pet

It may only say November on the calendar but it is already time to get your furry family photos taken during the 30th annual Lake Tahoe Humane Society's Santa Paws.

Get your photo taken with Tahoe's original Santa Dog, Hopeful Henry. Bring your pet(s) along to get in on the photo which can be used on greeting cards, ornaments or other keepsakes.

Enjoy some hot chocolate, coffee or Mimosas while you wait! There will also be some fun shopping for both pets and their humans.

100 percent of the proceeds help Lake Tahoe Humane Society's efforts in assisting local animals in need.

Dear Henry,
I’m new to the area and not sure about how to deal with the cold weather and my dog, do you have any tips for us?
Thank you,
Bethany

Purrfect timing for this question as it actually looks like we are going to get a winter this year! Here are some winter tips for all pets.

Keep your cats inside. During any time of the year, cats that are allowed to stray can become lost or stolen, injured or killed. They can also be exposed to infectious diseases, including rabies, from other cats, dogs and wildlife.

Dear Henry,

What are your thoughts on Microchipping your pets?
Thank you,
Arthur

Dear Arthur,
Very good question! Just last week we were able to return a dog that had been stolen because it was micro chipped. We located the dog and because we were able to verify the legal owner via the microchip it made getting the dog back to his owner a much easier process.

Every year around Halloween the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center gets flooded with calls from pet owners who are worried about what their pet has eaten. In order to avoid this worry and to help you prepare for the big night and weeks before we put together a list of the most common issues they encounter.

This week's Pet of the Week is Hunter, a very sweet 5-year-old Cat. He is having a hard time of it at the shelter and is very scared.

Hunter would love to go home with someone who is loving and can give him the time he needs to love back.

Visit Hunter at The El Dorado County Animal Services, 530-573-7925.

For Spay-Neuter services and other support, call the Lake Tahoe Humane Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals at 530-542-2857.

Good news, the most recent Pets of the Week have found their forever homes! Both Jasmine the kitty and Thor the pup now have loving homes.

This week's pet of the week is Jasmine, a sweet six-year-old cat that loves cuddles and lots of love.

Poor Jasmine as been at the shelter for far too long and really needs her forever home!

Come visit Jasmine at The El Dorado County Animal Services, 530-573-7925. For Spay-Neuter services and other support, call the Lake Tahoe Humane Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals at 530-542-2857.

Sunday, October 9 will be going to the dogs, and their humans, during the Animal Coalition of Tahoe’s 12th annual Mutt Strut Poker Run, a fun, family event where you can get a little exercise with your pooch, play poker, and maybe win some prizes is less than two weeks away!

The Mutt Strut will begin at the corner of Lake Tahoe Boulevard and Lakeview Avenue in South Lake Tahoe, with registration from 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

This week's Pet of the Week is Charlie, a young Rat Terrier. He likes to play with other dogs and seems to be fine with confident cats.

Charlie loves to cuddle in laps and go for car rides.

Visit Charlie at the El Dorado County Animal Services, 530-573-7925.

For Spay-Neuter services and other support, call the Lake Tahoe Humane Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals at 530-542-2857.

Last week’s pet of the week Mandy found her forever home!

There are many cut female kittens at the shelter who are in need of adoption, but this week we've chosen "Zephyr" to be the Pet of the Week.

No matter what personality or color you like in a cat, you're sure to find the right one for you at the El Dorado County Animal Services, 530-573-7925. The kittens just want their forever home.

For Spay-Neuter services and other support, call the Lake Tahoe Humane Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals at 530-542-2857.

Dear Hopeful Henry,
I have a 15 year old cat who has started losing weight and is just not that interested in food (except for turkey sandwich meat). We have been to the vet and basically he is just old. He still cuddles and plays and uses his litter box so I really don’t want to have to put him down yet. Do you have any suggestions that might encourage his eating?

Thank you,
Skinny Cat

Dear Skinny Cat,

Four-legged friends will celebrated at the 7th annual Peaks and Paws Festival when it returns to Squaw Valley on Saturday, August 27 from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The Village this special day set aside for pets and will be full of pet-friendly guided hikes up the mountain, specialty pet vendors, contests, flying dog show, music and more.

This week's Pet of the Week is Bear, a 7-year-old Lab. She needs a home without cats or dogs smaller than her. Bear likes to play with male dogs her own size.

Stop by and visit Bear at The El Dorado County Animal Services, 530-573-7925.

