Mary Cummins Wildlife Rehabilitation Animal Advocates News Los Angeles California

Monday, June 19, 2017

Fox puppies offered for sale on Craigslist are now in a sanctuary thanks to Fish & Wildlife! - Mary Cummins, Animal Advocates

illegal animal sales on craigslist, fox, foxes, mary cummins, animal advocates, los angeles, california, pups, for sale, illegal, breed, dealer, seller, wildlife, rescue, animaladvocates.us, warden, fish & wildlife, fish and game, california

We generally skim the animals for sale on Craigslist checking for illegal exotic and wildlife sales. If you want to own an exotic animal or wildlife, you need special permits from Fish & Wildlife. They can only be used for educational purposes. You need at least two years of experience handling the animals under someone else's permits first. You then have to go through a long and expensive process to get your exhibiting permits. Because this is all a huge hassle and the desire to own a unique animal is high, people buy them on the black Craigslist market without permits.

Back in May 2017 I saw fox pups offered for sale on craigslist. Above is the ad. I reported it to the appropriate warden then I flagged the ad and it was removed. Two days later and the seller reposted the ad. Two women forward the ad to me. I forwarded that to the warden. These two animal loving people wanted to stop the sale and get the fox puppies to a sanctuary. Among all of us, I won't say how, we managed to drag the selling process out long enough for the warden to take the puppy/puppies from the illegal vendor. The vendor is a young guy living here in Los Angeles. We were able to track him down through identifying markers he left in communications.

The warden went on vacation so I hadn't heard what happened to the fox pups. Earlier today a volunteer with The Nature of Wildworks posted pics of herself holding the puppy on Facebook. One fox pup now named Michael J Fox aka Mikey is now at Molly Hogan's The Nature of Wildworks. I'm so happy the fox pup ended up in good hands. As for the vendor I don't know what actions Fish & Wildlife took against him. There are still penalties for selling wildlife or exotics without proper permits. Below are some pics of the fox pups the vendor sent to us.

Article continues below.

Below is a pic of the fox today. He's a little bigger.

This pet fox craze was started by a March 2011 National Geographic magazine article titled. "Designing the Perfect Pet." It was about research done by Russian scientists to find out how we domesticated wolves. They experimented on foxes. They would test the foxes for tameness. They would only breed the tamest of the foxes. The wild foxes were sold to fox fur farms. This continued for a few generations. Ultimately the foxes were as tame as dogs. They could be a house pet. They also noticed changes in the fox. Their ears drooped a little. They had different coloring.

More great follow up news! This is from The Nature of Wildworks email.

“Meet Mikey ( short for Michael J ! ), our new 9-week-old red fox pup.

The Nature of Wildworks, fox

Excuse me. Did you say Red Fox? He doesn't look red, does he? And he's not going to turn red later. Red foxes come in different colors like red, brown, black, and silver but they all have one thing in common-- a white tip on the end of their tail. Well, maybe more than one thing. As puppies, or "kits" as they are also called, they are about as cute as it gets and as adults they're absolutely beautiful.

The Nature of Wildworks, fox

And apparently a fox is a fox is a fox. When red foxes first meet, even though they weren't raised together and have never seen each other before, they literally almost die of excitement overload, fluffy white-tipped tails wagging in a blur and making their fox happiness noise, which I can't even pretend to describe. This is exactly what happened when Mikey fox met Fire fox.

The Nature of Wildworks, fox

Fire is our sweet adult female red fox and she loves everyone. Every person, every animal. I always say she has no appropriate relationships because when walked on a leash she rolls over on her back wagging her tail and whining in front of the mountain lion cage. "Come play with me, Pirate." Not a good idea, Fire. Fire loves Australian Shepherds and was raised by our Aussie dog Hopi. When Hopi passed away Fire moved on to love again with Aussie dog, Star, as her new playmate.

How did we get Mikey? Where did he come from? The foxes were in Sacramento but we met halfway in Bakersfield and there I got the whole crazy backstory. The following is from the Animal Advocates Blog, (Mary Cummings, who initially reported the ad. mmmaryinla@aol.com)

"We generally skim the animals for sale on Craigslist checking for illegal exotic and wildlife sales. If you want to own an exotic animal or wildlife, you need special permits from Fish & Wildlife. They can only be used for educational purposes. You need at least two years of experience handling the animals under someone else's permits first. You then have to go through a long and expensive process to get your exhibiting permits. Because this is all a huge hassle and the desire to own a unique animal is high, people buy them on the black Craigslist market without permits.

