animals

St. James Episcopal Church will host a Blessing of the Animals at 10 a.m., Saturday. All pets are welcome.

The event will be held on the church's front lawn. All pets must be leashed or in a cage. If you can't bring your pet, you are encouraged to bring a picture.

Diane Cox wrote this about the event:

A procession of animals, everything from dogs and cats to hamsters and even horses, is led to churches for a special ceremony called the Blessing of Pets. This custom is conducted in remembrance of Saint Francis of Assisi’s love for all creatures.

Francis, whose feast day is celebrated in October loved the larks flying about his hilltop town. He and his early brothers, staying in a small hovel, allowed themselves to be displaced by a donkey.

For single householders, a pet (aka furbaby) can be a true companion. Many people arrive home from work to find their furbaby overjoyed at their return. Many a senior has a lap filled with a purring fellow creature.

Our furbabies are family: we love them, we talk to them, you can purchase health insurance for them, we now have human choices in veterinarian health care, pet therapy; we grieve for when they cross the rainbow bridge, and we can choose for them to be laid to rest with us. 

The bond between person and furbaby is like no other relationship because the communication between fellow creatures is at its most basic. Eye-to-eye, a man and his dog, or a woman and her cat, are two creatures of love.

Piper is missing. She is a 2 1/2-year-old yellow lab. She took advantage of a door that was closed but not bolted and ran out and hasn't been seen since 1 p.m.

Her home is on Route 63 in East Bethany near the General Store and church.

She escaped without her collar or tags on. Her dark brown ears are her distinguishing feature. 

Her owner Jennifer Shaffer said she is is a little hyper but not aggressive. She will answer to "Piper" or "Piper Girl." She will come to anybody calling her and willing to give her a treat. 

UPDATE 8:05 p.m.: Piper was returned home safely this afternoon. 

The trails have not always been happy for "Cowboy," and now, the roads he's traveled have brought him back to the Genesee County Animal Shelter and into the care of Volunteers for Animals.

A couple of years ago, Cowboy was found abandoned in a field with a herd of cows. That's how he got his name. He had health issues, including a broken jaw that required his muzzle to be wired shut.

The volunteers nursed him back to health, but while he was still living at the shelter, a couple allegedly stole him. Cowboy was found with them after the duo allegedly robbed a store in Le Roy and then were involved in an accident on Keeney Road.

Cowboy was returned to the animal shelter. Eventually, he was adopted. His new owner seemed to be doing great with him. She was seen out regularly walking him and Cowboy seemed to be in great shape -- except for maybe wolfing down a few too many calories -- on home visits.

"It was a great adoption," said volunteer Gina Lippa, who was keeping tabs on Cowboy. "I actually went and did home visits for a while. Great adoption. The owner, well there were two owners, but the primary owner was doing wonderfully with him and multiple volunteers had seen her walking around town with him. When I did home visits his coat was clearing right up. She was doing great with him."

After about two months, Lippa lost contact with the owner.

Last week, by coincidence, Lippa found a picture of Cowboy on the adoption page of Fairport-based Lollipop Farm's website.

Arrangements were made to return Cowboy to Batavia and he arrived here at the shelter this afternoon.

It's not clear how Cowboy wound up at Lollypop. The adoptee owner was originally from New York City, so Lippa speculates that she returned to NYC, giving Cowboy to a new owner. At some point, Cowboy was delivered to Lollypop with all of his paperwork intact from the Genesee County Animal Shelter.

Lippa said he's available for adoption. He's a sweet and gentle boy and shows no signs of food aggression or other aggression, but he's not at all fond of cats. He gets along with other dogs.

A complaint came in a few minutes ago of two dogs locked inside a red Volvo in the Walmart parking lot. An officer was called to respond; and susbsequently it was reported that a verbal argument was underway between shoppers and the dog's owner, who returned to the Volvo.

(The National Weather Service in Buffalo says it's 83 degrees outside, with 48-percent humidity.)

Nicole Shultz bought one of her daughters a chocolate lab puppy for her birthday and more than a day ago it got out and ran into a cornfield on Maltby Road in Oakfield.

The family hasn't seen the puppy since and is asking for help in locating it and getting it back home.

Shultz said people have told her they've seen the puppy in the area, but they haven't been able to subsequently locate it.

They've put up signs at different locations in the area and left trails of food to get her back home.

"We miss her dearly," Shultz said.

Shultz can be reached at (585) 813-8864.

UPDATED 8:34 p.m.: The puppy is back home. A farmer cutting hay in a field spotted her and the owners tracked her down and caught her and took her home.

Press release:

The Genesee County 4-H Program is looking to restart its 4-H Dog Program!

Youth ages 8 to 18 and their families are invited to an informational meeting to learn more about what the program has to offers as well as give leaders insight on what youth are interested in learning.  The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 18, at Cornell Cooperative Extension, located at 420 E. Main St., Batavia.

4-H Enrollment paperwork will be available at the meeting, the new 4-H year starts Oct. 1^st and the Dog Club will have its first meeting in October.

Interested in joining but unable to attend the meeting? Contact Brandie at the 4-H office  585-343-3040 ext. 101 or email bls238@cornell.edu

Today is National Dog Day and so it was DoggieDay at Dave's Ice Cream on West Main Street Road, Batavia.

Dogs got free ice cream. It was also a fundraiser for Volunteers for Animals with hot dogs and soda.