For Spay-Neuter services and other support, call the Lake Tahoe Humane Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals at 530-542-2857.

Henry,
I frequently see young men riding skateboards or bicycles with small dogs running along beside them. How much strenuous exercise is good for little dogs and how can the dog owner know when he is pushing the dog too hard? Dogs will run really hard to stay up with their owner. How much is too much?
Signed,
Concerned dog lover

Great question Concerned Dog Lover!

Fallen Leaf Campground will be closed starting Monday, June 27 so county and state public health and vector control officials can start pesticide treatments to minimize the risk of plague.

The treatments are a public safety precaution after tests on 15 rodents resulted in one positive case of plague on June 20, 2016. There is minimal risk to the public at this time.

The campground will close at 7:00 p.m. Monday but all campers will need to check out by noon. The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit expects it to reopen by Friday, July 1 in time for the holiday weekend.

A day full of activities celebrating the outdoors and pets will be Saturday, June 11 at the Harrah's Tahoe upper parking lot from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The Action Adventure Expo will be partnering once again with the Hike for the Humane Society. Not only will there be guided hikes through Van Sickle Bi-State Park, but there will once again be a $5 vaccination clinic, and lots of vendor celebrating Lake Tahoe.

This week's Pet of the Week from the Lake Tahoe Humane Society is "Peeps."

She is an 11-month-old female cat who does well with other pets. She is a little shy to start with but loves to play and cuddle. Come visit Peeps out at The El Dorado County Animal Services, 530-573-7925.

For low income Spay-Neuter services and other support, call the Lake Tahoe Humane Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals at 530-542-2857. Walter, last week’s pet of the week is still looking for his forever home!

Several local agencies have teamed together to inform the public on the importance of proper food storage and trash disposal at their Lake Tahoe homes and vacation rentals.

Litter Box advice that will keep you and kitty happy.

Looking for a sweet family pet? El Dorado County Animal Services is promoting the adoption of adult cats currently at its shelters in Diamond Springs and South Lake Tahoe. Adult cats can be adopted at either shelter for only $20 on Fridays and Saturdays during the month of May 2016, as part of Animal Services “Feline Fridays” and “Caturdays” special events.

This week's pet of the week is Bear, a very handsome two-year-old German Shepard-Malamute mix. He is a lovely dog and is not happy being stuck in a cage at the shelter.

Bear would make a wonderful pet, he gets along with children and learns quickly.

Come visit Bear out at The El Dorado County Animal Services, 530-573-7925. For Spay-Neuter services and other support, call the Lake Tahoe Humane Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals at 530-542-2857.

Cookiebun and Selenium, the rabbits, are still looking for a home

This week's Pet of the Week is Gilroy, a super sweet one-year-old boy. He may be a little shy at first meeting.

Gilroy has already been at the shelter in Placerville and was relocated to South Lake Tahoe to improve his chances on finding a loving home.

Please visit Gilroy at The El Dorado County Animal Services, 530-573-7925.

Don’t forget all animals come spayed or neutered, with all vaccinations and a microchip! For Spay-Neuter services and other support, call the Lake Tahoe Humane Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals at 530-542-2857.

This week's Pet of the Week is Bear, a big German Shepherd/Malamute mix. He is two or three years old and is good with other dogs. Bear would love a forever home where he can play fetch and tug.

Please come visit Bear at The El Dorado County Animal Services, 530-573-7925.

Don’t forget all animals come spayed or neutered, with all vaccinations and a microchip! For Spay-Neuter services and other support, call the Lake Tahoe Humane Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals at 530-542-2857.

Update on Last week’s Pet of the Week, Elsa! She found her forever home.

Elsa is about 3 years old and looking for a home. She was found injured in a snow bank by a motel employee, and was taken to the vet. Elsa is now ready to be adopted!

You can visit Elsa at the El Dorado County Animal Services, 530-573-7925.

Don’t forget all animals come spayed or neutered, with all vaccinations and a microchip!

For Spay-Neuter services and other support, call the Lake Tahoe Humane Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals at 530-542-2857.

Update on Last week’s pets, Rosie the Pup and Trinity and Spike the kitty combo are all in their new homes!

We have two "Pets of the Week" this week, Trinity and Spike. They are a 7-year-old brother and sister pair and we want to keep them together.

They are declawed on their front paws. They have lived with dogs and other cats.

Spike is a little shy whilst Trinity is more of a player and cuddler.