Happy Valley Animals by Elissa Alford

HAPPY ANIMALS

Spring 2013

Valley

Spring 2013

Celebrating Creatures & Community

The Waiting Room Can you adopt one (or two) of these sweethearts? Some have been waiting and waiting ... I’m a handsome New Zealand mix rabbit. I’ve been waiting to hop on home for a while now. If you take some time to meet me, you’ll find that being around such a handsome fellow is a joy. Did you know that bunnies make great indoor animal companions? That’s right … we typically get along great with dogs and cats and can be litter box trained too! Contact the Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society.

HOORAY! Previously featured in The Waiting Room...

SNOWBALL

FRECKLES

BENJI

I am like a fine wine and have aged into the perfect cat. Mature, bold and sweet at the tender age of 12. I love chin rubs and sitting on laps. I have lived with many other cats and unlike some more senior cats, I don’t mind an active home. Quiet spaces are nice and I do enjoy my lazy time too. So how about you come take me home and we can curl up together with a good book and a glass of wine? A nice person has already paid my adoption fee. Now all I need is you! Contact the Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society.

SASHA

I’m a four year old Chihuahua mix. I was very scared when I first came to Dakin - my person became very ill and could no longer care for me. But I’ve learned that the folks here are really nice, and have been patient and kind. I am hoping to find a home with someone who will be sensitive towards my stranger shyness, and use a calm and gentle approach. Once I feel comfortable, I’m a really lovable little guy. I can even get quite playful with all sorts of toys. I especially love silly squeaky toys! I was housetrained in my previous home. I only lived with adults so would be best in a home with older, mature children. Contact the Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society. I am one of several baby hamsters awaiting new homes at the Dakin Adoption Centers in Leverett and Springfield. We are cute as buttons. Did you know that hammies prefer to live solo as they get older? That means there are plenty of us to adopt. Hamsters like to be active at night. So, if you are a late night person, we might be the perfect match! Contact the Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society.

KAISER

BOSTON

EMILY 2 Happy Valley Animals

BENJIE

MOLLY

PHIL

MIMI

I am a young dog who will need aerobic exercise every day to keep my body and mind healthy. I love playing with toys, especially stuffed animals, and will need lots of training to help me learn how to live happily in my new home. Dakin offers a discount on their training classes in Springfield and Hadley to adopters. It will be fun and I will learn what is expected of me. It’s a great way for us to bond too. If you have had experience with a high energy dog like me, come visit me! Contact the Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society. I’m a younger girl than Freckles. I’m just 10 years old. I’ve been at the Dakin Adoption Center in Springfield for longer than three weeks and now I’m called a Lonely Hearts Club member. As a LHC member, my adoption fee is half off to help encourage my adoption and get me into a loving home. Please come meet me. Contact the Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society.

TWEETER

THINLEY

CONTENTS 2 The Waiting

13 Animal Artistry

Room

David McIntyre

5 Welcome

18 Ask the Hen

by Ms. Hen, with Dick Wagner

7 Dog & Cat Training

Preventing and Treating Behavior Disorders by Kelley Bollen

19 Our Vets

Lumps and Bumps? Ask Your Veterinarian by Dr. Lori Paporello and Dr. Ellie Shelburne

8 Arts in Review Book: The Bucolic Plague Film: A Fierce Green Fire by Nancy Gordon

Publisher: Nestling Press Executive Editor: Elissa Alford Contributing Editor: Mary Koncel Arts Editor: Nancy Gordon Assistant Editor for Avian Affairs: Ms. Hen

10 Book Excerpt

from The Power of the Herd by Linda Kohanov

Animal

Cosette

Helping Homeless Pets at Tax Time - Box 32f by Kara Holmquist & Linda Huebner, MSPCA

Mail: P. O. Box 112, Northampton, MA 01060 Phone: (413) 695-4605 Email: happyvalleyanimals@comcast.net Happy Valley Animals is published bi-monthly (6x/ year) and distributed free throughout Hampshire, Hampden, and Franklin counties. Subscriptions are available by mail for $20 per year. Please note that photos and stories submitted by mail cannot be returned.

12 Happiest

21 Humane Hopes

We encourage readers to patronize our advertisers, but cannot be responsible for individual advertising claims or offers. We reserve the right to refuse to publish advertising for any reason, and assume no financial responsibility for failure to publish an advertisement or for typographical errors. All original content copyright (c) 2013 Happy Valley Animals. Original content contained herein can not be reproduced without written permission of the publisher.

22 Helpful

Humans

Directory of Services

23 In Memoriam The Fourth Day

by Martin Scot Kosins

COVER PAINTING by JANET EVANDER For more of her work, see janetevander.com. Happy Valley Animals 3

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would like to be able to say that the rare Purple Hippo, as featured on the cover, has again been spotted in Massachusetts, drinking from the Mill River, lolling in mud puddles in the Audubon Sanctuary, and doing whatever it is that purple hippos do. Alas, this is not the case. The painting is merely a depiction of such a creature by my friend Janet, and one that seemed appropriate for the spring season in its colors and whimsy. (At least we can say we have moose out there in the woods. That thrills me every time I think of it.)

555

s you may notice, a certain small poodle appears repeatedly in these pages. I’ve been joking that this should really be called “The Cosette Issue,” because that’s the name of the curly girl to the left. My mother and her partner adopted Cosette from a shelter just a few weeks before I visited with them last month, and I arrived to discover that I had been completely usurped as the baby of the family. Little Cosette, now my six-year-old little sister (there is some resemblance - we both have curly hair), was being fussed over, held, admired, pretty much adored to pieces. My mother, Gloria, turns 85 this year, and Robert turns 80, and the joy they’ve found in living with Cosette is a complete delight to see. I asked Robert to tell the story of finding Cosette for the “Happiest Animal” section, on page 12, and if you read the whole story, you’ll see how utterly forlorn she looked when picked up off the street by the shelter. (I ask you: who could abandon someone with a face like this?) Cosette’s life changed, in just a few days, from one of great hardship to the kind of doted-upon existence that even other well-loved dogs might envy. Mom and Robert feel exceedingly lucky, and how could Cosette not, too? It’s a dog’s fairytale.

