DEAR DR. FOX: I adopted Murphy at 3 months old from a local rescue group that takes in dogs from a high-kill center in the South. My biracial son worked on a cruise ship that docked in our state, and I took Murphy every other weekend to spend time with my son so they'd be familiar when my son came home for the three months between contracts.

During my son's stay, he and Murphy would play outside, and the dog would try to "herd" him, nipping at his heels and enjoying himself. Once they came inside, the dog acted as if he'd never seen my son before. Every time Murphy came inside and my son emerged from the back room, the dog acted like he was an intruder, barking loudly. He was visibly distressed and would run, trembling, into his crate for comfort. He was never aggressive, and he would comply with my command to "go see" my son; once my son stood up, Murphy would bark again. Nothing we did could change this.

Two years ago, my son returned home for four or five months with his girlfriend. During that time, both Murphy and my 13-year-old mixed-breed dog refused to go outside to relieve themselves until I returned from work. They sat on a daybed looking out the windows and waited for my return. This has continued despite the fact that my son has spent the entire year at home recuperating from surgery. Murphy is more relaxed with white men and women and black women. We're assuming he may have been mistreated by a black male in the past. -- S.S., Toms River, New Jersey

DEAR S.S: You do have a problem!

Several years ago, I was a consultant for the U.S. Postal Service in St. Louis, and we developed a brochure to instruct mail deliverers how to avoid being threatened and attacked by dogs. Many postal service employees were of color, and they were advised never to stare into a dog's eyes because their eyes were more threatening to a dog because the contrast of dark skin color made the whites of their eyes more intense. They were also advised to move slowly and talk to the dogs on their rounds in a calm and friendly voice and offer treats rather than relying solely on a repellent spray.

Your son should ignore your dog insofar as avoiding eye contact, and he should move slowly and deliberately in the room. Sitting down on the floor near the dog, taking him for walks, grooming him and feeding him are all socializing, fear-reducing steps to take. Everyone in the home, including the dog, should wear a bandanna around the neck for a couple of weeks with some drops of essential oil of lavender put on twice daily. This may help calm the dog and facilitate bonding. Above all, your son should not force contact with the dog but ideally spend several nights sleeping next to the dog, who can stay in his open crate.

HALLOWEEN ANIMAL CONCERNS

I wish every community a happy Halloween -- the hallowed eve of Oct. 31 before All Saints' Day, which has become a costume and candy bonanza, with children of all ages going from house to house trick-or-treating, unaware of the pagan roots of this night. Halloween's origin can be found in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain conducted by Druid priests. The Celts celebrated their new year on Nov. 1; the day marked the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter, the end of light and the beginning of darkness. Animals were sacrificed to Celtic deities.

During Halloween, be sure to keep your animals safe -- they may get out when you open the door when children come by and spook at the sight of their costumes and sugar-fired brains. Keep dogs away from harmful and potentially fatal chocolate, raisins and xylitol sweetener-laced candies. Apples, dried fruits and nuts would be preferable for the trick-or-treaters anyway.

(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: Earlier this summer, a new next-door neighbor moved in along with a beautiful black pit bull. My family and I have not formally introduced ourselves or spoken since his move-in, and we want to give plenty of space and time to let things happen naturally.

One weekend shortly after settling in, this neighbor spent time and effort building a 10-foot-by-10-foot fenced pen with an open ceiling and a concrete base in his backyard. In the mornings before work and on my days off, I can easily see his dog from my dining room window, alone in his pen.

Over the past few weeks, I've observed the neighbor's dog with growing concern. I often see him yelping and whimpering after hours of being locked up with no one caring for him. The long summer days turn into evening, and the dog is usually left alone overnight in a shelter too small for him, nothing to play with and no other beings to engage with. I can recall at least two evenings of thunderstorms when he was left outside overnight. Several evenings of his yelping caused other dogs across the neighborhood to bark and howl late into the night. His pen is rarely cleaned, and he is not often taken for walks.

With such minimal attention, I am puzzled by why the owner owns this dog to begin with.

I feel compassion for this dog, and I have explained what I've seen to my friends who are pet owners. They encouraged me to contact animal control to intervene. Braving the idea that it could trigger an uneasy start to a neighbor relationship, I felt I had to do what was right and called them one afternoon. After a visit from animal control to his home, it seems that the owner's behavior has not changed. With some online research, I found that it might be risky for the pet to be taken in by animal control due to stressful conditions at shelters and the chance of being euthanized. Other articles mention that minimum care varies state to state, which could spell little or no intervention by the authorities.