Back in May 2017 I saw fox pups offered for sale on craigslist. Above is the ad. I reported it to the appropriate warden then I flagged the ad and it was removed. Two days later and the seller re-posted the ad. Two women forward the ad to me. I forwarded that to the warden. These two animal loving people wanted to stop the sale and get the fox puppies to a sanctuary. Among all of us, I won't say how, we managed to drag the selling process out long enough for the warden to take the puppy/puppies from the illegal vendor. The vendor is a young guy living here in Los Angeles. We were able to track him down through identifying markers he left in communications.

The warden went on vacation so I hadn't heard what happened to the fox pups. Earlier today a volunteer with The Nature of Wildworks posted pics of herself holding the puppy on Facebook. One fox pup now named Michael J Fox aka Mikey is now at Molly Hogan's The Nature of Wildworks. I'm so happy the fox pup ended up in good hands. As for the vendor I don't know what actions Fish & Wildlife took against him. There are still penalties for selling wildlife or exotics without proper permits."

Well, it was a normal day at the wildlife center for me. Just minding my own business answering one rescue call after another, usually regarding an orphaned or injured squirrel or opossum, when a call from Fish and Wildlife came in. "We have a litter of foxes. Can you take one?" Yes! One of them was particularly friendly and I said, "Then he's the one for us. He'll be a perfect education animal for our outreach programs."

Mikey slept in his carrier the entire way home and who could blame him. But nothing like a red fox mom substitute to make you sit up in bed. Upon first sighting the tail wagging and whining began and hasn't stopped since. The first day it was pretty cute because Fire has a swing which is her favorite spot in the enclosure. In her old age she now spends much of the day napping and relaxing on her personal hammock and Mikey , uncoordinated puppy that he is, couldn't quite figure out how to get up there with her. It was making him crazy. But on the second day he had devised a plan and could walk from the shelf along the midline metal bar of the enclosure and then "jump". Fire growls a little at this invasion of her private island but she's an understanding mom and Mikey has now won his place at the top.

I was right, by the way, when I guessed he would be good at outreach. His first program was last Saturday at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles where he wowed everyone posing (and napping on stage) as a modern day dire wolf. We're happy in every way to have him with us. Right now...and for a lifetime.

If you'd like to meet Mikey up close and personal you can enjoy a private tour of the wildlife center, sign up for our on-site class "Clicker training with a fox" or schedule your own personal outreach educational program.

To sponsor Mikey please visit: Sponsor Mikey!

To learn more visit www.natureofwildworks.org

(Photo credits to Terry Matkins and Lorie Zerweck)”

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the USDA. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

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Mary Cummins

Mary Cummins of Cummins Real Estate Services has been in real estate since 1983, over 35 years. She is licensed by the Bureau of Real Estate Appraisers. Mary Cummins was an agent and broker licensed with the California Department of Real Estate selling residential income, commercial buildings, raw land and homes for Merrill Lynch Realty in Beverly Hills and Westside Properties in Los Angeles before concentrating on appraisals. Mary Cummins currently provides real estate appraisals, expert witness testimony, historical research, legal real estate research for mortgage brokers, banks, lawyers, factors, insurance companies, financial consultants and private individuals. Mary Cummins was born and raised in Southern California. Cummins attended Beverly Hills Good Shepherd Catholic School and Beverly Hills High School. Besides being on the Dean's list, Mary Cummins was a top ten national swimmer and competed on the men's water polo team. Mary Cummins began college at the age of 15 attending the University of Southern California on scholarship, majoring in Psychology/Sociology. http://www.animaladvocates.us http://www.facebook.com/AnimalAdvocatesUSA

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

European Ape Could be Human Ancestor - or not. Pre-humans could have more than one origin - Mary Cummins, Animal Advocates

An article came out today suggesting that maybe the first pre-human originated in Europe.

"In 1944, German soldiers constructing a bunker in Greece uncovered a fossilized jawbone. The specimen was in poor shape, just a curve of mandible with its teeth mostly chipped away. “It was considered to be a specimen that nobody really knew what to do with,” said paleobiologist David R. Begun, a professor at the University of Toronto. But a new analysis of this broken jaw revealed that the bone is about 7 million years old. The jaw also has some humanlike characteristics, he says.