Cosette looking especially irresistible.

or those of you who are not chicken people (and I realize that’s a majority), and who might just say, “Enough about chickens already,” I have to apologize: I’m about to tell a hen-related story. But while it does center on a Buff Orpington hen named Maizie, it’s actually about a person, and one particular moment. Before I went on the family trip and met Cosette, it was obvious that something with Maizie wasn’t right. She’d pick at food and then mostly toss it away. She kept a slight distance from the flock. We tried a few things to perk up her appetite, but without success. I went off on my trip knowing my husband and friend would keep an eye on her, and while I was gone her status remained the same. Two days after I got home, however, she started going downhill fast. We put her in a dog crate in the house, syringe-fed her, and started antibiotics. After three days, it looked like she simply was not going to make it—she couldn’t even get to her feet. We decided to try one more significant intervention: a big boost of intravenous fluids, another dose of antiobiotics, and additional pain killers, all intended to either help turn things around or ease her passage. Now the most important part of the story. One of our favorite vet techs, Kim Sager, fit us in for the fluids at the end of a very long Friday at the clinic, around 8:30 p.m. Maizie is a gold-orange hen, and when she showed a litle discomfort at the needle pricks, Kim said gently to her, “I’m sorry, Pumpkin Pants.” Sweet words for an ailing hen, when Kim could have been on her (already late) way home. Just four words. And a beautful kindness.

Maizie as an adolescent.

That night I left the door to the carrier open, not really expecting Maizie to move. In the morning, I peeked inside; it was empty. Had she died in the night and my husband, up later than I, removed her body? I turned around. There she was, not only alive and on her feet but vigorously excavating our house plants. And she’s been stronger every day since.

Happy Valley Animals 5

DOG & CAT TRAINING

Preventing and Treating Behavior Disorders by Kelley Bollen, Animal Alliances

s a certified animal behaviorist, and a consultant with a Master’s degree in animal behavior, I work with pet owners who are experiencing severe behavior problems with their dogs and cats. Most of my behavior caseload involves aggression in dogs (both to humans and other dogs) and severe fear behavior.

any of these behaviors stem from the dog’s genetic makeup and/ or a lack of socialization. Unfortunately many people who acquire a dog get them from one of two sources that may contribute to these behavior problems.

he first source is dog breeders. The problem with this source is that many “breeders” that you find online are actually puppy mills. Puppy mills breed puppies in deplorable conditions, and the puppies from the mills often have health and/or behavior problems stemming from

inbreeding and the traumatic experiences they have during a very important period of imprinting. Unfortunately, puppy mills are able to fool people with beautiful websites that make it appear as though the puppies are coming from a reputable breeder who has a nice family farm.

f you’re considering purchasing a puppy from a breeder, my strong recommendation is to visit the breeder’s home/ facility and meet the parent dogs. Keep in mind that a reputable breeder will never ship a puppy across the county all by itself.

he other popular source of dogs in recent years is the rescue of dogs transported from the south. It’s a noble effort to save dogs in a part of our country where the spay/ 16 Happy Animals neuter message has not been as successful as here in the northeast; in the south, overpopulation is still a large problem. Many of the dogs that find their way here on the transport trucks, however, have not been socialized to living with a human family, and they suffer from severe fear

and anxiety when exposed to this new life. If you meet a truck in a parking lot to get your new southern transport, you might end up with a behaviorally or medically challenged companion. My advice for those of you who want to rescue a southern dog is to do so through a shelter that insists that only behaviorally sound dogs be brought in, and who quarantine the transports to insure that they do not have infectious diseases (this is the law in MA but not in other nearby states).

f your companion is having serious behavior problems, you may need a private consultation. If that’s not the case, you still might want to consider taking a class to improve your general understanding of your dog’s behavior. I think its important that all dog parents, whether we’re talking about puppies or older dogs, take the time to learn why their dogs do what they do and how best to communicate with and train them. Especially because having a good understanding of normal behavior—for both dogs and cats—helps you prevent behavior problems. It’s much easier to prevent a behavior problem than to treat one that has developed.

n general, I’d encourage you to take steps to train

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your puppy well, keep your older companion stimulated and happy by learning new things like agility and nosework, and learn what makes for a healthy and happy cat, too! Remember that many problems can be prevented, and others, if necessary, resolved. And you’ll have

the greatest gift in this world: the companionship of a dog or cat who gives you unconditional love. Kelley Bollen, MS, CABC, Certified Animal Behavior Consultant & Owner, Animal Alliances, LLC. On the web at animalalliances.com. On Facebook, see AnimalAlliances. Happy Valley Animals 7

ARTS IN REVIEW by Nancy Gordon

Book: The Bucolic Plague

wo gay guys buy a farm in upstate New York. No, it’s not the opening line of a joke. It’s real life for a former drag queen turned ad man and his partner, a type-A overachiever who works for Martha Stewart. This pair of opposites falls in love with the historic Beekman Mansion and its surrounding farmland in Sharon Springs, NY, 200 miles north of mid-town Manhattan, and somehow must find a way to make both the farm and their relationship work. If you’ve seen the reality TV show The Fabulous Beekman Boys, these are those guys. But don’t be put off by the silly, superficial show. The book thoughtfully examines what it takes to live off the land, to maintain a relationship while under 8 Happy Valley Animals

great stress, and to figure out your life’s calling. The personalities of Josh, the ad man, and Brent, the physician/ MBA/Martha Stewart health expert could not be more different, and those differences wear on the couple as they try to plant an heirloom vegetable garden, cook, bake, can, make soap, create and maintain a Web site, and write. And they’re doing all of this while holding down intense, full-time jobs in New York City. The book opens with a hilarious description of Josh’s misadventure with some baby goats, which actually belong to the farm’s caretaker, John. Knowing nothing about kids, Josh ignores John’s advice about how much to feed them on the long trip from the farm to Martha Stewart’s studio, where a segment on the farm and its goat-milk soap is to be filmed. Make sure you’re not eating when you read the above part of the book. It’s incredibly funny but really gross. Kilmer-Purcell doesn’t just recount wacky mishaps; he also tackles real life (and death) issues regarding farming, including turning a head of cattle into a steak

