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First, I want to thank everyone for the response to our Chihuahua column from last week. As of this past Friday, 12 of the 24 dogs have either gone to their new homes or are spoken for! I’m still hoping that seeing their pictures will help the other half find new homes as well. Even if you can’t adopt one, please share their story by word of mouth or on your social network; these pups really need to get out of the South Jersey Regional Animal Shelter and into a home where they can get some TLC.

The second thing I wanted to mention is that, as we knew they would, the infant kittens are starting to pour into the shelter. As much as we enjoyed that warm spell we had back in February, so did the cats! Now, nine or 10 weeks later, we have lots and lots of little bundles of joy arriving on our doorstep. On that note, I ask you to please spay or neuter any cats you might have, and to help educate anyone you might know who has or is feeding unaltered felines. We also are desperately in need of new foster homes for kittens. We want to save every possible pet that we can, and fostering is absolutely essential to that end. It’s a short-term commitment with big-time rewards; please call for information or check our website if you think you might be able to help.

More: Dog lovers fill Parvin Park

Finally, I want to remind you to take the usual warm weather precautions with your pets, both indoors and out. I know some of you are recalling how back in February I wrote about how unseasonably warm our winter was, and then it immediately turned cold and wet. This time, though, the calendar is on my side. I admit to being a true weather junkie, checking my weather apps all the time; this is how I was so badly misled in postponing our annual pet walk. Weather forecasters near and far predicted a washout for the weekend of April 23. It turned out to be a bright sunny day and a pleasant 74 degrees. I have lost all faith in The Weather Channel, the NOAA and the local TV stations. I know the weather has been crazy – one day it’s in the 80s and the next day it’s in the 60s – but bugs of all types are out, and it only gets worse from here.

For dogs, if you don’t keep them on heartworm medication year round, you should start that as of today. For cats and dogs, the ticks already are booming and the fleas won’t be too far behind; get your pets treated with some sort of preventative before you’re kicking yourself for not doing it sooner. If you didn’t license your pets yet, you’re late. It’ll cost you a few bucks more to do it now, but it’s way cheaper than the fine if you’re caught without it. The warmer months are also when the serious viruses that affect pets are most prevalent; make sure your animals are up-to-date on their vaccines.

Source: What pet owners need to know as weather gets warmer

Posted in 2017, SJRAS Articles