Rare Earth Keyboardist Mike Bruner

Mike Bruner fell into a frozen lake while rescuing a dog that had also fallen in. Mike tells the whole story and even yaps about his menagerie at home.

Mike Bruner (Keyboard Player From Rare Earth) was doing some work for a friend. At the time, they were driving to lunch. While the others in the car were looking straight ahead, Mike happened to glance to the side and look at the lake.

He couldn't believe what he was looking at and said it was almost surreal. He saw a dog's head sticking out of the water, with his two paws trashing around. Mike immediately said, "Stop the car. Just pull over."

The car stopped and pulled over, while the other occupants in the car just stared at Mike like he had walked off mars. Mike then instructed the driver to back up.

After jumping out of the car and running down to the lake, Mike made a quick assessment. There was no one else there to help and Mike was on his own, so he attempted to cross the ice and get to the dog, but he fell through himself, about 15 feet off shore, and stood with water to his waist.

Soon the "Gawker Law" came into effect and it wasn't long before many other cars stopped to see what was going on. Within about 10 minutes, there was actually a traffic jam blocking the highway with people who were watching this rescue transpire.

One of Mike's buddies was able to flag down a guy who happened to have two ladders in his work truck. They were also able to secure a rope about 1 and 1.5 inches thick and about 100 feet long. So, they lined the ladders up on the thin ice to distribute the weight and Mike was able to reach the dog that way. Mike felt safe in that if he did fall in again, he didn't think with all of the guys around that he was in any real danger.

Originally, the dog was thrashing around but when he saw Mike get out of the car, he started barking like crazy. When he saw Mike was trying to help, he calmed down and patiently waited for Mike to reach him, and was most appreciative, as if he knew what was happening. Mike put the rope around the dog's front legs and yelled to others on shore to start pulling the rope in. They were able to pull the dog out and back to shore.

The properties in that section are relatively large, but they were able to find the owner. They had put the dog in the car and were driving down one driveway, when a lady on another adjacent property started yelling, "Hey, what are you doing with my dog?"

While the guardian was outside when all of this happened, she unfortunately was on the other side of her property and couldn't see the lake. The dog and her guardian were then reunited.

Mike doesn't feel like he is a hero. He said his life was not in any jeopardy at any time. He said that anyone would have done that. He said, "No one's going to sleep for weeks seeing a dog drown in front of them." Mike said it wasn't his turn to watch a dog die.

While he currently doesn't have any dogs of his own, Mike admits that he is going through a cat spell right now in his life, with 12 cats!

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What Do You Do If You Find An Injured Wild Animal? There's An App For That!
Lauren Drabble, Animal Help Now

Lauren Drabble is partnerships director for Animal Help Now, a nonprofit organization that developed a free animal-saving smartphone app and website, which addresses a need that exists throughout the United States and indeed the world.

Each year in this country millions of people need emergency veterinarians, millions of companion animals are lost and found, hundreds of millions of animals, both wildlife and domestic, are injured or killed by motor vehicles, countless animals are abused and neglected, and an untold number of animals are killed or injured in disasters.

Even with all the many veterinarians, wildlife rehabilitators, animal shelters, etc. who do amazing work every day, quickly finding the right help can be hard, especially in a stressful situation. There simply was no established, reliable service a person could use to find immediate and appropriate assistance for the full range of animal-related emergencies.

Animal Help Now provides immediate assistance to people who encounter an injured animal, animal in danger, or one posing a danger to humans. After asking the user simple questions about the emergency, and pairing those responses with time and location data, the app and website responds with how to help, whom to call, or where to go. This is especially helpful when you find an injured animal and you are away from home and don't know where to go.

Animal Help Now is available 24/7 to connect users to the proper authority or resource, and can also be used when disaster strikes if cell service is available.

It works day or night, 24/7. And it is easy to use. The app asks the user a few simple questions about the emergency and couples this information with the time and location to direct the user to the most appropriate helpers.

Animal Help Now is a project of Animal Watch, a nonprofit 501-C-3 organization dedicated to helping animals. Animal Watch relies heavily on volunteers and is financially supported by individual donations and foundations.

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New Year's Resolution for Cat Owners - Don't Forget Kitty - Dr. Debbie

While it doesn't seem right, cats are 30-percent less likely to receive veterinary care than dogs.

For example, Patty cringes at the idea of taking Muffin, her 12-year-old Persian cat to the veterinarian. She envisions the ten minute wrangle to catch her, the acrobatics placing Muffin in the pet carrier, and the ear piercing protest on route to the hospital. Patty observes Muffin lounging contently on the couch, considers her cat's healthy appetite, trouble free litter box use, and indoor lifestyle. Patty puts the carrier away declaring, "Why would I want to go through the hassle taking her in to the vet when I can see she is perfectly healthy." But skipping that veterinary checkup could mean big trouble for Muffin though.

Senior cats over seven years old can develop diseases such as hyperthyroidism, hypertension, osteoarthritis, kidney disease and diabetes. And failing to detect these problems can lead to more advanced health problems, less treatment options, less favorable outcome and higher future veterinary costs down the road.

Why Are Cats Forgotten?
In the U.S. cats are the most popular household pet, with over 80 million pet cats nationwide. But despite the cat's status as top pet, they are 30-percent less likely to be taken to the veterinarian than their canine counterparts. So why don't cats receive the same veterinary care that dogs do?

There are many reasons why cat owners might not present the cat to the veterinarian. Cat owners may not see perceive a health concern. Cats don't typically complain, especially with chronic developing diseases, so cat owners miss the boat if they expect kitty to tell them when they are sick. The self-sufficient feline nature makes it is more difficult for pet owners to detect abnormalities in appetite, elimination and behavior.