Begun and his colleagues say the fossil could represent the oldest known human ancestor. They further suggest that the fossil means our ancestors diverged from apes in Southern Europe — not Africa."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2017/05/22/ape-that-lived-in-europe-7-million-years-ago-could-be-human-ancestor-controversial-study-suggests

I have a feeling the true origins of humans will be complex. For instance marsupials originated in what is now North America. They moved between North and South America until they separated. Then they crossed the land bridge to Australia, New Zealand and continued to evolve into more varied species of marsupials. Marsupials went extinct in North America. Then when the Isthmus of Panama emerged 20 million years ago some marsupials made it back to North America. That marsupial is our only native marsupial the Virginia opossum. It hasn't changed much in 65 million years. Article is "Ancient origins of modern opossum revealed," December 2009, University of Florida.

Pre-humans may have also gone back and forth just like opossums via land bridges.

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the USDA. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

Mary Cummins

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Kaput hog poison withdrew application to poison in Texas - Mary Cummins, Animal Advocates

sid miller, wild boar hog pig, kaput, poison, warfarin, anti-coagulant, bait, mary cummins, animal advocates, wild boar meat, texas, kill, deer, vultures, cottontails, coyote,

Ever since we first heard about someone wanting to kill wild boar with anti-coagulant bait we stepped in to help shut this down. I'm very happy to announce that after pressure from lawmakers, attorneys, Wild Boar Meat Company, hunters, animal activists, environmentalists, veterinarians...the poison maker has withdrawn their application to use the poison in Texas. I'm so thankful that Republican House Representative Lynn Stucky introduced a bill to fully research the poison before using it. Stucky is also a veterinarian.

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/texas-legislature/2017/04/25/hog-apocalypse-hold-poison-manufacturer-pulls-texas?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter

By coincidence just this morning I received the results of my FOIA to the EPA. There were some interesting items in their "research."

On page 93 they stated there was spillage at the bait box. They stated quite a few wild mammals and birds ate the spillage including coyotes, birds, ground squirrels, cottontails, wood rats and deer. Coyotes, deer, birds can travel great distances. No one would know if they were poisoned as their fat does not turn blue. Many people hunt deer to eat. Game mammals can't be poisoned for obvious reasons. Most birds are federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

On page 93 they state one dead raccoon was found. They only checked to see if it had signs of the dye. It didn't. They should have tested the liver.

On page 93, 94 they stated they left one dead hog at the site. It was scavenged upon by coyotes, feral hogs, turkey vultures and crows besides maggots. This shows dead poisoned hogs will be scavenged upon by non-target wildlife. Here in California we're losing our vulture population because of this poison.

They also said one piglet died. They said the liver would have been too small to analyze but the piglet could not have eaten the poison directly. A piglet's liver is not too small to analyze. The state lab analyzed the livers of ground squirrels, pigeons which only weigh one pound. Newborn piglets weigh 600 to 1,000 grams. 1 lb = 453 grams. They could have easily tested the piglet's liver. They probably didn't want to because it would have been found that the baby died from consuming the mother's poisoned milk. That would make them look bad.

They stated dead poisoned hogs should be buried with at least 18 inches of dirt on top of them underground. Hogs are huge. That would be a very expensive burial. Here in CA you have to pay someone to take away a dead animal. It costs $500 to dispose of a horse. Poisoned animals are considered toxic waste. You can't put them in the trash or landfill because non-target wildlife will eat them and die. We render them here in CA but that costs money.

Here is the result of my FOIA request.

https://foiaonline.regulations.gov/foia/action/public/view/request?objectId=090004d28118e816

We can't yet relax. The poison company applied to use the poison in Louisiana and Oklahoma. We need to stop this nationally. At least the company wasn't dumb enough to try to use it in California.

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the USDA. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

Mary Cummins

Saturday, April 22, 2017

Happy Earth Day from Animal Advocates in Los Angeles, California - Mary Cummins

Happy Earth Day from Animal Advocates in Los Angeles, California, Mary Cummins

Today April 22 is Earth Day. 20 million people celebrated the first Earth Day in 1970 to increase public awareness abut the damage humans were doing to the environment. The purpose of Earth Day is to educate people about the relationship we have with our natural resources. California was one of the first states to enact statutes to protect our flora and fauna. Today Earth Day is celebrated by more than a billion people in 192 nations.

