Critter Chatter goes Greek

admin — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:52:42 +0000

That probably sounds a lot more exotic and intriguing than it should but it got your attention, so good. We’re not going on vacation on Corfu or some other Greek island, and we’re not even having a toga party, although that would be a great fund-raiser for some rescue group, so it deserves consideration. No, the facts are a little less exciting, but more gratifying, at least we think so.

A representative of Ilioupolis Animal Rescue, an animal rescue group in Athens, has asked us if they can translate our article “Spaying and Neutering – it’s not just about birth control” into Greek in order to use it to encourage spay/neuter in that country. As many of us learned during coverage of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, Greece is overrun with stray dogs and cats. It is estimated that a million dogs and cats are homeless in Greece, wandering the streets or lying on the sidewalks. They don’t seem to bother people and the people don’t seem to be bothered having them around.

While the Greek people are accepting of the strays, they are resistant to the idea of stopping the constant reproduction that keeps adding new cats and dogs to the supply. Most Greeks consider spay/neuter to be unnatural and unacceptable, an uninformed and somewhat backward way of thinking similar to that found in parts of this country.

If the article can help inform people and change some minds, that would be a plus. We were flattered just to be asked. But that article deals with the medical and behavioral problems that can come from failing to spay or neuter and then keeping the animal from breeding. In the case of Greece, the problem really is just about birth control.

If you are going to give, give locally

admin — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 15:53:05 +0000

This is the time of year when people are in a giving mood, and it follows that charities and non-profit organizations of all kinds increase their requests for donations. Television, radio and direct mail are used extensively by large national organizations to ask for support for whatever cause they represent, and it seems to work. They take in millions of dollars in donations.

Closer to home, working without the big budget, small local groups are going about the actual work that the cause is all about, the hands-on, nuts and bolts, nitty-gritty stuff that goes unnoticed by everyone but the people doing it. They don’t take in millions or anything like that, and most just scrape by or get in debt trying to do what they do.

Since Critter Chatter deals primarily with pet and animal issues, the groups we most discuss are animal related, but the message applies to smaller local groups that work in all areas. You don’t have to look far to find a group that is active in a cause you are concerned with that is under-funded and/or understaffed and in some way in need of support. Any help you give these organizations, whether financially or by personal involvement, goes directly to help in the effort being undertaken.

We took a look at the financials of one of the large national animal welfare organizations to see how they were doing. Without mentioning any names let’s just say they are well known with lots of media attention. In the most recent year they took in over $130 million, with more than $100 million in direct donations. They have over $150 million in investments that produce income, and they spent over $26 million that year asking for more money. Granted, fund-raising is important and necessary, but imagine what even a fraction of that $26 million could have done if put to work at the local level.

Here in metro Atlanta and north Georgia there are hundreds of groups, mostly small and under-funded, that work hard to help animals in need. They all can use financial assistance and you can be sure that any donations made to these groups will go 100% toward the welfare of the animals. Most are also in need of physical help and welcome volunteers. If you have a few hours a week or month, or whatever time you can give, there is a rescue group out there that could sure use your help. And that goes for wherever you live in this country.

Here in Georgia, if you do not have a group in mind, a good place to look for one is at the Spot Society listing of rescue organizations . This is the most comprehensive list we know of, and while it is well organized by mission, it is also long.

Giving locally gives you a greater sense of purpose and accomplishment and a chance to see where your time, effort, and money are going and what they are doing than you can ever get by placing a check in an envelope and dropping it in the mail.

Sometimes the news is good.

admin — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 13:28:13 +0000

As I have said before, we get mail every week from people whose dogs have been afflicted with bloat or twisted stomach. Too many come after the dog has died, but letters like the following make us know the message is getting out there and we have to keep pushing it.
After re-reading the article I realized that it does not stress an important point. Bloating, or abdominal swelling, is not always present. The stomach can twist without the the visible swelling, which makes it more important to know the signs of a dog in distress. If a dog tries to vomit but cannot, salivates, seems to be in discomfort and can’t stay still, and whines or cries in pain, there is a problem. The dog should be seen by a vet right away. It may turn out to be nothing serious, but if the stomach has twisted, waiting may cost the dog its life.
The following e-mail is from someone whose prompt action saved her dog.

