Providing helpful information regarding our feathered, feline, and canine friends while also sharing fun stories. And locally we provide pet sitting services.
The breeding rites of birds usually involve complex dances and mating calls. Not to mention, multi-colored feather shows during which prospective, brilliantly feathered males strive to charm females. And duck mating season is no different. But that’s where the mating season similarities end with ducks and other birds. Below I list out 5 facts about duck mating season.
Five Facts About Duck Mating Season
Form seasonal bonds
Similar to other animals, waterfowl form pair bonds to produce offspring. Though, within waterfowl, those kinds of pair bonds differ. Which means some waterfowl mate for life, like geese, while others form different bonds each year.
Ducks practice what’s called seasonal monogamy. It means they have to form new bonds each season. And almost 50% of all waterfowl species observes this kind of monogamy. However our drakes are polygamous. They don’t stick with one duck the entire mating season; they take all they can get. If any of the ducks are monogamous, it’s the females. They’re all faithful to the drakes they’ve chosen.
Typically domestic duck mating season lasts from spring to fall. However it can depend on where you live, climate, and breed of duck. For example, where I live in Oklahoma, the mating season for Pekin ducks is long. Spring to Fall.
But that doesn’t mean ducks mate exclusively during mating season, and not at other times. So far what I’ve witnessed is that the drakes, or males, act crazy with hormones. They too have testosterone, which is raging during this season. And our oldest drake Kirishima is full of angst.
Drakes, or males, attract the females, but it’s the females who get to choose their mates. It’s a very matriarchal society.
Females can hinder forced breeding
This is our white Pekin with her favorite drake, aka the boss rooster.
Despite the fact that most birds do NOT have phalluses, drakes actually do. And so research done ~2007 showed that females developed corresponding complex genitalia to make forced mating difficult. If not impossible.
This is important, because it signifies not only that the female doesn’t like the drake, or his strategy, but she doesn’t want any of his offspring.
We personally witnessed this behavior with our white female Pekin when we incubated eggs this past spring. She doesn’t like her own kind for a mate. Because she has the hots for the boss rooster. But that doesn’t mean Kirishima didn’t forcibly mate with her. So when it was time to candle the eggs, hers were all duds. Which means he didn’t get to fertilize any of them.
2 of those ducks are gone now; 1 female was killed by our senior drake, and 1 of the new drakes was killed by a dog.
During duck mating season, drakes can and will be aggressive to female ducks, people, and ducklings. If you don’t have the proper ratio of ducks to drakes, the females can even be killed.
And this is because hormones in drakes are extremely high. Drakes have nothing but mating on their minds during mating season. Thus they can’t think straight.
Our senior drake, Kirishima, is currently separated from the rest of the population. And this is because after doing everything required to introduce new ducks, he still wanted to kill the newest ducks. But it’s only because he’s overly hot and bothered. However my husband let him out a few weeks ago, and he killed a female by forced mating. The other drakes only recently started to mate, (after he was locked up again.) Though it was just the threat of their presence that caused his erratic behavior.
In Conclusion
If you have ducks and witnessed this behavior, but didn’t know what it meant, then I hope I’ve helped you out. Duck mating season is long. And even though females can choose their mates and prevent fertilization (if mating is forced), the drakes can still be very aggressive, chiefly due to testosterone levels at this time.
Thanks for stopping by and please leave a comment or ask a question!
Most of us know that it’s healthier to make our own food than to eat out, order in, or buy pre-made. However it isn’t always feasible due to demands on our busy schedules. And sometimes it’s just nice to go out to for a bite to eat. But there are options available if you don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen or sacrifice nutrition. Like this easy recipe for chicken tacos.
I first started making these chicken tacos within the past ~6 years. Because I wanted a simple recipe. And this is what I came up with. So I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.
