October 4: St. Francis of Assisi Feast Day - Nambe Pueblo

Mark your calendars - October 4th is the St. Francis of Assisi Feast Day at the Nambe Pueblo. Located north of Santa Fe, Nambe will hold its annual St. Francis of Assisi Feast Day on the saint's traditional day of celebration, October 4. The day honors St. Francis' love of all creatures and is a traditional community festival including food and dancing. Nambe Pueblo, 505-455-2036.

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Barkfeast Great Success!

Cochiti Lake's Desert Paws held their first annual Barkfast a few days ago - and it was a great success. People and pets were happily fed, connections made, awareness raised, demonstrations, and most of all a lot of fun.

Their next event is a fundraiser called, Celebrity Pet Calendar Contest -- all Cochiti Lake pet owners are invited to submit their pets best 'kodak moment' to be judged and possibly featured in the calendar. The deadline is Oct. 15th - so hurry and submit your photo!

Please submit your picture to DesertPawsNM@Live.com

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Desert Paws hosts Breakfast

September 13, 2009 from 8am-11am, Cochiti Lake's Desert Paws will host their first annual "Barkfast" - a meet & greet for Cochiti Lake pet owners.

Many great events are planned -
Rescue Canines demonstrate their skills - Kathy Sylvia
Wildlife and Pet Portrait artists - Annette Schreiner
Discounted micro-chipping for dogs and cats with Barbara Merickel DVM
Dog Training Classes with Carol Tharnish
Veterinary Technicians representing Smith Animal Hospital & Santa Fe Emergency Clinic
Local non-profit Pathways of Healing, Inc


A great breakfast, raffle, lot's of info and demonstrations - it will be a wonderful event and a fun launch for Desert Paws.


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Less Adoptable Pet Day - Pets with Needs

Wednesday August 12
http://petfinder.com/images/admin/lessadoptable/less-adoptable-widget.gif

There are WONDERFUL pets here. Please click the link to PetFinder and give from your heart - you may find your best friend !

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VOLUNTEERS WANTED FOR 2 APNM OUTREACH BOOTHS

“WILDFEST,” July 25, 10-4 p.m.Roosevelt Middle School, Tijeras

“DOG DAYS OF SUMMER” ADOPTATHONAug. 1, 9-1 p.m.Belen Public Library, Belen

WILDFEST is a community education day organized annually by Talking Talons Youth Leadership. At WILDFEST (www.wildfest2009.com), youth of all ages can learn about the environment, wildlife and personal health in an atmosphere of fun and discovery.

Last year over 1500 people attended WILDFEST where they had the opportunity to develop new interests and hobbies, find volunteer opportunities, see amazing wildlife up close, learn about reducing energy consumption, scale the climbing wall and much more. WILDFEST participants include animal rescuers, environmental educators, youth development groups, health service providers, musicians (including the popular folk group ‘Holy Water and Whiskey’), magicians, food vendors and more.

If you are interested in helping to staff this outreach table on July 25,10 a.m. to 4 p.m., please contact Arlene at 265-2322 ext. 21, or arlene@apnm.org.

DOG DAYS OF SUMMER ANIMAL ADOPTATHON will be held at the Belen Public Library on August 1, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Events will include:* Adoption Clinic by Valencia County Animal Control* Reading to Dogs — Tail Waggin’ Tutors* Learn about Poisonous Plants from Master Gardeners of Valencia County* Building Blueprints for Dog Houses* Learn about Dog Training and Fencing Alternatives* Movies: Feature Films and Short Subjects* Safety for Kids

If you are interested in helping to staff this outreach table, please contact Arlene at 265-2322 ext. 21, or arlene@apnm.org.

Make a difference !
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Alert: Lost Dog -- Horse Riders Needed for Search Party

Santa Fe, Hwy 14 area:


The back story: A dog named Gracie has been missing in the Lone Butte General Store (3815 State Highway 14. Santa Fe NM 87505) area for 2 weeks now. She is the beloved companion of Bill. Bill has done everything in his power to find Gracie in the past two weeks. His sense is that she is close, but on the wrong side of the highway and hunkering down somewhere since she might be injured.