Film: A Fierce Green Fire salad: I wasn’t the least bit emotional about eating Cow. Being overly sentimental about his life would be an insult to both him and ourselves. We did our jobs as responsible and humane farmers, and he did his job as a responsible and healthy farm animal. Even though we have a close relationship with our animals, at the end of the season it’s still primarily a professional one. The stakes are high for Josh and Brent as they take on ever-increasing responsibilities. They end up juggling careers and farming, deaing with a financial crisis, attempting to start a TV show, trying to handle their relationship issues, and basically overextending themselves beyond all human endurance. I felt stressedout just reading about their multitudinous obligations, but I zoomed through the book, desperate to know how it all turns out. In the end, overachieving Josh decides that aiming for Martha-Stewart-style perfectionism or OprahWinfrey-style achievement isn’t worth the sacrifice of sanity. He comes to realize that compromise is the key to making it all work, in love, life, and farming.

ecycle, check. Own a hybrid, check. Let’s see. What else can I do to save the planet? “A Fierce Green Fire” will leave most viewers feeling small, guilty, and lazy after two hours of watching people passionately fight for the environment. The documentary covers the history of the environmental movement from the failed fight to prevent the construction of Hetch Hetchy dam in the 1920s to the current climate crisis. Those of a certain age will shudder when they hear phrases such as Love Canal or baby harp seals. But for people who don’t have a clue about those references, this

film is a must. I’m guessing many today would be shocked to learn that a river can be so polluted it will catch on fire, which happened in 1969. And others will be horrified to know that an American community was so toxic that more than half the children born there had at least one birth defect. Focusing on various eras, causes and leaders, such as the Sierra Club’s David Brower, Sea Shepherd’s Paul Watson, and rainforest activist Chico Mendes, the message is clear: change only occurs through sacrifice. Some, such as Mendes, made the ultimate sacrifice: he was assassinated. Others, such as Watson, put their lives on

the line to protect whales and seals and didn’t give a damn what others thought of their tactics. The film’s most inspiring environmental warrior, however, was not a career environmentalist or a scientist, but a mom. Lois Gibbs obsessively fought the U.S. government for two years in the late ’70s and early ’80s to get action on her heavily polluted neighborhood, Love Canal, in Niagara Falls, NY. In an appalling clash of good old-fashioned male chauvinism versus tiger-mom fierceness, the findings of the residents of Love Canal— that the rate of miscarriages and birth defects there were far above average—were at first dismissed as the ravings of a bunch of hysterical housewives. Finally, in a last ditch effort to get President Jimmy Carter to take their case seriously, Gibbs held

two EPA agents hostage, giving Carter an ultimatum: relocate all Love Canal residents within two days or “What we’ve done here today, will look like a Sesame Street picnic compared to what we’ll do then.” Guess what? It worked. Score one for fanatically protective parents everywhere. Perhaps the most comforting part of the film to this child of the ’60s is how far we’ve come. No more burning rivers! Fewer toxic neighborhoods! Less air pollution! A general acknowledgment that all life is interconnected here on Spaceship Earth. Yet perhaps the toughest of all environmental problems, climate change, is still being

grossly mishandled by the only institution that can really do anything about it, the U.S. government. Yes, that’s a major bummer. But all is not doom and gloom; by the end of the film, we learn that two million organizations worldwide are trying to tackle environmental and social justice issues. The filmmaker sees environmentalism as “civilizational transformation.” Our only hope is that these myriad organizations can fight passionately enough to bring about change. Based on what’s already been achieved, the answer is they can. Nancy Gordon most recently worked as a journalist for Reuters in New York City. She can be reached at ngordon335@ aol.com.

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BOOK INTERVIEW

A Conversation with Linda Kohanov, author of The Power of the Herd trustworthy black Arabian mare named Rasa. After our training sessions, I would let her wander the property to eat grass. Invariably, she would run over to Merlin’s corral when she was in heat. Everyone else thought he was crazy, but I could see a strange combination of softness, sadness and longing in his eyes as he related to Rasa over the fence. Merlin wanted to connect, and yet like a soldier with posttraumatic stress disorder, his sudden outbursts of frustration, rage, overstimulation, and fear aggression kept him isolated. What did you learn from Merlin?

Your new book looks at history, animal behavior, science, religion, and our current political and cultural challenges from the perspective of what you call “nonpredatory power.” How did you discover this long-hidden form of power? It all started in 1999 when I met a stunning black Arabian stallion who had been damaged by conventional dominance-submission horse training methods. Most horses can be “broken” by these techniques. In other words, they submit unquestionably to human authority in a machinelike way as a result. Midnight Merlin rebelled. He became unpredictable, enraged, and increasingly violent. You couldn’t even put a halter on him and lead him around without a serious fight. Several experienced trainers had tried to “tame” him without success. One of these trainers abandoned Merlin at a Tucson boarding facility after he attacked or bucked off several riders. He was so dangerous that he had to be isolated from other horses as well. At that time, I was boarding my horses at the same facility. I had a confident and intelligent, very 10 Happy Valley Animals

I learned about power, courage, and self-control. I developed the ability to calm and focus someone who was violently attacking me. And ultimately, I developed a compassionate form of heroism that became useful in working with people who were panicking or lashing out. Working with Merlin turned out to be the bravest, scariest, seemingly most foolish thing I have ever done. While he would try very hard to control himself, the tiniest things would set him off. Merlin would rip the lead rope out my hands, buck, whirl around, and lunge at me, rearing up, striking out with his teeth bared, literally threatening my life. All I could do was hold my ground and pray that I was fierce enough to win his trust. This turned out to be the essential paradox of rehabilitating Merlin. To contain this violence, I would need to tap a different form of power, one I wasn’t even sure existed at the time. Aren’t you talking about what some people call “horse sense?” To a certain extent, though with Merlin I had to develop other, more advanced skills. As far as I can tell, this term goes back to the 19th century. Horse sense is commonly defined as practical wisdom combined with “gumption” and intuition. But it’s also describes a kind of nonverbal interpersonal genius. Scientists, for instance, have shown that during human interpersonal interactions, only about 10 percent of communication is verbal. Someone with horse sense notices and processes information coming from that elusive “other 90 percent,” while being able to calm, focus, and motivate others effectively, also through nonverbal

means. People these days are more likely to talk about “leadership presence,” which is also primarily a nonverbal phenomenon. With Merlin, I had to develop an extremely high level of leadership presence and horse sense. Is this how you came to research historical leaders who were also great riders? Yes. I actually began this book as a simple overview of what horses teach people about leadership, and I kept coming across these stories of influential historical leaders who were also considered accomplished horsemen and women. Especially intriguing to me was the fact that both Alexander the Great and Prince Siddhartha (who became the Buddha) were renowned for rehabilitating violent stallions that no one else could touch. It suddenly struck me that gaining the trust of an angry stallion was an ancient power story, one that predicted greatness. At the time, I was also teaching these mostly nonverbal leadership skills to students, some of whom progressed to the point where they were skilled enough to work with Merlin directly. By then, he was much calmer and more trustworthy. Even so, any human who proposed to work with him had to display significant leadership presence, as well as a combination of confidence, sensitivity, acute mindfulness, and a balanced, connected, nonviolent form of power that could nonetheless stand up to — and transform — violence. Focusing on nonpredatory power turned my perspective Continues on page 17