Ingredients for Easy Chicken Tacos
2 lbs chicken breast halves
1 can mild Rotel, drained
1/4 tsp cumin
6-8 soft flour tortillas for tacos
1 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions for Easy Chicken Tacos
Put chicken breast halves in a pot and cover with water. Once the water boils, lower to a simmer, and cover the pot with a lid.
Cooking times vary, so when chicken is cooked (at 165 degrees), then turn off the burner, and remove the pot from heat source.
Drain off most of the water, leaving ~2 to 3 tablespoons of broth, and shred the chicken, using two forks.
Stir in drained Rotel and cumin. * I use only 1/2 can of Rotel, because I don’t want it too spicy.*
Then place the pot with shredded chicken, Rotel, and cumin back on the burner on med-low heat until the liquid evaporates.
Heat the tortillas in a tortilla warmer for 30 secs in the microwave. Or, if you don’t have one, you don’t need a tortilla warmer to heat them up. Here are some other options.
Top with shredded cheese and your other favorite toppings and a side.
I hope you try this recipe, and thanks for stopping by!
Today I’m sharing a recipe that I’ve been making and perfecting since my husband and I got married. And that was 20 years ago. It’s one of my family’s personal favorites. Therefore, they request it often. It’s a simple homemade pasta sauce with meatballs. Though, the meatballs are also homemade.
The base of this recipe is just a tomato sauce originally. Meaning that it contains no vegetables, other than tomatoes and garlic. However, garlic isn’t normally viewed as a vegetable. But, rather as an herb.
The Origin of My Homemade Pasta Sauce with Meatballs
This recipe is passed down from my mom’s side of the family. And I also got the basic meatball recipe from my mom, which includes pretty much all of the ingredients, except Italian sausage. But just like so many other recipes I’ve gotten over the years, I’ve tweaked this one as well. Additionally I add fresh vegetables to the sauce. And instead of just beef meatballs, I add Italian sausage.
Ingredients for Homemade Pasta Sauce with Meatballs:
1 (29 oz) canned tomato sauce
1 (14.5) oz canned whole tomatoes, diced or crushed in food processor
6 oz of tomato paste
5 oz of water
1 bell pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tbsp or 3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tbsp dried basil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp marjoram
1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions for Homemade Pasta Sauce with Meatballs:
In a pot, add all of your ingredients and stir together on med to med-low heat.
Ingredients for Meatballs:
1 lb lean ground beef
1 lb ground mild or sweet Italian sausage
1/4 cup of Italian bread crumbs
1/4 shredded Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1/8 tsp dried mint
Instructions for Meatballs:
In a large bowl, add your ingredients together.
Then, using your hands, mix the ingredients together thoroughly.
Next, shape the mixture into balls. Also, you can make big meatballs or small ones, depending on what you prefer.
When you’ve used all of the meat mixture, add the meatballs to the sauce.
Get sauce to a boil. Then lower the temp to med low or low, till it’s simmering. And cover the pot with a lid. Furthermore, cooking times may vary. So cook until the meatballs are at 165 degrees at least.
When the meatballs are cooked, serve with your favorite pasta and a salad. And top with grated parmesan cheese. Then enjoy! Thanks for reading this post.
Do you know how to tell the gender of a rabbit? You may or may not know how difficult it is to tell the gender of a rabbit when they’re young. A female rabbit is called a doe, while a male is referred to as a buck. And baby rabbits are called kittens, just like baby cats. Also, females hit maturity anywhere from 3 to 8 months. But it’s dependent on the rabbit’s breed. Further, smaller breeds mature faster than larger breeds.
How to Tell the Gender of a Rabbit
Kittens, or baby rabbits, don’t have any external indicators, like birds, to let you know if they’re male or female. Just like cats. And females and males can physically look alike. So how can you tell gender? The only way, it is reported, is by inspecting the genitals. So, in order to tell the gender of a rabbit
First, place the rabbit with his/her tummy up, in order to examine the genitals easily. However be gentle, because rabbits are prey animals. And they’re naturally scared.