The current situation: Bill had to leave the state today for 2 weeks pre-scheduled work. He is tormented that he has to give up the search for his girl while he is working out-of-state. Some friends are hoping to take up the search in Bill’s absence.

The PLEA: (HORSE RIDERS PLEASE SEE BELOW!) If you, your friends or relatives can donate an hour or two of time this weekend, I’d like to schedule some heavy duty search parties for the areas where Bill feels she might be. If you have any time to spare either Saturday late afternoon or Sunday, please call or email to coordinate efforts. If you have horses in the area (east of Hwy 14, directly south of the Lone Butte General Store area), or can trailer horses in, the area most searched will be a section of undeveloped land that would be perfect to cover on horse-back.

If you are available to ride the area, PLEASE email us at clipets@live.com and we will put you in touch with the woman coordinating this.

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Report Cruelty to 1-877-5-HUMANE - Billboard & Leadership Scorecard

Have you seen the Attorney General’s new Cruelty Hotline Number? It premiered on I-40 Billboard in East Mountains on May 6. What a fantastic step forward!

This is a statewide hotline for reporting extreme cruelty to animals - and calls are coming in from several counties already. At least one animal has already been saved since the 14’ x 48’ billboard’s installation. Four callers to the new hotline number reported the same horse in poor condition, resulting in lifesaving help from the NM Livestock Board.

Animal Protection of New Mexico (APNM) staff take the cruelty calls and notify the appropriate authorities about animals in trouble, or people treating animals cruelly, across the state. Fortunately for the animals, many parties have contributed services, fees and space to make messaging against animal cruelty possible in this case- Clear Channel and Esparza to name a few.

Often they offer a reward for the arrest and conviction of a perpetrator - but most people have turned down the reward because they're happy that people are working together to change the way abusers treat animals.

It's now evident that New Mexico is serious about creating a humane state for animals.

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Source: apnm.org

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This Month's Theme - Snake Season: Part 1 - Snakes Among Us

With the great help of Mark Watson and his wife Deanna, we'd like to start off this month's topic, "Snake Season". Mark is a biologist and offers much help in Cochiti Lake with safely capturing snakes and relocating them as well as educating residents about peacefully existing with the wildlife in our area.

Many of us who have moved to our town have specifically moved here because we want to be in the midst of wildlife to observe it's amazing beauty. Part of what makes this beauty exist is the cycle of life and balance of the ecology. Snakes are an extremely important part of this cycle and without them there would be imbalance - they are beneficial environmentalists! Snakes help us. Among other things, they are instrumental in maintaining the rabbit, mouse, rat, termite and spider population..... and even other snakes.

We have about a dozen non-venemous snakes in our area and only two venemous. Our non-venemous include the Bull snake, the Long Nose, the Patch Nose, the Night snake, the Glossy snake, the King snake and the Coach Whip. Our venemous snakes are the Western Diamondback rattle snake and the Prairie rattler.

The smallest snake (in length) in our area would be the Texas Blindsnake - it has eyes, is non-venomous, about 4" long, and looks "pearly' like an earthworm. These little guys are your best friends in taking care of termites. The largest snake in the area is the interesting coach whip snake - adults can be pinkish in color (the young are browner), they are non-venemous and often travel at night (which is why you often find them dead on the road). They can reach about 6.5 feet. The second largest snake (about 6 feet in length) in our area, also non-venemous is the common Bull snake. I've heard many residents over the years making friends with their local bull snakes - they make their rounds and take care of any mice in the wood piles or sheds around the house. The widest snake in our area (in girth) would be the Western Diamondback rattler - they are widest when they've swallowed an entire cottontail rabbit. Diamondbacks can live 20+ years and contrary to what many have heard, the size of the rattle is not the age of the snake - they simply grow another notch every time they shed ... and they can shed several times per year. How do you tell the difference between a harmless non-venemous bullsnake vs a rattler? Well, the bullsnake does a very realistic imitation of a rattler - coils into an 's' shape, tries to change it's head to look like the rattler's 'triangle' shaped head, and it even tries to hit it's tail on something to sound like a rattle. But according to Wikipedia, the one difference you can look for is that the rattler will put it's tail up in the air to rattle whereas the bullsnake will lay it's tail flat on the ground or hit it on the ground.