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’d been writing about dogs for more than fifty years, ever since Uncle Dog: The Poet at 9, my first published book. Dog-less for too long, I recently recognized the longing in myself, and late last year my wife and I began visiting our local SPCA, the online Poodle Rescue sites, and the friendly folks at the Santa Cruz Animal Shelter. Prepared to fly the poodle of our dreams to our home, we also visited the L.A. and Pasadena SPCAs online, looking at photos of animals that spoke to us. (Curious phrase: “animals that speak to us.”) I’m a romantic, and in our quest I became obsessed with that song from South Pacific, “Some Enchanted Evening,” and also “Mail Order Bride.” I thought, “Mail Order Canine, Dog O Dog, O Dog of My Dreams!” I knew “he” or “she” was out there, but where, when, and how was I to find him or her?

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In truth, after a while I began to give up hope, and reconciled myself to the distinct possibility that I would never find my dog. A friend suggested I consider adopting a Havanese, or a Shih Tzu, but an inner voice persisted, “Poodle, Poodle, Poodle...” and I couldn’t reconcile myself to anything else. “Poodle, Poodle, Poodle…” And my wife, God bless her, never suggested I compromise or give up the search. continues on page 15

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textbooks in Sunderland. My job is to find photos that illustrate the concepts our authors are trying to explain. For the most part, I get these photos from stock photo agencies, but occasionally I find an excuse to take the photos myself. For many years, I have struggled to find good photos of fancy pigeon breeds. These show up in many biology textbooks because Darwin wrote about them at length in On the Origin of Species, his classic book on evolution. Darwin noted that pigeon breeders had produced, through selective breeding, extreme variations in size, color, feathering, behavior, and many other characteristics. If artificial selection could produce such diversity over the course of decades, he argued, imagine what natural selection could accomplish over millions of years. Taking a photo of an animal that feels no obligation to hold still, or even remain earthbound, is not a trivial matter. To get good photos, I realized I would have to make a completely enclosed miniature photo studio. One challenge was to keep the bird from cowering in a corner or against the backdrop. I built a platform for the birds to stand on, not knowing if they would choose to stay on it or jump off and roam (or even fly) around the box. As it turns out, the vast majority of pigeons are quite happy to stay on the platform, even as I rotate it to get different angles. Having built my mini-studio, I am now looking for other things I might be able to photograph in it. I brought it to the Northeastern Poultry Congress in January, where I learned that it works as well on bantam chickens as it does on pigeons. If you have an unusual small pet that has proved challenging to photograph, feel free to contact me at mcintyre314@gmail.com, and perhaps I’ll give it a shot. —David McIntyre

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We saw handsome dogs, glamorous, confident, showwinning, and narcissistic dogs. All possibilities, but I never felt that pang, that shock of recognition, that “Some Enchanted Evening/ you will meet a stranger/ across a crowded room...” Driven. I was driven. I literally couldn’t write, couldn’t relieve the pang, the emptiness, the swelling of my heart whenever I saw a dog, any dog that caught my eye. “Give it up, you’re gonna have to give it up,” I thought, “this three or four month quest.” And then: “Dog, dog, dog, dog...”

six-year-old waif of a dog, was about to be picked up by the SPCA and Santa Cruz Animal Shelter people.

Hard to say precisely, even imprecisely, what I was looking for. “You’ll know,” friends said. “You won’t have to choose, the dog will choose you.” Meanwhile, somewhere in Watsonville, CA, an abandoned, filthy, nine-pound poodle complete with matted hair and fleas, a

And I’d just about given up hope. I was stopping by the shelter one last time. “No more,” I’d been thinking. Either it’s gonna happen or it’s not. “Cosette,” said the sign over her cage; I had found her. For an hour I hung out with her in a area set aside for folks who

So it was, late in January of this year, that Cosette (named by someone at the shelter--the name comes from the literary work Les Miserables) peered out from her cage at me. And there it was, that pang of recognition, “dog of my heart.” She blinked, and I blinked, and I felt myself—‑what? I felt myself recognized. She seemed to regard me, so I felt, as her person.

want to get to know an animal. “What do you think, do you like her?” asked an employee looking in on me. “Yeah, no question. She’s the one,” I heard myself saying. “Cosette’s our dog. I phoned Gloria. “I’ll come by and get you,” I said. “You can take a look, see for yourself.” “No,” she said, “just bring her on home.” This was a variation on what she’d said when I first phoned her--twenty-five years ago-having been given her name by Compatibility Plus, a computer dating service. I offered to meet her, following dating service protocol, “on good neutral ground”: at a bookstore. “Nah,” she said, “just come on over.” Which I did, with a poetry book and a bottle of wine.

Cosette when she first arrived at the shelter.

Now she said, “I’ll take your word for it. I trust you. Just bring Cosette home.” Well, the name fit. And the dog fit. That was Friday, January 25th, and it’s as if Cosette has always been with us, as if she had never not been part of our lives. So though we have been embarrassed by other people

anthropomorphizing their pets, cooing over them— ”beautiful little boy,” “my darling little girl,”—Gloria and I find ourselves doing just the same thing. “Daddy loves you, sweetheart. It’s okay, you can go to Mommy.” “Ah, Cosette, my little baby... baby, baby, baby... you’re hungry, aren’t you, little girl?”