Watercolor of bunny on its back, courtesy of Paul Smith
Get some help. But don’t pick the rabbit up. Instead, put it on a cushion or a low table to prevent any accidents if it tries to get away. Also, if the rabbit doesn’t cooperate by being face-up, then you can achieve similar results if it sits on its tail. Try not to let them kick. And don’t hold them by their ears.
*If you’re gendering a kitten, then wear rubber or latex gloves so you don’t pass on any diseases. Or your smell, which could cause the kitten’s mother to reject it. And when you’re finished inspecting the rabbit, let it go. They easily get stressed if held against their will.
When you’re ready, to know how to tell the gender of a rabbit, find the anus opening and genitals. In both females and males, the anus will be near the tail. If you have a female, as you follow the tail, near the abdomen, you’ll notice an oval hole. That’s the vulva, which indicates your rabbit is a female.
But in males, the opening is a little further from the anus. And there’s a clear separation. Also, the space is more spherical.
Some people recommend applying pressure on the surrounding edges of the hole to extrude the male rabbit’s member. However it could hurt him if you don’t know what you’re doing.
You can also check if you can see the testicles. A male rabbit’s should be easy to spot since they’re hairless and of a purple hue.
Some people claim that by examining the genitalia of rabbits, that females and males have very recognizable features on their bodies. Females are supposed to have V-shaped, or a mountaintop, appearance which can be sticking out some, while males have 2 oblong testicles above their genitalia.
However I don’t agree. It’s not always so cut and dry. Take, for instance, our first dwarf lop eared rabbit, Mabel. The breeder told us he was a female. And we grew to love our female lop. We spent months thinking he was a ‘she.’ But after we got Ricky, our 2nd dwarf lop, Mabel chased and harassed him all the time. So we decided to get them both fixed. Although, since Mabel was older, and he was causing problems, he would go first. Then it would be Ricky’s turn. And that was when we learned the truth about Mabel.
Hannah dropped Mabel off at the exotic animal vet. But not long after, she received a phone call, and was asked if they had the right bunny. And if so, did we still want them to proceed with Mabel’s alteration. She was momentarily confused. So they proceeded to explain that once the sedation was administered, Mabel’s testicles descended. Which meant that Mabel was never a ‘she.’ He was always a he.
We learned that this is actually common if a rabbit is scared. That they can actually hide their testicles. Or gender, if you will. So that if you look at the genitalia, when the rabbit is scared, then the male rabbit will be hard to distinguish from a female. Now we could have at any time checked Mabel ourselves, once he was relaxed and familiar with us, to see whether he was a female. But we trusted the word of the breeder. She was the one who did this for a living. Thus we figured she would know. And when it came to Ricky, she was spot on. I guess Mabel didn’t want anyone to ever know he was a boy.
Ricky and Mabel.
Obviously we were quite shocked by this discovery. And then we wondered if Ricky was in fact a female. We sort of hoped so. But after Mabel was home and healed, Ricky and Mabel started fighting. And fighting, with neither looking too happy about their situation. Which is a post for another day.
I hope this answered any questions you might have about how to tell the gender of a rabbit. But if you still aren’t sure about your rabbit, then you can always make an appointment with an exotic animal veterinarian. Especially if you get another rabbit.
And thanks for stopping by! Feel free to comment or ask questions.
Today I’m going to share the best beef and pork meatloaf recipe. So, I know what you might be thinking. But, I promise you, it’s delicious.
When I was younger and had to eat meatloaf, it wasn’t one of my favorite foods. And, as I grew older, it started to conjure up images of everyone’s least favorite food. Although, it probably had a lot to do with the way they said it. “We’re having meatlooaaff.” And then they would look up to the sky for salvation.
However, all of that changed after I got married and tasted my mother-in-law’s meatloaf for the first time. Plus, I know it had everything to do with the way she prepared it. Therefore, majority of this recipe is thanks to her. Though, the only thing I changed is adding ground mild Italian sausage.
