Summer Animal Control News

​Cicadas can cause stomach upset if eaten by your dog.  There was a report of a dog dying from eating cicadas, but that dog ate 300 of them!  Basically the exoskeleton of the cicada does not digest easily so eating a bunch will cause a blockage just as a toy, bone or ball could. So do not allow your dog to pig out on cicadas and it will be fine.
    
It is the season for baby deer to be left in the craziest spots.  Mother deer will leave them under cars, in drive ways, by the pool, on decks, and in fenced-in back yards.  Many times I need to move babies for their own safety.  They will walk right into a pool and drown, they will fall into window wells, and they can get hit by cars if left in driveways and under cars in the street.   It is perfectly ok to pick up a baby and move it to a safer location.  HOWEVER, you can not take it in the house and let the kids and dogs see it.  You do not want to alter the baby’s smell.  So don’t hold it close to you or cuddle with it.  Simply pick it up and place it in a safer location.  If you’re not comfortable moving the baby or you feel the baby may need intervention to survive.  Please call me 859-292-3622. 
    
Coyote are in the area and have been since deer have been here.  Coyote are great about keeping themselves hidden.  Please understand we need them.  They are not out to get cats, kids or dogs.  They do not like to fight for their food.  So an adult cat usually has no worries.  They like to eat small baby animals, rodents, injured or sick wildlife and they will sneak food from pet bowls that are fed outside. Dogs and coyote are attracted to each other during breeding.  If you have an in-heat female dog, a coyote may come closer to your home than usual.   Also if you have an intact male and the coyote come into heat in your area, he will be attracted. This may be dangerous, because he will have to fight other coyote for her.  Another great reason to spay/neuter your pet and keep them contained to your property.

Barking dogs are one of my most common complaints.  People want to enjoy their yards, or keep their windows open and just enjoy peace and quiet.  When there is a barking dog in the neighborhood it can get on your nerves.  Many people, with or without pets cannot handle the incessant noise.  Frankly they should not have to.  If you choose to be a pet owner, please remember your neighbors did not choose to be.  They did not choose to have your pet in their neighborhood.  Train your dogs, leave them inside when you can not monitor them and correct the barking. Even if you dog is an indoor dog, but only goes out to potty, but barks the majority of the time, your dog is a nuisance to someone.  If you have multiple dogs, it helps with barking if you only allow one dog out at a time.  Yes it’s more work on your part, but just opening the door and letting them all out to bark is lazy.  Thank you for becoming a more respectable neighbor and responsible dog owner.
    
​We still have the grant to spay and neuter cats for free!  So far this year there has been a huge reduction in kittens.  Call me if you have neighborhood cats that need spayed/neutered. 859-292-3622
 
Submitted by: Terri Baker, Animal Control Officer