Happy Valley Animals 15

Dakin’s Summer Animal Adventure Program

Kids & Critters • July 8–12 · 9am-3pm, ages 6 – 8 • July 15–19 · 9am-3pm, ages 9 – 12

Learn about caring for pets, animal behavior and

animal welfare issues. Help with adoption center activities and spend time with friendly animals. Field Trips—exciting animal adventures in the Pioneer Valley. Have fun with games, crafts, and a scavenger hunt! For info or to register: 413 781-4000 x112 or lswanson@dpvhs.org

DAKIN HUMANE SOCIETY 171 Union Street, Springfield, MA 01105 www.dpvhs.org

on human history, human potential, and even evolution itself completely upside down. It also made me very hopeful, very optimistic about our future. What is nonpredatory power and why should we develop it? The easiest way to define it is to contrast it with predatory power. Both forms of power exist in nature and in purely human contexts, though civilization has over-identified with carnivorous behavior to justify conquest and predatory business practices. On page 370 of The Power of the Herd, I offer a chart that shows how these opposite yet interconnected power principles play out in nature. It’s actually helpful to consult this chart when hiring a new staff member, employing the services of an expert — or electing a political leader — to notice how often the various candidates employ predatory modes of thinking and behaving. Whenever possible, you want to choose someone who exhibits power and expertise combined with nonpredatory tendencies, a simple way to lessen the common, though ironic possibility that you will actually pay to become someone’s prey.

to deal effectively with bullies, whether we’re talking about kids acting out on the playground, individuals like Merlin who became violent as a result of violence perpetrated on them, or large corporations that are set up to thrive at others’ expense, literally feeding off members of their own species.

In this respect, it gives people confidence to realize that, in nature, nonpredatory species and individuals far outnumber predators, and that mutual aid is a major factor of evolution. It’s amazing to me, for instance, that we keep emphasizing a carnivorous “competition for limited resources” view of nature when hibernation, migration, and squirrels storing nuts for the winter are examples of competition avoidance. But why do you call it nonpredatory power? Isn’t there a better, perhaps more specific word for this?

We tend to think of “predator” and “prey” as defining opposites in the “struggle for survival.” But I cite scientific studies, animal behavior, and It’s also immensely important for sensitive, even a long-ignored view of evolution active in empathetic people to develop nonpredatory power the early twentieth century, to show that large herbivores are not victims. They draw upon the socially-intelligent power of an entire herd to shield the weak and vulnerable, showing incredible heroism and altruistic behavior at times. In terms of power, it’s simply not accurate to call Give your equine companion the benefit of a holistic approach to optimum these animals “prey,” which implies that health with acupuncture, herbology they are quivering, gutless victims.

Sanctuary Animal Clinic Inc. John A. Perdrizet DVM ■

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and food therapy. Discover your horse’s 5 element constitution, to help prevent disease and enhance performance Experience an acupuncture session for your horse and observe its benefits Learn the value of herbal medicines and food therapy for your four legged companions ■

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Dr. John Perdrizet has been a veterinary practitioner for over 30 years and is the only veterinarian in Ma to be certified by the Chi Institute in the 3 Eastern medical modalities of Acupuncture, Herbal medicine, and Food Therapy. Call today and schedule an enlightening and informative session for your horse or schedule a barn visit for 3 plus horses for a 5 element Chinese exam and acupuncture session for 30 minutes at a reduced rate. By appointment only

210 Linden Street Holyoke, MA 01040

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660 West St., Rte. 116, Amherst, MA 01002 “Your Local Source for Horse and Rider”

But we don’t actually have a word for this kind of power. The concept is similar to “nonviolence.” We use this word to distinguish courageous, in some cases revolutionary action from “violence,” because the conventional opposite, “peace,” doesn’t really fit those who must enter conflicts for sensational purposes and perhaps because of humanity’s over-identification with predatory metaphors for power. But thousands of hours of film depicting a relatively peaceful coexistence between predator and prey are left on the cuttingroom floor. In Africa, it’s common to see lions lounging less than a hundred feet from grazing herds that can clearly assess from moment to moment whether these giant cats are dangerous. Video

(413) 230-3458 clips also show single adult horses, zebras, and wildebeests attacking and driving off predators who’ve managed to pull down another herd member. And after that close encounter with death? Both rescuer and rescued shake off the encounter quickly and get back to grazing, back to life. Fear resilience is a lesser-known feature of natural herd behavior that many humans have lost. Social structures based on predatory models encourage people to prey upon each other, creating inescapable stress in abusive work, home, or school environments. Developing nonpredatory power helps people boost their courage and combine forces to stand up to, and transform, the needlessly destructive practices that currently wreak havoc beneath the surface of virtually all cultures, religions, business and educational disciplines. But how can we develop nonpredatory power? That was the biggest challenge in writing this book actually, one that necessitated an additional year of research and development. Using the historical, scientific and cultural perspectives I accessed, I worked hard to combine these insights with the nonverbal elements of power I had developed through working with horses like Merlin, and came up with Four Stone Age Power Tools: archaic behavior patterns and power plays that exist beneath the surface of all cultural, religious, business, political, scientific, and philosophical persuasions. But it’s not enough avoid what’s NOT working. People need to know what to do instead. As a result, I came up with the Twelve Power of the Herd Guiding Principles in part 3 of the book. These give us the emotional and social intelligence skills we need to create mutually supportive, empowered communities capable of drawing on everyone’s talents. Linda Kohanov founded Eponaquest Equestrian Services to explore the healing potential of working with horses and to offer programs on everything from stress reduction and parenting to consensus building and mindfulness. She lives in Tucson, AZ. Happy Valley Animals 17

ASK THE HEN Ms. Hen offers advice on life, relationships, and grooming from a hen’s perspective. Translated by Dick Wagner.