So let's talk now about how we can co-exist with our snake population. First, snakes are not slimy and are not aggressive (not even the rattle snakes). Snakes would like to avoid us as all costs - they just want to get on with their day like we all do. They're not out to 'get you', they don't want to chase you, and they don't want to hide and scare you. All the snakes in our area know that humans are too big to eat so there's no need to hunt them. They have a "pit viper" on their head which is a heat sensor - it helps them distinguish whether you're a small rabbit for dinner or a big human to stay away from.

The goal would be to avoid snakes and let them live peacefully in their natural habitat. The Tribe has expressed their wish to Mark that we in the town NOT harm any snakes. If you see a snake in your yard, simply do the following: while watching the snake, move out of the immediate area quickly and get inside the house. Do not torment or poke the snake. Move out of the snake's immediate area quickly. If your pet has encountered a snake, gather your pet in the same manner. If your pet is getting close to tangling with the snake, the better method is not to hit the snake with something, but if necessary (in a life-threatening situation) hit the pet with something to control the pet and prevent it from attacking the snake. Remember, the snake will try to protect itself and go into 'survival mode' and if your pet tries to attack the snake it could potentially be a life and death situation for your pet (we'll talk more about this in Snake Season Part 2). Some dogs have a natural instinct to stay away from snakes and may even be spooked by twigs or small branches - this is a good thing. Some dogs walk right over a snake and don't even know it. Once you and your pet are in the house you can do two things:

• 1st do call Mark Watson (he's in our phone book under "Watson" and he's also listed in the front pages of the book under "Services -> Snake Relocation". Go get this number now and put it on your frig or by the phone. He will come and relocate the snake for you. He does this for free.
• If he's not home, don't panick and don't ask someone to kill the snake. Mark assures us that snakes WILL leave that night. They travel and make rounds in their large territories and after cleaning up your yard of mice will leave - they have no intention of hanging around. They will leave that night and again, the Tribe does not want us harming snakes. So no need to panick - Mark can come and help or it will leave by itself. Aren't we fortunate to have Mark?! Thank him the next ime you see him in town.
• One thing to mention - when you call Mark, try to keep on eye on where the snake is until Mark arrives - this will greatly help Mark in being able to find, capture and permanently relocate the snake.

Would you like to make your habitat less inviting for snakes? Here are some things seen around town that actually do invite snakes:

• Backyard ponds -they love water and need to drink - water in the desert will attract all sorts of wildlife. So if you're trying to avoid snakes - no ponds.
• Bird seed on the ground under the bird feeders. We all like to feed the birds, but remember the cycle of life and the ecological balance: the food drops to the ground from the birds and the mice and rabbits eat it from the ground. The snakes sense the mice and rabbits and come into your outside habitat to eat them. They just want to eat and go, but if you're offering them dessert, they'll make sure to come back for seconds!
• Wood piles - there are many in town who have their wood piles right next to their house - this is asking for trouble. Mice will make their homes in the woodpiles and the snakes will sense this. Again, they'll eat and go ... but if you don't change your wood pile habits, they'll come back to dine again. Wood piles should be away from the house and up off the ground about 1 foot.
• Garage doors - a common site in town during the summer months are garage doors partly open to let the heat escape. Don't be surprised if a mouse wonders in followed by a snake. Please remember not to panick (don't harm it), just go back inside and call Mark. You can also just let it be, keep an eye on where it is and it will go out and be on it's way in a couple of hours.
• Bird ponds - yes we want to hydrate the birds, but just be aware that any water in the desert is a magnet for wildlife and insects. These insects and rodents too become buffet for snakes. And therefore you're likely to see a snake or two.

You can certainly continue to feed and water the birds and have your koy ponds, but just be aware that part of the beautiful nature scenery will be the occassional snake enjoying 'take-out' in your yard. You now know not to panic - just call Mark and/or let it be and it will move on.

Snakes are out at all times in our environment - it's not just the summer months. In the winter they may come out of their dens on a warm day, but they will not venture anywhere to forage. They do begin to travel more around April/May as the weather warms up and you'll usually see them into September/October until the weather is steadily colder. When hiking, try to avoid reaching overhead and grabbing onto a rock - they may be basking in the sun and not take kindly to you landing on them. Avoid stepping over a fallen tree without fully seeing what's on the other side - they are often nestled right under that log and again, will not take kindly to you stepping on them. In general avoid tall grass and rocks. Here in Cochiti Lake you can find snakes sleeping on driveways or the street curbs as the sun goes down because the concrete retains heat and they really like storing up that heat for their nightly travels. Another positive is that there tend to be fewer snakes at elevations higher than 7500'.