You don’t have to be a professional wildlife conservationist to protect our wildlife, ecosystems and earth. Here are a few things you can do to help save our environment.

Pick up litter. Wildlife sometimes mistake it for food, eat it and end up dying. Birds can also become entangled in fishing line and die.
Don’t use rat poison. Let rodent’s natural predators, i.e. coyotes, foxes, bobcats, raptors and snakes, control their populations.
Replace your lawn with native drought tolerant plans to conserve water and native pollinators.
Conserve water. This is especially important here in California. Use as little water as possible to prevent shortages and assure sufficient amounts of water for crops and the ecosystem.
Reduce, reuse, recycle. Most cities by now have recycling programs.
Use your car less often. Walk, bike, carpool, use public transportation or use a hybrid vehicle.
Never dump anything into a storm drain or gutter as they lead to the ocean.
Educate your children about local plants and animals so they will grow up with a positive conservation attitude.
Volunteer at nature centers, wildlife preserves or wildlife rehabilitation facilities.
Keep your dog on a leash in wild places. Don’t let your dog chase birds. Birds need undisturbed time to nest, forage, rest and clean themselves.
Keep cats indoors. Cats kill millions of birds and small animals every year. Many of the animals we receive were cat or dog caught.
Go solar. Most utilities now offer rebates.
Conserve electricity and gas. The less you use, the less pollution. Plate trees to offer shade. Line dry clothing.

There are many Earth Day events planned throughout California. Here are a few from the California Department of Fish & Game.

Earth Day Festival at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, April 22, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., 3842 Warner Ave., Huntington Beach (92647). The free event will include educational activity booths and guided tours of the reserve. Exhibitors include CDFW, Bolsa Chica State Beach, Wetland and Wildlife Care Center, Native People of SoCal, Orange County Coastkeeper, Shipley Nature Center, Air Quality Management District, Wyland Foundation, Shed Your Skin, and co-host Amigos de Bolsa Chica. Enjoy the Windows to Our Wetlands bus, interactive booths, native plant stations, a craft booth, food for sale, and more. The event is handicap accessible, held in the north parking lot. For more information, call (714) 846-1114.

CDFW will be at the U.S. Forest Service’s Kern River Valley Bioregions Festival at Circle Park in Kernville April 22, to explain the Kern River Hatchery renovation project and the new Kern River Rainbow program with the Friends of the Kern River Hatchery. The CDFW Natural Resource Volunteer Program will provide a booth with information on volunteer opportunities.
CDFW will host booths at three Sacramento area events: the Roseville Celebrate the Earth Festival and Sacramento Zoo Earth Day on April 22, and the ECOS Sacramento Earth Day on April 23. Ask staff about California wildlife, Watchable Wildlife locations in the greater Sacramento area and Nimbus Fish Hatchery, which is open to visitors year-round. Enjoy a variety of hands-on activities, including the Salmon Survival Wheel, where players learn about the obstacles that salmon must overcome in order to spawn.

Volunteer Work Day at Friant Interactive Nature Site, April 21 and 22, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., 17443 N. Friant Rd, Friant (93626). Spend a fun day outdoors, doing trail maintenance (pulling weeds, raking, pruning) in a lovely setting for outdoors education. For more information, please call (559) 696-8092.

Gray Lodge Clean-up and Field Day and Public Meeting, April 22, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., 3207 Rutherford Road, Gridley (95948). The event is in partnership with California Waterfowl Association (CWA), and will include habitat and maintenance projects, followed by a lunch sponsored by CWA. The day will be informative and will help improve the quality of wildlife habitat. At 1:30 p.m., CDFW will hold an annual public outreach meeting regarding the Gray Lodge and Upper Butte Basin Wildlife Areas at the Gray Lodge Wildlife Area’s main office building. For more information, please call (530) 846-7500 or email GLWLA@wildlife.ca.gov.
Los Banos Wildlife Area will have a hands-on activity booth at the Modesto Earth Day Festival in Graceda Park.