Dear Ms. Hen, We are entering the Easter season again, and, again, my three children are clamoring for me to get them a flock of the beautifully colored ‘Easter chicks’ being sold at some of our local stores. One outlet that used to be shoe store has a big display of them in those big wrap around front windows. I have to admit that they are pretty cute all decked out in their purple, green, and yellow feathers. But I am not sure where we would keep them in our apartment. Any advice? Signed, Color Me Green for Spring Dear Color Me, I certainly do have some advice, but my first thoughts can’t be shared in polite company. My second thought is to suggest that we spray each of your children a different color and see what happens, but I digress. Please, please, please don’t buy chicks for your children just because they are cute in their artificially bright colors. You may not realize that putting dye on chicks is a big controversy and is actually banned in many states. Unfortunately, these days you can order anything online, including colored chicks. Many say the dye, which is often injected into the eggs before hatching, is harmless and wears off as the chicks feather out. Others say that isn’t the point. They point out the stress experienced by live birds when they are sprayed, which is the most common way of dyeing them. No matter. The main point of putting color on chicks is to get you to buy them, and the mere fact that you are asking about keeping them in your apartment means that you don’t know anything about chickens (I’m sorry to be so blunt, but in this case it is definitely called for), and that is where the real harm comes. So here is my plea to you and all others who might consider buying Easter chicks: Don’t do it! Don’t buy Easter chicks, dyed or otherwise! Purchase of chicks, just like any other pet or farm animal, is a daily, monthly, years-long commitment. You have to know what you are doing. Now, don’t get me wrong. I am, of course, a big fan of backyard chickens. I sometimes shudder to think of what my life could have been like on a factory farm. Who would tuck me in with my heat lamp on a cold winter night? Or make sure I got my sunflower seed treats? But you have to have a backyard, and it has to be one with enough space! If you do have a backyard, and are considering starting a flock, do your research. Find out what you are getting into. Make sure your local ordinances allow chickens. Your chicks will soon be chickens, and will be with you for much longer than the spring season. Easter chicks are among those most likely to end up neglected because they were bought for the wrong reason. IF you have made an informed decision to get chicks, try to find a local farm supplier – and be sure to ask about what happens to the ‘rooster chicks.’ (Chickens, like people, come out more or less half female and half male. But you don’t see many roosters compared to hens do you? What happens to all of those guys? I shudder to think.) There is nothing wrong with spending some time with the children dyeing eggs instead, presuming, of course, they are from cage-free or free-ranging hens and you are using natural dyes. Hard-boiled eggs require a lot less care than living chicks who are soon to be chickens. And then those eggs can go in school lunches. It doesn’t look much like spring outside my coop today, but I hear it is coming. Three clucks for the natural colors of springtime! Signed, Ms. Hen 18 Happy Valley Animals

We believe that wholesome, nourishing food should be the standard, not the exception. We want our community to share in this wealth. Good food is good for everyone. Our hens lay brown eggs, and we do not sort by size, except to remove the occasional jumbo eggs that don’t fit into standard cartons. Our CSA members occasionally get jumbo eggs as a bonus. Our eggs are available by the dozen and half dozen. Our hens live in mobile coops during the growing season, and in a spacious greenhouse during the winter. In addition to pasture, the hens receive our custom-blended feed, and lots of secondquality organic vegetables from Red Fire Farm. Our husbandry practices ranked near the top of the Cornucopia Institute’s nationwide survey of organic egg producers; however, hens are finicky creatures, and they never hesitate to remind us that we could be doing better! We’re trying. Our eggs are certified organic by Baystate Organic Certifiers, and certified kosher by Springfield VaaHakashruth.

34 Carver Street Granby, MA 01033 (413) 467-1658

OUR VETS: Dr. Lori Paporello and Dr. Ellie Shelburne NorthamptonVeterinary Clinic

Lumps and Bumps? Check with Your Veterinarian

t some point, it happens to most animal guardians. You’re petting you beloved dog or cat and you suddenly feel a new lump or bump on or under the skin. Initially you assume it’s a burr or a tick. Upon further inspection you realize that it’s a growth (or mass). You think, How long has that been there, and you wonder could this be cancer? The good news is that most of the lumps and bumps that you see or feel on your pet are not cancer. The bad news is that even the most experienced veterinarian can not tell you with 100% certainty whether a bump is cancer just by looking at it. Although some types of masses have a very characteristic appearance and your vet may be able to give you a good educated guess as to whether it is cancer or not, looking at the cells of a growth microscopically is the best way to make a definitive diagnosis. This is accomplished by fine needle aspiration— introducing a small needle into the growth and aspirating (sucking out) a smattering of cells. Most patients tolerate this procedure just as well as a routine vaccine. The cells

are then sprayed onto a slide and examined under the microscope. In more complicated or concerning cases, the slides are sent out to be evaluated by a pathologist who specializes in cell evaluation. Unfortunately, some types of masses do not provide many cells when aspirated. In those cases a bigger sample size may be obtained by taking a biopsy. Once the mass is identified your vet can make a treatment plan. Benign (non-cancerous) lumps and bumps often do not need to be removed and are just monitored. They should be removed, however, if they are changing or growing, are annoying to the pet, or are getting repeatedly infected. This is especially true if they are in a location where they will be harder to remove if they increase in size. Small masses in easy to access locations can occasionally be removed with a local anesthetic. Larger lumps or those located in tricky places (for example, on the face) will require general anesthesia for surgical removal. The surgery is generally straight forward, and simply involves removal of the lump with a narrow margin of tissue around it. In most cases this is curative. Cancerous growths generally need to be removed in a much more aggressive manner to prevent the

spread of cancer to local tissue and distant organs. This involves removal of the lump and also a significant margin of healthy tissue around the lump to insure that all of the cancer has been removed. Due to the potentially invasive nature of the surgery, and because all cancers behave differently, it is important to know what type of cancer we are treating and whether it has already spread prior to surgery. Therefore, blood work and x-rays are often recommended before surgery is performed to “stage” the cancer. After surgery the lump and the surrounding tissue is sent to a pathologist to determine whether all of the cancer has been removed. With some cancers, or in the event that the cancer has spread, additional treatment may be recommended, such as radiation or chemotherapy, to provide the best long term prognosis. Identifying cancer early provides the best chance for treatment success. Having said all of that, there are a few common growth types that have a very characteristic appearance that your vet may feel comfortable diagnosing without a cytology. These include cysts, skin tags, and warts. The most common skin growth that we see on our patients is the lipoma. These are fatty deposits that develop in the subcutaneous layer of tissue under the skin. Although they are benign, they can become enormous (think basketball size enormous!), and if they are growing they should be removed sooner rather than later. Although

they are very characteristic in feel and appearance, there is also a form of cancer called a Mast Cell Tumor that can mimic a lipoma. We often see patients with what appears to be multiple benign lipomas and upon microscopic evaluation we find a cancerous Mast Cell Tumor among them. For this reason, we recommend

fine needle aspiration of all growths suspected to be lipoma just to be safe. So keep petting your pet. If you find a lump or bump don’t panic, but do bring it to your veterinarian’s attention so they can identify it and work with you to provide the best possible treatment options for your wonderful companion.

