DEAR DR. FOX: Your recent article, "A Closer Examination of No-Kill Shelter Policies Is Needed," is a horrible example of the callous attitude that you have toward abandoned and feral cats.

You believe that all abandoned cats should be trapped and murdered, just for the crime of being unowned. I believe that my newspaper should stop carrying your column. A person who hates cats as much as you do cannot be trusted to give advice on any veterinary matter.

Your ignorance of the true policies of the trap-neuter-return movement leads you to make false claims that no-kill shelters "dump" cats on the street after they are spayed or neutered. This could not be farther from the truth. Cats are only returned to the place where they were living and being fed by a caretaker; now they are no longer reproducing, and they have been vaccinated against rabies. I have been running a no-kill nonprofit doing trap-neuter-return for 15 years, and have I have never dumped a cat anywhere.

In the ultimate irony, your daughter defends wolves while you advocate the murder of innocent cats. Dr. Fox, you blame cats for killing wildlife the same way wolf haters blame wolves for killing game animals. Humans are responsible for the decline of wildlife, not wolves or cats.

If you want to protect wildlife, you should take on the hunters protected by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and state game management agencies. If we are really concerned about saving our wildlife, we will ban all hunting and trapping and protect our predators from arbitrary slaughter. -- S.W.B., Waldorf, Maryland

DEAR S.W.B.: I appreciate your concerns and efforts to help cats, but not your accusatory tone, which affirms the truism that a little knowledge often does more harm than good.

You are evidently not aware of or chose not to accept the fact that unadoptable cats are being "dumped" by some animal shelters using trap-neuter-release (TNR) as a cover. After conducting a lot of research, I have made it very clear that under strict conditions, TNR can be effective and ethical. For details, see "Releasing Cats to Live Outdoors" on my website, DrFoxVet.net.

My wife and I have trapped, had neutered, blood tested and fully vaccinated, wormed, rehabilitated and loved several feral cats, whom we either kept or found good homes for. Otherwise, they would have been put back in our neighborhood after neutering and vaccinating with no further care by the local Animal Humane Society of Golden Valley Minnesota. I've posted on my website a short photo-collage of one of these cat's progress under the title "Feral Cats Can Be Rehabilitated."

As for my daughter, Camilla, who founded and directs Project Coyote, she operates totally independent from me and has her own views and agenda. But there is no irony in her being a defender of wolves, since I was one of a handful of wolf scientists and no-hunting-or-trapping advocates who succeeded in the 1970s in securing protection for the wolf under the Endangered Species Act.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have been rescuing Dalmatians for more than 25 years, and I love the breed. I usually take the dogs no one else wants, and they always turn out to be wonderful, loving pets who only want someone to love them.

A few months ago in a column, you mentioned never giving dogs treats made in China because of some of the ingredients. When I buy dog treats, the country in which they are made isn't always listed. If I buy only the treats that specifically state they were made in the United States, it will significantly reduce the kinds of treats I get for my dog, including some of his favorites.

Do you have any suggestions? -- J.R., St. Peters, Missouri

DEAR J.R.: Good for you for rescuing these beautiful dogs who have been abandoned by people who lack understanding and empathy. Far too many people get dogs without first assessing if their lifestyles are compatible and without informing themselves as to the animals' needs and proper care.

Your question is very pertinent when it comes to the big gap between truth in labeling and obfuscation, which is especially true with many pet foods and treats. Ingredients may come from abroad -- from China in particular -- then go into a product manufactured in the U.S. The product labeled "distributed" by Company X is probably manufactured in China, Thailand or some other country where food quality and safety are not under the (still imperfect) U.S. standards of surveillance and regulation.

Some of the new freeze-dried treats with no preservatives or additives, such as Stella and Chewys, are made in the U.S. and in my preferred choice category. But the best solution is to start making your own treats, as per my recipe "Dr. Fox's Good-Dog Cookies," posted on my website.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox's website at DrFoxVet.net.)

DEAR DR. FOX: I wanted to let your readers know that there are numerous internet scammers out there who are looking to victimize you.

My dog, who meant the world to me, died in my arms a few months ago. Eventually, we decided we were ready to add to our family with a puppy. I found a website that looked promising, with a gorgeous puppy who appeared to be exactly what I wanted, so I made an inquiry. We were in contact via email and text, but I noticed that every time I called, I went straight to voicemail.

The people running the website were to ship the puppy to us today, but they kept stalling in telling us the time, airline, flight number, etc. They finally told me that the puppy had been taken to the airport by the breeder's wife, as he was out of state on business. Naively, we wired payment on Saturday. The breed of puppy I wanted usually costs anywhere from $1,800 to $5,000. However, this scammer showed the most beautiful puppies, including one with the exact markings I wanted! And the price they gave me was $700, plus shipping, which was $185, which included the airline-approved crate, air shipping fees in an air-conditioned area, rather than in cargo, and transportation to my front door.

We never heard back from the "breeder," but I did get an email from an alleged "pet delivery service" that kept calling us, telling us we needed to hit the "confirm" button on its email and send it back. The company called us four times, but by then, we had found it and the breeder on various scam websites. Also, the caller had what seemed to be a thick accent. Thus, we are out nearly a thousand bucks, with no puppy, which we had been so excited to receive.