Dear Critterchatter
Happily I am writing to you on a good note. My 12 year old female Lab/Irish Setter mix, Angel, is on her first full day of recovery from surgery to rectify her GDV emergency. Surgery went beautifully although she has a couple of more days in ICU, her prognosis is excellent. I am writing to you to say thanks for your extremely informative article about “bloating and twisted stomach”. It basically saved her life.
I have been an avid dog lover all my life. I come from a family that has raised and bred dogs for show for many years. I thought I knew most everything about dogs and that arrogance almost cost my girl her life. I had only heard about “twisted stomach” in passing and never thought much about it until last night. Angel is a large, extremely healthy dog with a deep chest and narrow waist. Last night, she ate her meal as usual - fast. Not lady-like, but at 12 years old, it is one of the few pleasures she still enjoys with much gusto. Her other joy is a leisurely evening walk and last night was no exception. So about an hour after her meal, we strolled through the neighborhood for about 10 minutes and came home. She was her normal happy self. Within 30 minutes, Angel started retching, trying to vomit with nothing coming up and salivating. I stayed there with her, trying to be supportive having had the dry heaves myself on more than one occasion, knowing what that feels like.
As I said, I have been around dogs all my life and had never seen one that couldn’t throw something up, water, bile, food, something - but nothing came and the retching continued. After about 15 minutes of this, I thought, well, I’ll give her an hour. If she isn’t better, she going to the emergency clinic. Fortunately, I knew something major was wrong but not the extent of it. I immediately Googled “dog unable to vomit”.
Here’s where you get the kudos. Your article came up first. It gave a short, concise and very urgent description of GDV, it’s symptoms and more importantly, the ugly truth of what the outcome would be if a dog suffering from GDV is not treated immediately. I waited no longer. We were in the car in less than 3 minutes and on our way to the emergency clinic which fortunately wasn’t more than 10 minutes from home. We got there just in time as Angel was now totally lethargic, unable to stand and having a hard time breathing. She was rushed in immediately for X-Rays and then to surgery.
I have since last night spent a lot of time researching GDV but it was your article that provided the urgent nudge to get Angel the help she needed. I have also spent all day calling dog lover friends to let them know about this little known killer. I just wanted to let you know that your articles do have impact and do save lives. Thanks to you and a little help from the surgeons, I still have my beautiful companion and best friend. I don’t know how many more years we have together but whatever time it is, it is definitely precious and more than I would have had without reading your words.
Thank you and keep up the good work.
Best regards
Nancy Wendrock

Looking for a few good writers

admin — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 17:40:34 +0000

If you are someone who likes pets and wildlife and also likes to write we would love to hear from you.

Critter Chatter could use some fresh content from a variety of contributors with their own styles of writing. Our readers are all animal and nature lovers and are interested in articles on topics in this area. If you would like to contribute we want to talk to you.

One note of caution; it would be helpful if you were someone who is willing to work for low pay, which at the moment means no pay. Critter Chatter is a non-profit website, although not by choice. It just seems to have worked out that way.

Since we went from being a print publication to one on internet, our traffic to the site has never been high enough to justify charging for advertising. But we are working to change that situation, and are well on the way. Our traffic has increased steadily every month for the past year and we now have respectable numbers. New material from varied sources and increased promotion should push it higher to the point where we can feel comfortable selling advertising.

If you would like to become involved with Critter Chatter and help it grow, please contact us at
critterchatter@mindspring.com or call Dave at 404-250-4328. If you get voicemail, leave a message and I will get right back to you.

Hope to hear from some of you soon.

Dave Barwick

A Memorial Day Question

admin — Tue, 25 May 2010 19:31:16 +0000

AM I worth it?

Every day, men and women in the miltary put their lives on the line to keep this country safe. Because of the situation in the Iraq and Afganistan, on most days one or more of those lives are lost. On this day, when we honor those who have given their lives to keep the rest of us safe, each of us needs to ask ourself a simple question; “What have I done to make this country, this world, a better place?”

Many, if not most of us, live our lives in relative comfort, taking for granted the lifestyle, safety and freedom that this country offers us. While not everyone has what it takes to fight this country’s battles, everyone has the ability to contribute in some way. The needs are seemingly endless, and the ways in which to help are just as great, and limited only by the imagination. Whether it involves joining an existing group to tackle a big problem or taking it upon ones self to deal with a smaller one, the efforts add up, and if everyone did a little the results would be great.

Plenty of Americans volunteer on a regular basis to help in ways they consider to be important. The new president is a supporter of public service to the nation and is calling for more volunteerism to help make this country a better place. Many young people are answering the call and looking for ways in which to contribute, and it would be great if we all did.

For over 200 years, members of the military services have gone overseas to fight our country’s enemies and keep the rest of us safe at home. We at home need to ask ouselves whether, with other Americans putting their lives on the line to keep us safe, have we done everything we can to make the country they are defending a better place for them to come home to.

Each of us should think about it and then ask ourselves -

“Am I worth dying for?”