Ingredients for beef and pork meatloaf recipe:
1 lb each of ground beef and ground mild Italian sausage
1 chopped each bell pepper and yellow onion
14 oz can whole tomatoes (drained and pulsed)
1 egg
3/4 c oats
8 oz can tomato sauce, divided
and 4 oz of ketchup
Instructions for beef and pork meatloaf:
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 12 cup muffin tin/pan and (1) 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 2-1/2 inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, mix the first 7 ingredients together.
Mix 4 oz of the tomato sauce with the other ingredients.
Take remaining tomato sauce and mix with ketchup.
Fill the muffin tins and then the loaf pan with the meatloaf mixture.
Top the muffin cups and loaf pan with the remainder of the sauce/ketchup mix.
Bake at 350 degrees, covered with aluminum foil, for 30 mins. Then take aluminum foil off of the muffin tins for 10 more mins. And check temperature for muffin tins. They should be at least 165 degrees.
Re-cover the loaf pan with the aluminum foil, and keep in the oven for 20 more mins. Then take cover off for 10 mins. Check the temperature, which should be 165 degrees.
Serve with a side of your favorite vegetables and a grain, like rice, or a starch, like macaroni and cheese or potatoes.
This oven roasted broccoli with cheese recipe is another one of my favorites to make and eat. But I love fresh vegetables. So this is somewhat of a staple at our house, especially starting in the spring. And going all summer long.
There are many different varieties of this recipe out there. However, this is a pretty simple one. Though I use a lot of cheese. So, you might find that you’d prefer using less.
This is the broccoli after it’s come out of the oven, and I’ve sprinkled the shredded cheese on top.
Ingredients for oven roasted broccoli with cheese:
1 1/2 lbs of fresh broccoli florets
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c shredded fresh Mozzarella cheese
1/4 c shredded Parmesan cheese
4-5 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions for oven roasted broccoli with cheese:
Heat oven to 450 degrees
Line a jelly roll pan (big enough to fit the broccoli in 1 layer) with aluminum foil; and spray with non-stick cooking spray
Spread broccoli florets onto pan
Pour olive oil evenly onto broccoli
Sprinkle minced garlic over broccoli
And add salt and pepper to taste
Then put the pan in the oven; and cook ~15 mins, or until broccoli starts to brown
Turn off the oven; and take the pan of broccoli out of the oven
Sprinkle the shredded cheeses on top of the broccoli
Place the pan of broccoli back in the oven for ~ 3-5 mins for the cheese to melt
Finally, serve the oven roasted broccoli with cheese
This sweet and sour chicken legs recipe is a favorite at our house. My mom used to make it when we were little. However I continue to make it for my own family. And it easily feeds a family of four. But It can readily accommodate a large crowd if you’re having a party. Or going to a potluck. You just have to double the recipe. Or triple it, depending on the number of guests.
Ingredients for sweet and sour chicken legs recipe:
3 – 4 lbs chicken legs
1 c sugar
3/4 c soy sauce
1/2 c white vinegar
1/4 c water
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp each corn starch and cold water
1/2 tsp each ginger and pepper
Instructions for sweet and sour chicken legs recipe:
First, heat oven to 425°.
Next, line a jelly roll pan with aluminum foil. And spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Then place the chicken legs onto the foil lined pan.
After that, put the pan into the oven for ~1 hour. But after 30 mins, flip the chicken legs over. Since cooking times vary, make sure the internal temp is at least 165° And that the juices are clear.
While the chicken is cooking, add all of the other ingredients to a small saucepan on medium heat. Next, stir and continue stirring till the mixture gets thick and bubbles.
After the chicken legs are cooked, turn off the oven. Furthermore, take the legs out of the oven. When your sauce is thick and bubbly, remove it from the heat. And brush the sauce evenly onto the legs.
Serve with white rice and a side of steamed vegetables.