I am sick that we were scammed out of this money, and that the puppy we fell in love with was fake. I have learned the hard way to not let your heart take over in these cases. Check your breeder, ask for references, go to their kennel if at all possible and see the parents and puppies. Be sure to get a puppy health guarantee, and hopefully, you will not be scammed like we were! -- L.L., Branson, Missouri

DEAR L.L.: You have my sympathy. I wonder how many other people were duped as you were. Your last paragraph echoes what I have written repeatedly: Never buy a pup sight-unseen, and ideally adopt a pup or adult dog from your local shelter.

BOOK REVIEW: "What Is a Dog?" by Raymond and Lorna Coppinger

I am dismayed that this reputable publisher, The University of Chicago Press (which published my doctoral dissertation, "Integrative Development of Brain and Behavior in the Dog"), has put this one out. The title is a giveaway, using "what" rather than "who" about indigenous, natural, aboriginal and landrace dogs. The authors' observations of free-roaming village and developing world garbage dump-foraging dogs, and the plethora of tangential reference citations that provide no deeper understanding or appreciation of the nature of these dogs, diminishes them. I find this objectionable, having studied and lived with these landraces from Africa and India. This book is an affront to the species and a waste of trees.

There is nothing documenting the symbiotic benefits of aboriginal dogs to indigenous peoples; no details about the nature and spirit of these dogs or of their sensibilities, protectiveness and intelligence -- traits that benefit the human community. Rather, the observations, cast in a Darwinian perspective, give a false impression of scientific authority, but to what end? They regard the hard life of village dogs as their "paradise" and state that fights over a bitch in heat rarely cause injuries. Yet even a small bite can mean a slow death from flesh-eating maggot fly infestation. They assert that these dogs -- unlike wild canids, who range far to hunt and bring food in their stomachs, which is regurgitated for their cubs -- are lacking this aspect of maternal care. But they have little need to do so, since the pups around weaning time are close to food sources, and indeed, their mothers do regurgitate food for them on occasion.

The Coppingers confuse symbiosis with commensalism (eating off the same table), which was a catch question for my students of animal behavior in my classes at Washington University in St. Louis. I hope all veterinary students are taught the same.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox's website at DrFoxVet.net.)

DEAR DR. FOX: The American Kennel Club inspection program of breeders' kennels is a sham. Their standards of care are bare minimum and can best be described as "survival standards" and certainly not humane standards of care. For example, the dog's primary enclosure needs to be only large enough so the dog "can sit, stand, lie down or turn around." This tiny space is the required living space for a breeding dog for her entire existence. Most troubling, there is no enforcement of the standards of care. According to the AKC, the breeder is given at least one week's notice before the inspection. One need only review the paltry number of suspensions handed out by the AKC based on the findings of their inspectors to recognize the lack of enforcement. The vast majority of suspensions that are handed down are the result of investigations by federal and state inspectors or local humane agents. Interestingly, many dogs rescued from puppy mills are AKC-registered, and the facilities previously inspected by the AKC.

Shockingly, while the AKC promotes the fact that it has promulgated "standards of care" for AKC breeders, when legislation was introduced in North Carolina to codify similar basic standards of care, the AKC actively worked in opposition to the legislation. The AKC is OK with standards of care as long as they are never enforced or codified into law. 

The entry fees for dog shows do not cover AKC expenses for sponsoring the shows; thus, registration fees subsidize AKC dog shows. The next time you watch a dog show on television, be aware that it is being supported on the backs of puppy mill dogs. -- Bob Baker, executive director, Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation (maal.org), St. Louis

DEAR B.B.: It is my understanding that you are with an organization that has inspected puppy mills, rescued puppies and adult breeding stock and sought to improve their care for several years and met resistance at every turn. In some states, local legislators and the oversight of agricultural and other official bodies still generally perceive these commercial dog farms as producing mere commodities, much like a poultry or pig factory farm. Such livestock producers see any legislation to improve dogs' welfare in these puppy factories as a potential threat to their own inhumane business practices.

I was one of the first in the United States to document these inhumane systems of food-animal production, and with the late Herm David, the first to blow the whistle on puppy mills in the 1970s. We shared our concerns with the American Kennel Club and the dog breeding community at large. The AKC's new voluntary Breed With H.E.A.R.T. program, which ostensibly addresses this issue, may be too little, too late.

Every purebred and "designer" puppy sold should come with a purchase agreement that includes the known list of genetic and related health problems that the particular breed and lineage may carry, the estimated veterinary costs for treating each condition and the probability of developing, plus an objective quality of life assessment score from zero to 5 stars. For more details, see my report "Recovering Canine Health," posted on my website, DrFoxVet.net.

TO HUG OR NOT TO HUG?

An April Psychology Today blog post has the misleading title "The Data Says 'Don't Hug the Dog!': New data shows that hugging your dog raises its stress and anxiety levels."

Stanley Coren, a professor emeritus of psychology at the University of British Columbia, argues that hugging a dog may induce anxiety in the pet because it is wired to run and may feel trapped by a hug. Coren evaluated 250 photos of dogs being hugged by humans and noted stress signs, but he said his observations do not constitute a peer-reviewed study. Many have taken issue with how his article was interpreted by some media outlets.

My advice is to get puppies and kittens used to being held, cradled or gently restrained as soon as they are weaned so that they will be easier to handle and restrain -- especially for veterinary examinations and grooming later in life. Learn how to properly hold and hug, and prevent children from rushing to grab and seize any animal. Animals should never be treated like stuffed toys, because when scared, they will bite and scratch.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox's website at DrFoxVet.net.)