CARPET & UPHOLSTERY CLEANING A&J Carpet Cleaning offers in home steam cleaning of all kinds of carpets, including area rugs, and also upholstery. We use cleaning solutions that are safe for people, animals, and the environment, and can be especially helpful in cleaning up after pet accidents. We’re a local, owner-operated business with a commitment to customer satisfaction and have been serving the pioneer valley since 1988. Call 413-665-8311 www.ajcarpetclean.com

Is Your Dog True Blue? Positive Training Style Small Class Size Affordable Prices Private & Group Training

413.537.1211 ROUTE 9, HAYDENVILLE

www.TheTrueBlueDog.com Happy Valley Animals 19

HAIRY’S is conveniently located on Rt 10, next to Furs A Flyin’, right between downtown Northampton and Easthampton. We’re locally owned and only SEEM small—we have ALL the high-quality brands you’re looking for to care for your dog, cat, guinea pig, hamster, bird, or other pet!

OPEN MONDAYS, 9-5, TUESDAY-FRIDAY, 8-7 & SATURDAYS, 9-5.

155 Northampton Street, Easthampton, MA 01027 (413) 527-7581 hairyspetsupply@gmail.com www.facebook.com/hairys.petsupply

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HUMANE HOPES

Kara Holmquist, Director ofAdvocacy, MSPCA Linda Huebner, DeputyDirector, MSPCA Linda & Ladybug

Kara & Finley

Want to Help Homeless Animals When Filing Taxes? Check Box 32f

iling taxes is never much F fun, but at least now it can be helpful to animals in

Massachusetts - maybe even a moment of actual pleasure for animal lovers as we approach April 15. All you have to do is check box 32f on your state income tax form to make a donation to the Homeless Animal Prevention and Care Fund.

he Homeless Animal Prevention and Care Fund was created when the animal control bill, sponsored by Senator Jehlen, was passed into law with funding language originally filed by Senator Montigny.

otherwise be able to afford these services for their pets. It will also provide training to municipal animal control officers so that they can safely and effectively protect animals and people in their communities.

case you’re worried about Igo,nwhere your donations will don’t be. The state will

craft regulations regarding the details of disbursement with the help of an advisory committee. This committee will be comprised of representatives of the same organizations that supported the initial legislation and fought for its passage for many years.

ontributions to this C Fund will help animals o you want to help by reducing the number of Dspread the word about homeless cats and dogs-. this opportunity and inspire This will be done by spaying, neutering, and vaccinating animals in shelters and animal control facilities and assisting families who would not

more donations?

hanks to a creative T volunteer, we have several gorgeous postcards

available, versions that feature both dogs and cats, They’re shown in black and white to the right of this page, but are actually in full color.

o get some of these T wonderful cards, just contact us at advocacy@

mspca.org. And see http:// masshomelessanimalfund. com/ for more information about the Homeless Animal Prevention and Care Fund.

or updates on legislation F and information about how you can advocate for animals, join the Animal Action Team at www.mspca. org/jointheteam and follow us on Facebook at http:// www.facebook.com/ mspcaanimalactionteam.

Again, the cards to the right are available to give to friends and neighbords to alert them to box 32f. Just contact the MSPCA at advocacy@mspca.org. Happy Valley Animals 21

Helpful Humans DOG BOARDING/DAY CARE/TAXI Animals and Their People. Homestyle Dog Boarding and Dog Daycare for West County MA and Southern VT. Nestled on the Green River in Colrain MA, ANIMALS and THEIR PEOPLE offers PET SITTING in your home to Franklin County MA and Windham County VT residents. Dog Boarding Pet Taxi also serving Northampton and Amherst. Come enjoy the comforts and security of Homestyle Dog Boarding, Your Dog’s Home away from Home. 413-624-3928. www.animalsandtheirpeople.

DOG TRAINING

FEED/ORGANIC, NON-SOY, NO GMO Countryside Organics believes that certified organic and non-soy grains are healthier for you, your animals, and the environment. We also use the finest quality supplements: Thorvin™ Kelp, Fertrell™ Poultry Nutri-Balancer with Probiotics, Course High Calcium Limestone for Calcium, Organic Alfalfa, Organic Flaxseed, and Redmond™ Conditioner. Our feeds are formulated with nutritional needs in mind, and we do not change our formulas due to cost fluctuations of specific ingredients, so your animals receive the same feed throughout their feeding cycle. Ask for us at local feed stores, including Easthampton Feed and the Tip Top Country Store in Brookfield, and learn more about us at countrysideorganics.com.

Come, Sit, Stay. Dog Obedience Training at your home by Stan Pollack, FEED STORES Canine Educator with 30 years of experience. Disobedient dog? Aggressive hound? Destructive pooch? Does your dog rule your home and drag you when you try to walk? I can help. Valley Time Trade member. To see a Country Corral in Williamsburg has more than twenty brand of video of training tips and learn more about my philosophy of dog training, feed for your pets and livestock, and well as tack, other pet supplies, go to Check out the video at: www.stanthefixitman.net/dog-training/. and gifts. In business for more than 20 years, owner Tim is always behind the counter and ready to lend advice in finding and choosing the best item for your needs. He’ll also lend a helping hand getting DOG TRAINING & DAY CARE your purchae out to your vehicle. Customers have said, “outstanding products and service,” a place that meets “all your animal vegetable and mineral (!) needs,” and “the best feed store I have ever been to.” Since being established in 1992, Leading the Way has been dedicated Stop by 35 Main Street Rear (look for the sign to your right on Rt. to enhancing the relationship of our two- and four-legged clients. Family 9) Williamsburg, MA. Hours are Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 owned & operated, with 25 years of experience in training and education. Shannon Fitzgerald & Melissa Mehlman share our knowledge through Easthampton Feed sells items for the home, farm, and family. We doggie daycare, all levels of dog training plus trick training, therapy dog have high quality products at reasonable prices, topped off with the training, show training, AKC Canine Good Citizen and behavior modifigreat customer service that you expect and deserve! Whether you’re cation to build strong canine-human partnerships based on love and rea pet or horse owner, landscaper, or backyard hobbyist, our staff will spect. Located at18 Chestnut St. in Florence, 413-559-7011. Visit us spend time with you and do their best to meet your needs. (Looking at www.leadingthewaydogtraining.com. for organic, non-GMO feed? We have it.) We’re located “on the Rail Trail,” right in the heart of Easthampton: off Liberty, off Union (Rt. DOG WALKING/PET & HOUSE SITTING 141), and off Rt. 202 at 18 Mechanic Street. Hours: Mon-Friday, 8AM - 6PM, Sat 8AM - 4PM. Closed Sunday. Sarah’s Pet Services, LLC is proud to be the premier dog walking service in the Pioneer Valley. We offer pet & house sitting as well as dog walking in Northampton, Easthampton, Hatfield, Florence, Leeds, Whately, Hadley, Amherst, and the surrounding areas. We’re sure you and your pets will appreciate our friendly, experienced, and reliable services. We’re also excited to introduce a new service: Doggy Day Trips! These are half-day hikes in the woods and hills of the beautiful Pioneer Valley—exercise, socialization, and good ol’ fun in a natural environment. Give us a call 413-626-5406, or send us an email at sarahspetservices@gmail.com. 22 Happy Valley Animals