Animal Advocates
http://www.AnimalAdvocates.us/
http://www.facebook.com/AnimalAdvocatesUSA

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the USDA. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

Mary Cummins

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Los Angeles is not the #1 city for dog attacks on USPS delivery people - Mary Cummins

USPS came out with the annual dog attack city rankings April 6, 2017. If you look at the list, it's very misleading. Of course larger cities with more people will have more dog attacks. If you look at the attacks per capita, the list changes. Below is the USPS ranked list. I only looked at the USPS 1-10 list. It's possible the cities in the 11-30 list had higher attacks per capita than the below. I used populations for 2013 because that was the only year where all the cities had a noted population statistic.

City / Population / Dog Attacks / Attacks Per Capita

1. LA City 3.884M 80 = .0000205 per capita
2. Houston 2.196M 62 = .0000282
3. Cleveland 390,113 60 = .0001530
4. San Diego 1.356M 57 = .0000420
5. Louisville 253,128 51 = .0002010
6. Detroit 688,701 48 = .0000696
7. Denver 649,495 47 = .0000723
8. Chicago 2.719M 46 = .0000169
9. Indianapolis 852,866 44 = .0000515
10 Minneapolis 400,070 43 = .0001070

If we go by capita, per person, the rank changes to the below. Los Angeles went from number one to number nine on the list.

1. Louisville .0002010
2. Cleveland .0001530
3. Minneapolis .0001070
4. Denver .0000723
5. Detroit .0000696
6. Indianpolis .0000515
7. San Diego .0000420
8. Houston .0000282
9. Los Angeles .0000205
10. Chicago .0000169

As the USPS article stated, one reason why the total number of dog attacks on USPS delivery people has increased is people are shopping online more and having items delivered. More deliveries means more exposure to dogs. Of course there will be a higher number of attacks. That said we still must do all we can to prevent dog attacks.

https://about.usps.com/news/national-releases/2017/pr17_016.htm

I emailed USPS politely asking them if they could include per capita numbers or at least clarify the numbers. This is the reply from USPS. They don't care that their numbers are misleading. They're also making some cities with lower dog attack rates look bad.

From: Saunders, Mark R - Washington, DC <mark.r.saunders@usps.gov>

"Hi,

Thanks for your interest. The attack numbers were compiled from accident reports from letter carriers serving specific street addresses. The focus of this community outreach program is to raise awareness of this nationwide issue and protect our employees, children and the public at large and not a per capita interpretation. "

I decided to take a look at the entire list. Some cities ranked at the bottom should actually be at the top. I have this in Excel but I'm trying to figure out how to rank not just the numbers but the corresponding cities. I'll figure it out by tomorrow. I don't want to do it by hand. Just figured it out. Of these 42 cities LA is has one of the lowest dog attack rates per capita. Brooklyn and Chicago are number one and two for fewest number of attacks. This is ranked highest to lowest.

Here is the Excel file. Here is a pdf of it. The top att/cap numbers are direct. The ones below them are to a decimal point of 5, i.e. E 05. Move the decimal point over five places.

The table below falls apart. Here's an image.

USPS dog attacks per city per capita Los Angeles California usps.gov

CITY	ATKS	Pop.	Att/Cap
Flushing NY	22	72,008	0.000305522
Shawnee Mi, KS	18	64,323	0.000279838
Louisville, KY	51	253,128	0.000201479
Cleveland, OH	60	390,113	0.000153802
Buffalo, NY	28	258,959	0.000108125
Minneapolis, MN	43	400,070	0.000107481
Akron, OH	21	198,100	0.000106007
St Louis, MO	31	318,416	9.73569E-05
Richmond, VA	20	214,114	9.34082E-05
St Paul, MN	26	294,873	8.81736E-05
Cincinnati, OH	24	297,517	8.06677E-05
Denver, CO	47	649,495	7.23639E-05
Detroit, MI	48	688,701	6.96964E-05
New Orleans, LA	25	378,715	6.60127E-05
Kansas City, MO	30	467,007	6.42389E-05
Sacramento, CA	30	479,686	6.25409E-05
Wichita, KS	23	386,552	5.95004E-05
Baltimore, MD	36	622,104	5.78681E-05
Oakland, CA	23	406,253	5.6615E-05
Indianapolis, IN	44	852,866	5.15908E-05
Memphis, TN	33	653,450	5.05012E-05
Seattle, WA	31	652,405	4.75165E-05
Columbus, OH	39	822,553	4.74134E-05
Long Beach, CA	22	469,428	4.68655E-05
San Diego, CA	57	1,356,000	4.20354E-05
Fort Worth, TX	33	792,727	4.16285E-05
Charlotte, NC	33	792,862	4.16214E-05
Fresno, CA	19	509,924	3.72605E-05
Las Vegas, NV	21	603,488	3.47977E-05
OklahomaC, OK	20	610,613	3.2754E-05
Portland, OR	41	1,258,000	3.25914E-05
Dallas,TX	41	1,258,000	3.25914E-05
San Antonio, TX	42	1,409,000	2.98084E-05
Washington, DC	19	658,893	2.88362E-05
Houston, TX	62	2,196,000	2.82332E-05
Philadelphia, PA	40	1,553,000	2.57566E-05
Phoenix, AZ	35	1,513,000	2.31328E-05
San Jose, CA	21	998,537	2.10308E-05
Los Angeles, CA	80	3,884,000	2.05973E-05
Chicago, IL	46	2,719,000	1.6918E-05
Brooklyn, NY	27	2,592,000	1.04167E-05