I feel stuck between a rock and hard place of not knowing what to do, and I find myself stressed and uneasy each time I hear him yelp and whine. -- B.C., Clinton, Maryland

DEAR B.C.: Your detailed account of your neighbor's gross neglect of his dog and courageously contacting animal control, which evidently made no difference, is frustrating to say the least. Ownership of pit bulls is banned in some municipalities and they, like all dogs, can become dangerous when not properly socialized and cared for. I would prefer bans on all people like your neighbor to prohibit them from keeping animals!

Call animal control and ask what its assessment was and if the dog's vaccinations are up to date. You may not get satisfactory answers since some animal control agencies have no laws or local ordinances to give them any teeth. Quality-of-life criteria need to be incorporated into animal-protection laws.

Animal control and the police may not be your best local resources. Take video documentation and record as best you can when the dog is fed and if water is always available; measure the size of the kennel or shelter that is too small for him. Share this with local chapters of organizations like PETA or the Humane Society of the United States.

But first, perhaps you can offer to help walk the man's dog, saying he must be very busy and asking if it would be OK for you to help care for the dog. Would your family mind you bringing the dog into your home? The dog may need to be bathed.

Keep me posted, and I wish there were more good neighbors like you.

DOG VIRTUES AND HUMAN EXPLOITATION

In my professional opinion, most dogs embody more of the finer virtues that we admire in good people than I find in most of my own kind. This is surely why Australian aborigines contend that the "dingo makes us human." It is also why so many people regard their dogs as family members.

But this emotional bond is exploited by the multinational pet food industry, which is still selling junk food and treats that continue to sicken millions of dogs, and sponsoring dog shows and adoptions to boost ownership and sales. Even more un-dogworthy are those who treat dogs as disposable commodities, mass producing them in cruel breeding factories called puppy mills and selling them in pet stores, online or by dealers and dubious "rescue" organizations. In her unforgettable and thorough book, "The Dog Merchants," Kim Kavin documents this national disgrace and international atrocity.

I highly recommend this book to all dog lovers -- especially for those who are considering purchasing or adopting a puppy or adult dog via the internet and paying in advance with no guarantees of health or even receiving the dog or puppy of their choice. I also suggest getting involved in helping save man's best friend from such exploitation.

(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: We have a 13-year-old paralyzed female cat. She has been unable to walk or use the litter box for about 10 months.

She spends all her time lying on a pad. She eats and drinks on the pad. Her appetite appears normal. She urinates and defecates lying down -- we put papers down to clean up the mess. She appears to be in pain only when she is touched or picked up to be bathed (which we do a few times per week). She is alert, and her eyes are clear. Her stool and urination appear normal.

We have taken her to two different vets; one thought she might have a tumor near her spine, and the other could not diagnose her without a CAT scan. The X-rays have not revealed anything. We give her two prednisone tablets a day for pain.

We need to make a decision about euthanizing her or waiting for her to pass from old age. Would you say that we are being kind to this poor animal, or are we torturing her? -- F.S., Newark, New Jersey

DEAR F.S.: I commend your commitment to caring for your poor cat. Partial or total paralysis can be caused by a blood clot, such as thrombosis interfering with the circulation to the hind legs, which can be diagnosed by determining if there is any pulse in the femoral arteries in each inner thigh.

I have drafted a basic Quality of Life assessment for animals under our care, which may help you make a more objective decision regarding if your cat has a life worth living and if euthanasia is preferable to keeping her alive. I hope this will help with your decision-making:

QUALITY OF LIFE: VETERINARY CRITERIA AND ASSESSMENT

In considering the quality of animals' care and welfare, be they domesticated or captive wild, healthy, ill or injured, the following criteria are critical in assessing their well-being and having a life worth living:

-- Provision of physical safety, hygiene and comfort.

-- Satisfaction of basic physical and social needs.

-- Freedom from fear.

-- Provision of emotional security.

-- Relief from pain and suffering.

-- Control over immediate environment, especially for self-care and protection.

-- Freedom to express natural behaviors.

-- Opportunity to experience various sensory stimuli, which many species seek and enjoy.

HOUSE SOILING PROBLEMS IN DECLAWED CATS

In an excellent review of the risks and benefits of declawing cats, which included the results of a telephone survey of cat owners, veterinarian Dr. Amanda F. Gerard and co-authors presented some significant findings in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Cats who had undergone this surgery and who lived in a multi-cat (three- to five-cat) household were more than three times as likely to have house soiled as were single-housed cats with intact claws. The less traumatic surgical technique of carbon dioxide laser resulted in a lower incidence of house soiling, but this was still an issue in all cats subjected to declawing, regardless of the technique employed. The authors cite references indicating a 4.4 percent increase in the number of cats being declawed since 2001 to almost 25 percent of the owned cats in the United States today.

For more details, see "Say No! To Declawing Cats" posted on my website, DrFoxVet.net.

(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.)