We live here because we want to be close to nature. In kind we need to respect nature and let it be in all it's divirsity. If you would like to familiarize yourself with snakes in our area, Mark recommends a fantastic book in our library (one of the co-authors is a colleague of Mark's): "Amphibians and Reptiles of New Mexico" by William G. Degenhardt, Charles W. Painter and Andrew H. Price. UNM Press 1996. If you would like to have some 'hands on' learning about snakes and visit with "Teddy" a captive bull snake please email us at CLIPETS@live.com or call Krys/Ray so that we can get a group together to visit Teddy. Mark and Deanna are always happy to answer all of our questions and teach us some great things about snakes.

Next in the Snake Season series: What Happens if You or Your Pet is Bitten?

Next in the Cochiti Lake Wildlife series with Mark: The Many Species of Birds in our Area

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Buffalo Newborns - the youngest descendents of the great herds ....

On May 15, wobbly-legged newborn wild buffalo and their mothers could be cruelly chased from their birthing grounds near Yellowstone National Park by helicopters, horses and ATVs. Newborn calves could die of exhaustion during this annual hazing operation. Please send an urgent message to the Secretary of Agriculture to stop this wildlife tragedy. It only takes a few seconds -- and could save the lives of these wild buffalo newborns, the youngest descendents of the great herds that once thundered across America's plains. (Read more from the NRDC - click Read)

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Right now, newborn wild bison -- better known as buffalo -- are grazing under their mothers' watchful eyes on the lush Horse Butte peninsula near Yellowstone National Park in Montana. But on May 15, this pastoral scene could turn ugly if the government begins hazing the buffalo back into the park with helicopters, horses and ATVs, as they did last year at this time.If this operation proceeds, some buffalo could die, including young calves and pregnant cows. Please speak out immediately to stop the government's annual hazing operation. This wildlife tragedy replays almost every year on Horse Butte -- a birthing ground for the buffalo.First, a helicopter invades the stillness, circling low to scare wild buffalo out of the woods, so that government agents on ATVs and horses can chase them back to Yellowstone. With no time to rest or nurse during this relentless chase, some calves collapse and even die of exhaustion before ever reaching their grazing grounds deep within the park. The saddest part? This senseless tragedy is unnecessary. The justification for hazing and killing buffalo is that they could spread the disease brucellosis to domestic cattle. That is why buffalo are generally not welcome outside Yellowstone Park in Montana -- and why thousands have been slaughtered or hazed back into the park in recent years. But the fact is, there has never been a documented case of brucellosis transmission from buffalo to cattle in the wild. More to the point, there are no cattle at all on Horse Butte, so there is absolutely no reason to haze and endanger Yellowstone's wild buffalo.So please, help us give newborn buffalo a better chance at survival this spring. Tell the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary Tom Vilsack) to intervene right away and prevent the hazing of wild buffalo in the weeks ahead. As living links to the great herds that once thundered across America's plains, Yellowstone's buffalo are a national treasure. Please join me in urging our government to protect them -- instead of subjecting them to needless suffering.

Sincerely,

Frances Beinecke

President Natural Resources Defense Council

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Adopt a Penguin for Mom

-- an eCard lets her know it's coming!



http://action.defenders.org/site/R?i=ruiuMEx3uznsemjKs5zlgw.. Read more!

Sat April 11 - Santa Fe Adoption Day

REMINDER

When: Saturday Apr. 11th Noon - 3PM
Where: Teca-Tu at 500 Montezuma St. Santa Fe
What: cats and dogs
Contact info: Bridging the Worlds - Beverley 505-501-1887 http://bridgingtheworlds.org/
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Spring is Here ..... Get Your Dog Heartworm Tested in April ! - Raymond Sandor

What is heartworm?

