Colonies June 2017

PET INFORMATION
SCHOOL’S OUT - CAN WE HAVE A PET?
Summer is here, children are out of school
and may need a project. What better time to
get involved with a rescue group and help a
dog or cat in need? That’s what fostering an
animal is all about. Fostering is an important
step in the transition from shelter/street to
“happy ever after.” Loving Arms Pet Placement
is a foster-based rescue for dogs and cats and
is always in need of foster families.
There is a lot more to fostering than providing
food, water and a safe place to sleep. To
attract potential adopters, the animal must
be people friendly. Include the animal in
your daily home life inside your home. Get to
know them as individuals so you can share
personality traits, likes/dislikes, anecdotes.
Treat the animal like your own and train him/
her, if possible.
Tell Loving Arms Pet Placement rescue in
what capacity you can help. Can your home
only accommodate small animals or can you
foster big dogs? Can you handle puppies and
kittens or only mature animals? Can you take
more than one animal at once?
Visit Loving Arms Pet Placement website at
www.lovingarmspetplacement.com or visit
us at Petsmart on Highway 6 and FM 529
each Saturday from 11 AM until 5 PM.•
When you or someone you know considers
adopting a dog, please check out one of our
five local animal shelters:
1. BARC - Bureau of Animal Regulation and
Care i.e. Houston’s animal control or city
pound. 713-229-7300
2. Harris County Animal Control
3. Houston SPCA
4. Houston Humane Society
5. CAP - Citizens for Animal Protection
281-497-0591
Or check the following breed specific
rescue organizations:
www.petfinder.com www.adoptapet.com
www.houstonpettalk.com/resources/
rescue-groups/
SCOOPAGE PET POOPAGE
It may not be a fabulous way to walk, but
please have courtesy to please scoop when
your pet poops during your walks. Throughout
the community trails, you will find areas to toss
your pet’s poopage and in some areas, there
are also bags. Carry your own grocery bags -
you’ll be recycling at the same time! Many of
your neighbors work hard with their lawncare
and landscaping. Come with a scooper and a
recycled grocery bag or anything else. Picking
up after your pets shows your respect for every
homeowner and our beautiful community. Pet
feces damages lawns and many residents are
working hard to maintaining their grass!
HARRIS COUNTY LEASH LAW
Animals that are not properly restrained pose
a threat to all our residents. While you may
know your pet is friendly, an animal running
at someone who is walking by is very scary
for that person. Many children are afraid of
animals and become frightened, which could
result in the child getting hurt trying to avoid
the animal.
Harris County Animal Control advises, “All
dogs and cats must be kept under restraint
while in the unincorporated areas of Harris
County, Texas. The custodian of a dog or cat
is not authorized to have, harbor or keep any
unlicensed dog or cat, nor to allow any dog
or cat to become a stray.”
Restraint is defined as “the control of a dog
or cat under the following circumstances:
1. When it is controlled by a line or leash not
more than six (6) feet in length, if the line
or leash is held by a human being, who is
capable of controlling or governing the dog
or cat in question
2. When it is within a fully enclosed vehicle
3. When it is on the premise of the custodian
and the animal does not have access to sidewalk
or street.”
While it may be nice to have your animal
out in the yard while you work or play, it is
against the law, unless the animal is properly
restrained.
Let’s all help keep our community a safe and
comfortable place for all our residents by
being responsible pet owners. This will not
only protect anyone who may be walking or bicycling
in the area, but also the pet owner who
could be held legally responsible or possibly
sued for failing to properly restrain their pet.
To make a complaint or report an animal that
is not properly restrained please contact:
Harris County Precinct #5, Contract #87:
281-463-6666
Harris County Animal Control: 281-999-3191
Harris County Health Department, Rabies/
Animal Control Section
2223 West Loop South,
Houston, Texas 77027-3588
www.countypets.com
5 STEPS TO A
HAPPIER HEALTHIER PET
1. Protect your pet from extreme weather
(heat, cold, rain, etc.).
2. Keep indoors or in a fenced yard and on
a leash when walked.
3. Make sure they’re up to date with
vaccinations.
4. Always make sure they’re wearing identification,
so they can be returned to you if lost.
5. Spay or neuter your pet.
Texas Lab Rescue has labs available that are
waiting to go to their forever home. Please
check out their website at txlabrescue.org.
PREVENT EXCESSIVE BARKING!
Dogs left alone all day get lonely, bored and
restless. Many find relief in barking. Some respond
noisily to any and all activity. Nothing
is as annoying as incessant barking-even for
dog lovers. If your dog is a yapper or a yowler,
please consider some of these bark-abatement
ideas to keep the noise down in your
area. Your neighbors will thank you!
• Training. Training not only helps your dog,
you’ll be surprised how much it helps you,
too. You may get some insight into why your
dog barks so much, or what it is trying to
communicate.
• Citronella collars.
• Confinement. Sometimes simply bringing
an outspoken dog indoors or confining it
to a crate cuts down on the disturbance to
neighbors.
• For inside dogs, reduce stimulus. Close
drapes to help muffle street noise, or leave
a radio on to mask it.
• Companionship. Dogs are pack animals;
they need companionship-a cat, bird or
another dog. Consider a mid-day visit from
a pet-sitting service or drop your pooch off
at a friend’s place or a day-care facility once
or twice a week.
24 Colonies | June 2017