PET LOSS SUPPORT GROUP If you or someone you know has lost a pet, please join us for a weekly (or as needed) pet loss support group. The group is held as an open forum, and everyone is welcome. Meetings are held from 6-7:00 p.m. at the West Springfield Library, dates variable. For more information, contact Doreen McDonald at 413-732-0373 .

In Memoriam The Fourth Day

by Martin Scot Kosins If you ever love an animal, there are three days in your life you will always remember. The first is a day, blessed with happiness, when you bring home your young new friend. You may have spent weeks deciding on a breed.You may have asked numerous opinions of many vets, or done long research in finding a breeder. Or, perhaps in a fleeting moment, you may have just chosen that silly looking mutt in a shelter ... simply because something in its eyes reached your heart. But when you bring that chosen pet home, and watch it explore, and claim its special place in your hall or frontroom - and when you feel it brush against you for the first time - it instills a feeling of pure love you will carry with you through the many years to come. The second day will occur eight or nine or ten years later. It will be a day like any other. Routine and unexceptional. But, for a surprising instant, you will look at your longtime friend and see age where you once saw youth.You will see slow deliberate steps where you once saw energy. And you will see sleep where you once saw activity. So you will begin to adjust your friend’s diet - and you may add a pill or two to her food. And you may feel a growing fear deep within yourself, which bodes of a coming emptiness.

555 “We need another and a wiser and perhaps a more mystical concept of animals. Remote from universal nature, and living by complicated artifice, man in civilization surveys the creature through the glass of his knowledge and sees thereby a feather magnified and the whole image in distortion. We patronize them for their incompleteness, for their tragic fate of having taken form so far below ourselves. And therein we err, and greatly err. For the animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours they move finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren, they are not underlings; they are other nations caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendour and travail of the earth.” Henry Beston, The Outermost House

And you will feel this uneasy feeling, on and off, until the third day finally arrives. And on this day - if your friend and God have not decided for you, then you will be faced with making a decision of your own - on behalf of your lifelong friend, and with the guidance of your own deepest Spirit. But whichever way your friend eventually leaves you - you will feel as alone as a single star in the dark night sky. If you are wise, you will let the tears flow as freely and as often as they must. And if you are typical, you will find that not many in your circle of family or human friends will be able to understand your grief, or comfort you. But if you are true to the love of the pet you cherished through the many joyfilled years, you may find that a soul - a bit smaller in size than your own - seems to walk with you, at times, during the lonely days to come.

White Rose Pet Memorial Services PET CREMATORY Brattleboro, VT

And at moments when you least expect anything out of the ordinary to happen, you may feel something brush against your leg - very very lightly. And looking down at the place where your dear, perhaps dearest, friend used to lay - you will remember those three significant days. The memory will most likely be painful, and leave an ache in your heart As time passes the ache will come and go as if it has a life of its own.You will both reject it and embrace it, and it may confuse you. If you reject it, it will depress you. If you embrace it, it will deepen you. Either way, it will still be an ache. But there will be, I assure you, a fourth day when - along with the memory of your pet - and piercing through the heaviness in your heart -there will come a realization that belongs only to you. It will be as unique and strong as our relationship with each animal we have loved, and lost.This realization takes the form of a Living Love. Like the heavenly scent of a rose that remains after the petals have wilted, this Love will remain and grow - and be there for us to remember. It is a Love we have earned. It is the legacy our pets leave us when they go And it is a gift we may keep with us as long as we live. Martin Scot Kosins is the author of Maya’s First Rose, published by Open Sky Books.“The Fourth Day” originally appeared as the Foreword for Pet Loss by Nieburg and Fischer, published by HarperPerennial.

www.whiterosepet.com (802) 254-4749 By Appointment Only Saying goodbye is difficult. We understand. After meeting us and visiting our facility, you will leave with the assurance and confidence that you have made the best decision for your cherished companion. Once you come through our gate, our facility is reserved exclusively for you and your pet. No one will interfere with your final private time together. COMPLETE, COMPASSIONATE AND DIGNIFIED AFTERCARE SERVICES. Happy Valley Animals 23

When a family member is seriously ill, they see a specialist.

Now your furry family members can do the same.

When someone in your family develops a health condition, they often are referred to a specialist for further diagnostics and proper treatment. Similarly, when your pet develops a problem that won’t go away, or a chronic disease, or is severely injured, Veterinary Specialists like those at VESH step in to provide the additional level of expertise and equipment needed to treat your pet.

Early diagnosis and treatment is essential and can save your pet’s life. Does your pet have:

A recurring health problem? An eye problem? Chronic disease or cancer? Lameness? A lump that isn’t going away?

    

Talk to your regular veterinarian about referring your pet to a VESH Specialist. Emergencies • Surgery • Ophthalmology • Internal Medicine • Critical Care X-ray/Ultrasound • Laparoscopy • Endoscopy • Laser Eye Surgery OPEN 24 HOURS A DAY, EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR, INCLUDING ALL HOLIDAYS

VESH

Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Hospital

141 Greenfield Road (Rts 5/10) South Deerfield, MA 01373 413-665-4911 www.veshdeerfield.com

We have the special expertise and equipment needed to treat your pet’s illness and injuries.