kitimat
shelter. . ,

The money in Terrace will be
used to help injured animals, the
wild ones too, in the -Terrace
area, as well as the homeless and
abused ones we deal with from
time to time.

breeding your dog, and truly
want those puppies, or in the
case of a cat, those kittens, then
please have your pets spayed or

neutered.
We would also like to thank

all the people, old and young

PEOPLE TREAT

a year as a general rule, with the

- first season starting anywhere
from six months to one year of
age, depending on the breed and
size of the dog.

If you need to get in touch
with the SPCA agents, you can
write to SPCA, 3836 Kirkaldy
St., Terrace, B.C. V8G 3MB, or
call Lonna at 635-3826 or Rose
at 635-4366.

- How do you tell when a dog is
in heat? For someone who has a

house dog it is usually easily
detected, but it may go un-
noticed by the owner of an out-
side dog. In a female in season,
the vulva will enlarge and bleed.
The season will normally last
three weeks, and from about the
ninth to 15th day the dog will be
eager to. be bred, but should be
watched throughout her whole
season. When she is in heat is the
only time she can become preg-
nant or want to be bred.

A female cat can be a problem
because the physical signs usual-
ly are very slight, but you will
usually notice that sometime .

i after five months of age, your
female cat will start becoming

.. ‘restless, wanting outside several

‘ times a day, and meowing more

than usual. A cat will stay in

Overpass
pedestrians |
may get break

Following a request from local
fesident Andrew Brodie, Terrace
city council has investigated snow
. removal practices on the Sande
Overpass and made a decision.
They have written to the Ministry
of Highways suggesting that they
push snow off the east side of the
overpass rather than onto the side-

walk on the west side.
In a letter to city council last
S. month, Brodie reminded council
that the overpass was the only
pedestrian route between south
Terrace and the downtown core,
but in- winter months highways
i maintenance crews plow snow off
the road onto the sidewalk. "As a
‘result," he says, “on the morning
after a snowfall, the lanes of traffic
are invariably clear, while the

sidewalk is blocked."

Ministry of Highways district
manager John Newhouse says he
hasn’t heard from the city yet, so
ihe request is still to be considered.
And as alderman Bob Cooper
suggested when Brodie’s concern
was originally presented to council,

“there may be another player in the
decision making process as well —
CN Rail, which might wind up as
the ultimate owner of Sande Over-

_ pass snow.

Locked up in the pound like a
common criminal. |
Tm not blaming the animal con-
trol officer. He was just doing his
job. But it really wasn’t my fault
either.

1 mean...when your owners
don’t bother to get you a license
or identification tag...and when
they let you run all over the place
loose...well, what's a poor dog to
do?

I know my people like me a lot.
They probably even love me. But
I could’ve gotten hit by a car, or
I could be adopted out to a strange
family who doesn’t even know
me...or worse. I wish they'd take
better care of me.

_I wish they’d treat me like a pet.

. z 7 Apu

__ Know where I spent last weekend? _

If You Really Love Your Pet:

blic service message brought to you by
The Terrace Animal Shelter

The Terrace Review

PET OF THE WEEK: This weet’s pet is a three-and-a-half-
year-old Chihuahua cross female. Staff at the Terrace Animal
Shelter say she has had some shots, is house trained,
comfortable with cats and children, and is very affectionate and

loyal.

ME LIKE A DOG!

pS Up

Obey all leash and license laws ee

Protect your pet’s health with the
necessary vaccinations and good
veterinary care

eSpay or neuter to help combat the
pet population explosion

and