This is a great homestyle recipe, using penne pasta instead of traditional elbow noodles. I used to make the box brands. And then I switched to some I found in cookbooks. But some of those were time consuming. Eventually, as I learned more about cooking and my own style, I came up with this easy, homemade macaroni and cheese with penne pasta.
Ingredients for Homemade Macaroni and Cheese with Penne Pasta:
12 oz of penne pasta
1 c whipping cream
1 1/2 c shredded Mexican blend cheese or sharp cheddar cheese, divided
cracked pepper to taste
Instructions for making Homemade Macaroni and Cheese with Penne Pasta:
Cook penne pasta according to package instructions.
While noodles are cooking, heat 1 c whipping cream in a small saucepan over med heat.
Add 1/2- 3/4 c shredded cheese to saucepan.
Add cracked pepper to taste to saucepan.
Stir cheese mixture constantly until it is thickened.
Drain the water from the penne pasta when it’s finished cooking.
Stir the cheese sauce into the noodles.
Put the penne noodle mixture into a greased 9 1/2 x 7 1/2 inch baking dish.
Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese on top of the macaroni.
Top with more cracked black pepper to taste.
And bake in a 350 degree oven until cheese is melted on top ~ 5 mins.
This pairs well with so many foods. However it certainly has a Southern charm. So I pair mine with pork or meatloaf.
I hope you enjoyed this post. And if you make it, please let me know what you think. How do you cook macaroni and cheese? Let me know in the comments.
I got this pound cake recipe from my mother-in-law. However it was originally her mother’s. But, because my husband’s Aunt Ruth was the one able to get the recipe from his grandmother, it was referred to by her name. She also was the one who predominantly made it. So I hope you enjoy this recipe of berries with pound cake.
Ingredients for Berries with Pound Cake: the pound cake
3 c sugar
1/2 c butter
1/2 Crisco
6 eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla or lemon extract
3 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 c buttermilk
This is what the eggs whites should look like before folding them into your batter.This is the pound cake batter prior to adding the egg whites.
Instructions for Berries with Pound Cake: the pound cake
First, grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 standard loaf pan with either butter or non-stick cooking spray.
And pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
With a beater, cream the butter, Crisco, sugar, and egg yolks until light and fluffy.
Next, add the vanilla or lemon extract.
In a separate bowl, mix your dry ingredients. And then add them alternately into your sugar mixture with the buttermilk.
Beat the remaining egg whites till stiff white peaks form. After that, fold them into the batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. And bake for 1 hour – 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
This is what your pound cake will look like once it’s cooled.
While your pound cake is baking, you can prepare the berries and whipped cream. For the berries, I typically go with strawberries and blueberries. But if you prefer, you can use raspberries and blackberries.
Ingredients for Berries with Pound Cake: the berries
2 lbs fresh strawberries, washed, de-stemmed, and cut into bite size pieces
18 oz fresh blueberries, washed
1/2 tbsp white sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
Instructions for Berries with Pound Cake: the berries
In a medium size bowl, mix your fruit together.
Next, add the sugar and the lemon juice to the fruit, stirring it all together.
Finally, cover and refrigerate.
At this point, you’re almost finished making the berries with pound cake recipe, even though the pound cake is still in the oven. However all that remains to prepare is the whipped cream. You could use Cool Whip or Reddi Whip if you’re going for convenience. Before I started making my own whipped cream, I would use either of those other options. But then I started noticing that if I left my dessert (that had either Reddi Whip or Cool Whip) out for any length of time, then the topping would just fall apart. Or be watery. Maybe you’ve witnessed this yourself.
So then I found some recipes for diy whipped cream. And I experimented. Additionally, over time I came up with my own recipe that contains just 2 ingredients. Thus, I learned how easy it was to just make my own whipped cream. And it never falls apart when I take it out of the refrigerator. I can’t claim that homemade or diy whipped cream is healthy, because it’s fattening. Since it’s straight cream and sugar. But it doesn’t have anything else in it, unless you add something else to it. And the benefit of that is you know exactly what you’re putting into your body.