The economy is a common reason that some pet owners fail to get kitty in to the veterinary office. Some cat owners forgo preventative veterinary visits as a means to minimize costs, not realizing the long term health consequences. And like Muffin's owner, many cat owners' just don't want to stress the cat and chose to skip the vet travel and feline melodramatics.

Some cat owners also don't value the veterinary examination or the health clues it provides. And preventative pet care for some owners consists solely by vaccinations and when those aren't pursued, veterinary care falls by the wayside.

My Perspective
In my veterinary office I've seen cat patients whose last veterinary exam was many years ago, perhaps two, three or even ten years ago. That's a long time for a cat's medical problems to brew and develop. Sometimes it's already too late and advanced disease has set in. I'd much rather see those cats years before when we can better help them, rather than at a euthanasia visit.

During a veterinary exam, the doctor performs a comprehensive examination to detect abnormalities. Maybe it's a new lump, a change in body condition, an altered stance, a tell-tale odor of kidney disease or a useful clue provided by the owner's health history. The veterinary examination is the best moneyyou can invest in your cat's health and which generates teamwork between you and your vet to keep your pet healthy.

Resolutions for the Future
No wonder cats are the favored pet with their gorgeous looks, complex personalities and mysterious aura. Resolve to keep your kitty healthy in 2023 and ensure your cat gets to the veterinarian at least once a year, although twice a year is preferred for senior cats. When that next veterinary visit comes, be armed with confidence, patience and of course, a sturdy pet carrier.

Featured veterinarian known as "Dr. Debbie" on national pet radio program, Animal Radio. Ebook author of "Yorkshire Terriers: How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend"; "Pugs: How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend"; "Mini Schnauzers: How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend"; and "Shih Tzu: How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend." Dr. Debbie's books.

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The Dogfather's Grooming Tip with Joey Villani

How To Clean Your Dog Without Water
Joey received a call from a woman whose dog was going in for routine lump-removal surgery. Normally, she has the dog bathed before these surgeries, but wasn't able to get it done this time.

As a result, her dog will be "stinky" both before and after the surgery, as she will not be able to have him bathed until his sutures are removed.

Joey states that as long as your dog is not disgustingly dirty, like rolling around in the mud, it is actually pretty easy to clean your dog without water, with items you probably already have in your house.

Start with 1/4 cup of white vinegar and a cup of distilled water. Distilled water works better, especially if you are dealing with a dog that has had surgery. There are no minerals in distilled water, which means there are no buildups.

Just spray the mixture on your pet, being careful to stay away from the stitches. Work it in really well by either using your hands or a brush. Then just towel dry and then let the rest air-dry.

Don't store this mixture too long, as it has a shelf life of about two weeks before you need to throw it out.

Animal Radio News - Tammy Trujillo

Performance Standards for Pet Travel Safety Products
Nearly all of us drive with our dogs in the car and there are even car seats to make sure they're safe in case of a sudden stop or an accident. The makers of the car seats say they test them, but there are no performance standards for pet travel safety products. However, the Center for Pet Studies teamed up with Subaru of America in testing car harnesses. They took a look at seven harnesses using a specially designed crash test dog. In a simulated 60-mile per hour collision, only two brands kept the dog in place. The others broke, tore or came off the dog all together. The Center says more research is needed, but stands behind the idea of not letting pets roam loose in the car. The top-performing product in its study was Sleepypod's Clickit utility harness.

Animals Should Not Be Bought & Sold On Internet
We've all heard the horror stories of the fate of animals bought and sold on the Internet. As a result, the nationwide animal rescue organization, Guardians of Rescue, started working with law enforcement agencies in a variety of states. They teamed up on sting operations to stop people from selling sick and stolen animals, puppy mill dogs and from adopting animals for use in fighting rings. They said there are plenty of ways to verify an Internet seller, such as Googling their phone numbers and addresses to make sure they are real or insisting on health records before buying the animal.

Cat Cafe
In London, you never have to have your tea alone again. Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium was named after Alice's cat in the fairy tale "Alice in Wonderland," and has resident kitties, all donated by people who were moving out of the country and couldn't take their cats with them. Along with visiting with the cats, coffee and afternoon tea, sandwiches, cakes and scones are served. The kitties get regular breaks away from customers and the staff has been trained by animal behaviorists to care for them. Cat cafes first took of years ago in Japanese cities where most apartments don't allow pets.

Mental Illness Can Cause Dogs To Bark
Dogs in kennels often bark a lot, but a study found that many showed signs of extreme distress that were often associated with mental illness. A study done in the U.K looked at 30 dogs in kennels and these dogs were more socialized than normal house pets. They were all trained police dogs. None of them were on any meds and the lead author of the study videotaped the dogs literally bouncing off the walls over and over again. Others spun themselves in tight circles, walked around and around the perimeter of their kennels or just paced back and forth. Scientists don't know what's behind the behavior but think it may have something to do with how they react to being away from human contact.

Dog Is Witness In Court
Imagine this, you're in court defending yourself against a murder charge and the witness for the prosecution is a dog. This happened in France. During a preliminary hearing, the victim's dog was brought into the courtroom to see how he reacted to the defendant. The man was given a baseball bat and told to act as if he was threatening Tango the dog. In an attempt to make it credible, another dog of the same breed and about the same age as Tango was brought in and the defendant had to threaten him with the baseball bad as well. Neither dog showed much interest in the man or the baseball bat, so they went home and the trial went on without them. It's not the first time that a French judge as tried something like this and it didn't work then either.

Listen to the entire Podcast of this show (#1204)