The heartworm is a parasitic worm about the size of thin spaghetti. When an animal is infected with the worm, it lives free-floating in the right ventricle of the heart and nearby blood vessels. The parasites are transmitted from one animal to another by mosquitoes. The first written canine documentation was in the, “Western Journal of Medicine” in 1847. The first documented cat infection was in the early 1900’s. The normal host for heartworm are dogs. Heartworms can live in animals other than dogs, but often have a shorter life, vary in size, or end up in odd locations due to aberrant migration. This is true of heartworm infections in cats. Some of the other animals that can acquire heartworm include wolfs, coyotes, foxes, bobcats, mountain lions, tigers, muskrats, raccoons, ferrets, otters, bears, horses, orangutans, gibbons, sea lions, and also …....humans.

Heartworm is usually diagnosed through a blood test, but the worm needs to be mature (about 6 months after entering to the pet's body) to be detectable through antigen testing. Female worms must be present for accurate test results. Cats also can get infected with heartworm. Until about 5 years ago it was believed that cats infected with heartworm are rare, but new studies show that it's more common than previously believed. There is no accurate test yet for cats, but it is in the works. Unfortunately, many cat heartworm infections are overlooked since feline heartworm disease does not commonly present with the same symptoms as dogs and the signs and symptoms look and act like other cat diseases. One worm in the cat's heart can cause sudden cardiac death or sudden (acute) respiratory signs that are indistinguishable from asthma without a medical work up.

Preventative medications

Dogs 7 months and older should be tested each year with a simple blood test. Dogs younger than 7 months but older than 8 weeks can be put on a preventative medication without testing. The most common preventative medication is Heartguard, a once-a-month chewable pill. In heavily infested areas (i.e. parts of Texas, Florida etc.) veterinarians recommend using it all year around. In the northern states with shorter mosquito seasons and less reports, it is usually recommended to use Heartguard between April and October. Holistic veterinarians try to avoid animals ingesting chemicals so many recommend using Black Walnut capsules on a daily basis as a preventative and also in addition to Heartguard. Please ask your veterinarian about your best preventative options and have your dog tested every April.

There is a low-cost clinic held the first and third Friday of each month from 8 to 11:30am and 1 to 4pm in Santa Fe at the Santa Fe Animal Shelter's Spay/Neuter & Wellness Clinic (next to the Outback Steakhouse). Their contact info: 505-474-6422 at 2570-B Camino Entrada . No appointment is necessary, but please be on time. They charge $15 for a heartworm test.

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Raffle Drawing April 7th 4pm

New Mexico's Animal Protection Voters will announce the winner of their raffle April 7th down at the Flying Star. Tickets are $10 and the prize: Cabo Azul Resort & Spa Three Nights/Four Days:
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Sun. April 5 - ABQ - 2nd Chance Adoption Day

Where: Petco on the Westside. (Old Airport Road by the Loew's off Coors Blvd by Cottonwood Mall)
When: April 5th from 11 a.m. til 3 p.m. (that's this coming Sunday!)
What: Great dogs and cats available.

Message from Debbie at Second Chance:
We recently lost a couple of great foster homes (due to economic and housing issues) and we are desperate to find homes for our dogs! Please come check them out and even if you can foster for us, that would be so helpful!!

As always, we are very grateful for any help and can use donations towards our food and vet expenses. You can donate securely on our website home page via Paypal or JustGive or ChipIn.

Thank you all for your continued support - We couldn't do it without you!!

Other contact info where you can see pictures and descriptions of the pets: www.secondchancenm.petfinder.com
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Earth Hour - March 28th

Just a reminder to turn off the lights at 8:30pm Saturday March 28th for one hour. According to New Mexico's kob.com website: "The World Wildlife Fund sponsors the international campaign to highlight the impact that electricity usage has on global warming. Last year, more than 50 million participated along with world landmarks, including Rome’s Colosseum, New York’s Empire State Building and San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge". . Read more!

ABQ Dog Ball - Sat March 28th

Albuquerque's sixth annual dog-friendly, "Mayor’s Dog Ball " will be Sat. March 28, 2009. Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez and First Dog Dukes will be hosting at the Albuquerque Museum, 2000 Mountain Rd. Proceeds will benefit the city’s Animal Welfare Department and the Albuquerque Kennel Kompadres Foundation. For more information or tickets visit: http://www.cabq.gov/pets/news. . Read more!