Using a hand mixer, beat the whipping cream on medium-high to high until it’s thick.
And then mix in the sugar.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
When the pound cake is finished cooking, turn off the oven. And remove the loaf pan from the oven, allowing it to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then, run a sharp knife around the edges of the pan, to make sure the cake is loose. If it is, then flip the pan over onto a serving platter to cool completely.
Once your pound cake is cooled thoroughly, slice and serve with the berries. And top with your diy whipped cream.
This post is about how to help abandoned animals and how to help stop animal abandonment. It’s something I feel especially passionate about. It might have something to do with the number of animals I personally own. And maybe even how much I love animals and have always loved them.
But regardless, I think it’s important. Because I’ve heard of at least 4 separate kittens, all under 5 weeks old, who’ve been rescued recently. (Including the one we now have as of 5 weeks ago.) All of the kittens I’ve heard about were found either in the middle of the road or under bridges on the highway. Which means they were most likely thrown out of moving vehicles. At least the ones found on the highways were.
HOW TO DETERMINE IF AN ANIMAL IS ABANDONED
This is the kitten a neighbor found in the middle of a major road, and subsequently brought her to us.
First, let’s go over how to know if an animal you’ve found is actually abandoned. How do you recognize animal abandonment and cruelty? Well, in the cases of the 4 kittens I listed above, it was easy to identify. The kittens were all without their mothers, too young to be on their own, and in the middle of the road or highways.
However, if the animal or animals are still living in a home or a yard, most animal abandonment or cruelty, is in the manner of neglect. Though, other things to look out for include
Animal negligence, which is a lack of veterinary care, food and water, and/or shelter. A pet might have open wounds and appear malnourished.
Also, you might witness direct acts of abuse against an animal. Such as the owner throws objects or strikes their pet in any way that is violent.
Or hoarding–there are too many animals on the property for the owner to properly take care of them all.
Chained or tethered animals. Animals that are tethered or chained non-stop experience a lot of pain and isolation. And if they don’t have adequate shelter, they’re subjected to all of the hazards of the weather and predators. They could also get infections around the chains or tethers.
And finally, animals abandoned by their owners. The homeowners left or vacated their house, leaving behind their pets. You might hear meowing or howling, indicating animals have been left behind.
HOW TO HELP ABANDONED OR ORPHANED ANIMALS
Hopefully you’ll never see any of the above things in your neighborhood. But if you were to observe any or all of them, for the most part, you have the law on your side, since every state has laws prohibiting animal abuse. So, if you know of animals or have seen animals abandoned by their owners or neglected, call animal control. Although, if you live somewhere that doesn’t have animal control, like me, then contact the humane society on this page.
This cat was found and rescued from a trash dumpster.
HOW TO HELP AN ANIMAL YOU FOUND
Now, if you find a stray kitten or dog on the road or in your yard:
Try using food to coax the animal to you.
And for securing a dog, you need a leash. Or something similar.
But since cats typically don’t like being held, you should have a crate or a pet carrier.
Don’t put yourself in unnecessary danger. Older cats, especially if they’ve been on their own for a while, could be feral. So, be cautious and alert.
WARNING: If the animal runs off, appears ill, foaming at the mouth, or is showing signs of aggression, call animal control. And give them the street address where the animal was seen last. And don’t go near the animal.
Once you have the animal secured, check for a pet ID tag. If the animal is wearing a tag, contact the owner, so they can be reunited.
However, if you can’t reach the owner, or have to leave a message, file a found report with your local animal shelter. This is in case the owner goes there to look for their pet.
The pet might have a microchip and, if taken to an animal shelter, could get scanned there. And then it would quickly be reunited with its owner.
If you live somewhere that doesn’t have an animal shelter, consider taking the dog or cat to a local vet. The veterinarian would then be able to scan the animal for a microchip.