Some readers may remember "Pachuco," who was our "Pets columnist" back when we first started and ran an adopt-a-pet column. When we first moved to Batavia in 2009, that first summer, we took Pachuco to Dave's on Doggie Day. Pachuco is nearly 10 years old, which is elderly for a dog his size. This is probably his last Doggie Day.

In the background, Rocky, who is doing very well.

This brother and sister pair of 1-year-old cats are missing on Montclair Avenue.

Their owners had just moved into a new residence and about an hour later, the pair managed to slip out, so the owners don't even know where to look.

Both are spayed/neutered.

They've been missing since Sunday.

They are likely being shy and hiding.

If found, call Miranda at (585) 813-2428.

Sadie is missing near the Pembroke Travel Plaza.

Alyssa Coker has been traveling from California to New Hampshire with her mother and three dogs. They stopped for a break at the Pembroke Travel Plaza yesterday and when it came time to get the dogs back into their vehicle, a diesel pulled up behind them and the driver released his air brake, which startled Sadie.

The 2-year-old black border collie mix weighs about 50 pounds. She was able to bolt away, running past the plaza building, past the gas station and into the woods.

"We have been searching for her but haven't found her yet," Alyssa said. "I am completely devastated, heartbroken and desperate to find her."

Some residents in the area have aided in the search.

She was last seen with a teal-colored leash and collar. There is current contact info on her tags. She is micro chipped. She is skittish, but she may not run if people approach her.

Alyssa's number is (209) 815-0233.

UPDATE: Alyssa requests that anybody who sees Sadie to not approach her. There have apparently been sightings and Sadie has fled.  Aylssa says Sadie is scared and skittish. There are professional volunteer trackers helping her.  She asks for phone calls from anybody seeing Sadie. 

Bitty is missing. Slipped out of her house last night. She was last seen near Main and Ross going through the funeral home parking lot.

UPDATE Wednesday, 5 p.m.: Bitty is home, safe.

David Austin said this dog just wandered into his yard at 256 State St., which is next to the high school. He's hoping somebody comes and picks it up soon. Dave can be reached at (585) 300-3441.

UPDATE 9:12 p.m.: The puppy is back home, safe.

Lauren Brick says "Tucker" is just like part of the family and she's missing him terribly since he went missing yesterday in the Slusser Road area of East Pembroke.

He's super friendly, she said, and doesn't bark. He has a pizza collar. Call Lauren at (585) 300-8795 if you can help find Tucker.

A few minutes ago, a deputy was dispatched to check on the welfare of a "big yellow cat in the area of the animal shelter" -- to make sure the feline was "by the side of road" -- (as opposed to being in the road, we're guessing). Once on scene, the officer reported "no sign of Garfield east or west of the road" and then went back in service.

"Zeva" will soon need a new home.

The friendly pooch was reportedly left at an apartment at 17 Elm St., Batavia, after the owner moved out.

Somebody called police yesterday evening and reported the apparently abandoned dog and a police officer picked it up and took it to the shelter.

The address is the same apartment where another dog, on April 30, got itself stuck on the eve of a second-floor deck and then fell off when the owner was brought back to the residence by a police officer.

Today, the owner -- whom we're not identifying by name at this point because she hasn't been charged with a crime, and it's not certain she will be -- went to the animal shelter and signed the necessary paperwork to surrender ownership of Zeva.

She reportedly told staff she had left the dog rather than take it to the shelter because of a requirement that the owner acknowledges that the animal could potentially be euthanized. Animal Control Officer Agie Jaroszewski said the form is standard procedure for most shelters but doesn't mean the animal will be put down.

Alecia Kaus with Video News Service posted a report about the dog on Facebook yesterday and a women said the dog had been hers, but that the dog was being taken care of and that she retained access to the apartment until the end of the month.

"I was the owner," the woman wrote. "And to be clear again have posted all week about finding her a home and was just with her at 7 pm last night to walk her feed and water her."

There is not information available on the status of the other dog that was at the apartment April 30. Police have yet to determine what will happen with the case.

Below, photos from April 30.

A resident on Slusser Road, between Pratt and Killian roads, reports his neighbor's dog took off last night around 8:30. He answers to "Ruben." If you have information about the dog, call Amy at (716) 998-1860 or Tom at (585) 993-2163.

UPDATE: Ruben is home safe.

This afternoon, County Manager Jay Gsell and two passersby along with the City's animal control officer, James Scheflin, tried to help a momma duck and her ducklings cross Ellicott Street by the Upton Monument so they could get to the Tonawanda Creek.

Momma would have none it, though, choosing to try and shelter in the plants at the time.   

Scheflin decided to leave her be for the time being and monitor the situation.

Two dogs are locked in a black Ford Explorer in Row 7 at Walmart with the windows rolled up.

A deputy has been dispatched.

Volunteers from Volunteers for Animals were at the Animal Shelter today collecting donated scrap metal as a fundraiser for the shelter and the support provided by Volunteers for Animals.

"There's a loose dog killing his neighbor's chickens -- occuring now," says a dispatcher about a call just received. The incident is at 2414 Walker Road, Alexander. Sheriff's deputies are responding.

UPDATE 12:05 p.m.: An officer at the scene reports the dog has tags, but he can't get close to the dog (to read them). An animal control officer is responding.

UPDATE 12:08 p.m.: The officer is able to read the phone number of the dog's owner on a tag and provides it to the dispatcher.

This dog was found on Reed Road in Bergen this morning. It's only tag is a rabies tag from Texas. Stacy Stanton found the dog and said the dog is very sweet. She called Animal Control and was keeping the dog this morning until an officer picked up the dog.

UPDATE: Owner and dog have been reunited.