Mary Cummins

Saturday, March 25, 2017

Therapy dog Star detects lead in water at San Diego Unified School District, California - Mary Cummins

therapy dog, star, Lindsay Curtius, san diego unified school district, san diego cooperative charter school 2 mountain view campus lead water test california, Mary Cummins

LA Times released a story about a school therapy dog who detected lead in San Diego school drinking water. The therapy dog "Star" pictured above with his handler Lindsay Curtius refused to drink water from the school's water supply on January 26, 2017. That's when his handler noticed a sheen on the water. Lindsay Curtius of San Diego Cooperative Charter School 2 Mountain View Campus reported the incident and the water was tested. The water test showed that the water contained more than maximum allowable amounts. All children at the school are drinking bottled water until the testing is finished in June 2017.

Star is a Labrador. Generally Labradors will drink and eat almost anything. They're one of the most common dogs to be accidentally poisoned for this reason. That would lead one to believe this was a smell issue. We have drug and disease sniffing dogs. Time for lead sniffing dogs.

Star was trained at NEADS, National Education for Assistance Dog Services, dogs for deaf and disabled Americans as a therapy dog. This is her profile.

"Hello, my name is Star! I am the Service Dog for the Classroom at SDCCS2. I am originally from New York state. I was trained by NEADS,National Education for Assistance Dog Services, in Massachusetts for 20 months before I met my handler Lindsay Curtius. We trained together in Massachusetts before traveling on an airplane back to my new home of sunny San Diego!

I was matched specifically with SDCCS to assist students off all ages both in and outside the classroom environment. Dogs at schools assist in the social development of children by teaching responsibility, compassion, self esteem, and empathy. It has also been found that they decrease unexpected behaviors and promote positive behavior in students.

In my position at SDCCS, I work hard to perform all my tricks that I was taught to help children with all different kinds of needs. I enjoy being read to, talked to, and I love playing ball!

When I'm not working at SDCCS I enjoy camping, hiking, and running on the beach!
If you see me around campus, please say hello!"

About the handler Lindsay Curtius.

"My name is Lindsay Curtius. I am an Education Specialist at San Diego Cooperative Charter School 2. In July 2016, I had the opportunity to fly from California to the NEADS campus in Massachusetts to meet and train with Star, SDCCS’ Classroom Therapy Dog.

SDCCS is a progressive, developmentally-based, child-centered program. We focus on developing empathy and social emotional skills through healthy attachment, pro-social communication, and relationships. We are designated as an Ashoka Changemaker school through the Start Empathy Initiative and we are dedicated to the development of each individual child as a whole person.

Since this summer, Star has become a welcomed addition to our school family and has adjusted well to the California lifestyle! Star spends her days helping students with developmental, sensory, and behavioral needs, who are fully included across ten multi-age classrooms. She assists in the social development of children by teaching responsibility, compassion, self esteem, and empathy. It has also been found that dogs in classrooms decrease unexpected behaviors and promote positive behavior in students. Star’s favorite day of the week is Friday where the entire school comes together in the auditorium to sing!

I look forward to continuing to work with the NEADS family as Star grows and becomes a member of our school family."

http://www.sdccs2.org/staff.html

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the USDA. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

Mary Cummins

Mary Cummins Animal Advocates Los Angeles California Wildlife Rehabilitation Real Estate

Monday, June 19, 2017

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Saturday, April 22, 2017

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Saturday, March 25, 2017