Finally, post fliers with the animal’s picture, description, and where you found it. You can also look up info and place ads on Craigslist, Nextdoor, and Petfinder about the animal.
Supposing you live in a rural area and don’t have animal control or even an animal shelter, you might decide to just keep the cat or dog. And even after all of your other efforts and still no one has collected it, these are the steps to take.
If you already have your own pets, keep the stray cat or dog quarantined. It could have worms, illnesses, fleas, or ticks. Not to mention, it and your current pets would have to meet over a period of time to get used to each other.
It’s generally not a good idea to just throw a new pet into your mix of current pets. It’s stressful to both sets of animals. Which produces fear in cats and possibly urinary tract infections.
Until you get the stray dog or cat seen by a veterinarian, be sure to wash your hands each time you handle it.
Next, make sure you inform people in your neighborhood about finding a lost or stray animal. And post fliers.
The law favors the owner if you fail to do this. There’s a holding period for strays that varies by state before anyone else can own that pet. Also, it could be difficult on the dog or cat, if years down the road, they get uprooted to go back to their original owners for your failure to tell people and post the required info.
After covering your bases, make a veterinary appointment for the animal, if you haven’t already. Get it seen and make sure it’s healthy. It might need vaccines or de-worming.
Sometimes this step is in conjunction with the step above. If the pet is staying in an animal shelter, you might have to provide veterinary care until you can own it. But if you don’t have an animal shelter where you live, there’s more leeway. However, there’s still a time-frame before you can legally own someone else’s pet. Especially if you haven’t made any attempts to reunite them.
And provide the appropriate food for your new pet, along with clean, fresh water, and bedding. If your new pet is a cat, provide a litter box as well.
how to help abandoned animals
A COUPLE OF FACTS ABOUT ANIMAL ABANDONMENT
Somewhere ~ 1.5 million healthy cats and dogs are euthanized each year in the United States. And statistics from animal shelters from 2020 indicate that ~70 million strays are living on the streets at any moment. However, just ~6.5 million cats and dogs combined enter shelters. While the rest survive the best they can, some suffer heat exhaustion in the summer. And others freeze during winter.
U.S. citizens pay ~$2 billion annually for the cost of maintaining animal shelters. While pet owners make up ~30% of the animals left behind in those shelters. And only approximately 10% of the animals in shelters are spayed or neutered.
So one of the primary ways you can help stop animal abandonment is to spay or neuter your pet, if you have one. Pets that aren’t spayed or neutered quickly overpopulate shelters. And also the streets.
HOW TO STOP ANIMAL ABANDONMENT
In addition to fixing your pets, you can also
Be an advocate for lost pets. Rather than dropping that lost animal you found off at animal control, try locating the owner first.
Avoid buying animals from pet stores and puppy mills. Instead, adopt a pet!
~ 3.2 million cats and dogs are adopted from shelters each year. And during the Pandemic we just experienced, adoptions for dogs were on the rise. However, on average, the Covid-19 pandemic affected pet adoptions last year. And the percentage of adopted cats was rising until the pandemic occurred.
Donate to a reputable animal rescue group. There are animal shelters, but there are also many different animal rescue groups.
They can cater to specific animals, types, breeds, etc. Helping these groups financially is necessary to keeping them operational. But also to provide veterinary care and other essentials for the animals.
Another way you can help stop animal abandonment and help abandoned animals is to volunteer at a local animal shelter. Not only will you see firsthand the ins and outs of shelter-life for unwanted or stray animals. But you can spend time with them. And oftentimes help them not feel so lonely.
Be a foster parent to a pet. Foster parents allow for less animals to be euthanized, which gives those pets more time to find permanent homes. Because, as a foster parent, your home is a temporary refuge for that pet as you help socialize and care for it.
Speak up or report animal abuse and neglect.
Lastly, be a responsible pet owner. Microchip your pets, update their tags, spay or neuter them, and only adopt another one if you’re in it for the long-haul.
Chicken Girl 