NAIA Official Blog

Last week, a 71-year-old Texas man, Freddy Garcia, was mauled to death by seven dogs while walking to the store. This week, the owner of those dogs is being held in county jail after being charged with the state’s “Lillian Law,” which holds dog owners liable for injuries their dogs cause while running loose. The dogs’ owner could face up to 20 years in prison. “Lillian’s Law” came about because of a similar 2005 mauling of a 76-year-old woman.

Garcia’s tragic and senseless death highlights the vital importance of enforcing animal control laws (which are first and foremost about protecting public health and safety) and fostering an environment of responsible pet ownership. It is exceedingly rare that something horrible like this simply happens out of the blue. After a serious attack, you can nearly always dig up complaints about strays running in packs, residents feeling unsafe walking through their own neighborhoods – even previous reports about incidents involving the same dogs. In this case, for example, it was initially assumed the dogs were simply strays, rather than owned, which speaks to the need for more outreach and enforcement. It is good to hold individuals legally accountable when their negligence in dog ownership harms others; it is far better to keep things from ever reaching that point at all.

Resources
★     (2005, Origin of “Lillian’s Law”) Dog Pack Mauls Elderly Woman
★     Animal cruelty, dog attacks going unaddressed in Nashville
★     NAIA: Constructing successful pet friendly ordinances

In a shocking plot twist out of Washington, D.C., Congress is offering up something nearly everybody can agree on: H.R.6353 & S.3447, better known as the National Service Animals Memorial Act, which would honor service animals and their handlers with a memorial in the United States capital.

We still primarily think of seeing-eye dogs and recent history when the subject of service animals comes up, but service animals have been a loyal and beloved part of the national fabric since the foundation of this country, performing countless different tasks… and they aren’t just dogs: count horses, dolphins, and even sea lions among their number.

The National Service Animals Memorial Act is a bipartisan chance for us to show appreciation for these wonderful animals and their trainers who have given so much to others.

Contact your congress member today and let them know you’d appreciate their support of the National Service Animals Memorial Act. You can find your congress member’s contact info here and in the resource links below.

Click on the links below for more information.

Resources
★     National Service Animals Monument
★     S.3447 – National Service Animals Memorial Act
★     NAIA Trust: Find your Congress Member’s Contact Info
★     Subscribe to the NAIA Trust Mailing List!

The eastern indigo snake is an eight-foot-long bluish-black, nonvenomous beauty that hasn’t been seen in the wilds of Alabama for five decades. That, hopefully, is about to change, because a few weeks ago, Zoo Atlanta released 25 eastern indigos into the Conecuh National Forest as part of an ongoing program to reestablish the snake’s original range. 200 snakes in total have been released so far.

These apex predators are the longest snake in North America, and their genus, Drymarchon, basically means “forest lord.” And that title really isn’t an exaggeration: eastern indigos make a meal out of just about anything they can fit in their mouths – including rattlesnakes! Alas, during the last half of the 20th century, they proved no match for habitat loss, cars, and human antipathy. However, vehicular collisions and ophidiophobia aside, their ability to keep other species in check is a remarkable and vital part of maintaining a healthy ecosystem, and part of why conservation projects like this are so valuable.

Resources
★     (2018, Florida) The Eastern Indigo Snake Returns
★     9 Snakes That Eat Other Snakes (Even Rattlesnakes!)

When your pet is suffering from something as alarming as a necrotic wound, you probably don’t expect that you’ll have to call 50 vets and wait for a week before it can be treated. But unfortunately, long waits and short-staffed hospitals are becoming the norm when it comes to veterinary care.

This isn’t a new problem. Staffing was an issue prior to COVID, but things have gotten much worse over the last two years. A combination of older veterinarians retiring, a switch to less efficient curbside service, new clients with “pandemic pets,” and overworked staff departing due to abuse from clients and/or competitive pay in less stressful fields has forced veterinary clinics into perpetual triage. Getting help for problems that are not life-threatening can take days or weeks longer than usual; even emergency care is not guaranteed in some areas. And alarmingly, for both veterinary hospital staff and pet owners, it is likely to be a long time before any semblance of balance between supply and demand is reached – Mars Veterinary Health predicts we will still face a shortage of 15,000 veterinarians in 2030.

Resources
★     Tackling the Veterinary Professional Shortage
★     Americans adopted millions of dogs during the pandemic. Now what do we do with them?