Laird C

I have a co-worker who has a JRT she needs to re-home in a hurry - Her husband has had a stroke, and is deathly ill; she has no time to care for her husband AND the dog at the same time, and she wants to do the right thing by the dog if she can. Whatever happens to the dog, it's going to happen in the next couple days - She's overwhelmed, and her husband is teetering on the edge.

This is a brown-n-white Jack Russell Terrier, named Dominic. Reportedly he's purebred, but is too large for showing, so is neutered. For that same reason, he's got no papers, and *could* be, I suppose, a JRT/X. The dog is smart, active, and social. He's known to be good with cats and small children, and is OK with other dogs, though he tends to be a bit dominant.

When he's kept active, he's well-behaved and very playful. Recently, however, he's been getting short shrift, and has become destructive in his boredom.

So, does anyone on Y!A know the whereabouts of a good JRT rescue in the Voorhees, NJ, area? I will be pursuing other avenues, like my own contacts, and searching the web and the phone book, but every bit of help I could get is appreciated - These folks need a break, and Dominic needs a good home.

Thanks!

ProHeart 6 (heartworm preventative) is back, in a limited way.

Per the FDA:

"FDA has announced the limited return of a reformulated version of ProHeart 6, a heartworm prevention drug for dogs, which had been withdrawn because of serious, life-threatening adverse reactions. FDA concurs with the limited return of the drug to the U.S. veterinary market under a risk minimization and restricted distribution program designed to provide for safe, appropriate use of the product while minimizing risk to dogs.

http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01844.h... "

The Risk Minimization Program is not unlike the Black Box label warnings included in labeling material for some of the more problematic human medications. Vets wishing to distribute ProHeart 6 would be required to register and undergo education before being allowed to purchase it .

Is this a good thing, or a bad thing?

I do vounteer work with a Border Collie Rescue group, based out of a working farm. Yesterday I went up into a dis-used loft of a barn to toss down some straw and look at the eletrical wiring, and I found a nest - A HUGE nest - on one of the rafters. Unfortunately, the lighting and angle were bad, so I couldn't get a good image of it.

The nest was a large untidy heap of straw and feathers, about a foot high, and about three feet around. The feathers were light grey, and appeared to be belly feathers - the fluffy, insulating kind, almost downy. The loft is large, open, and well protected from the elements and intruders - Not even the barn cats can get in unless someone deliberately lets them in. The only access is via a pair of ~ 1 foot-square openings at the gable peak, near the hay hoist. There are NO signs of any other kind of bird in the loft, not even barn swallows. I saw no castings.

Could this be a barn owl nest? I hope so, as does the farmer. Any help figuring this out?