Wildlife center braces for injured, sick animals

It’s deceptively serene right now at the New England Wildlife Center in Weymouth, Massachusetts, but it’s just the calm before the storm. The wave of sick, injured, or orphaned wild animals that inevitably hits in spring is on its way — it’s just not here yet.

The wildlife center, which treats thousands of injured or orphaned animals each year, is bracing itself for its biggest and busiest season. The Vicki Cam takes us inside the “quiet animal wards” that will soon become very noisy.

It’s time for some turtle talk

See Vicki come out of her shell with a little turtle talk. Dr. Megan Kirchgessner of the New England Wildlife Center offers us a field guide to New England’s native species.

If you’d like to learn more about the box turtle, painted turtle or snapping turtle — snap up one of Vicki’s favorite books on New England wildlife. It’s the Massachusett’s Audubon’s Society’s Field Guide to New England.

Train your dog with the click of a button

We all wish training a puppy could be as simple as the click of a button — and now — proof that it can be! Clicker training is a method using the sound of a little mechanical device, or clicker, to let a dog know he’s doing the right thing at the right time. The method is based on some pretty good and tried-and-true science called operant conditioning.

Animal trainer Scott Dunmore takes us through the basics.

Tune in to The Secret Life of Animals on April 26 to check out Scarlet’s progress with the clicker training method!

It’s like a car wash…for your dog!

Pet owners know professional groomers can be expensive, and doing it yourself at home is often time consuming and messy. Vicki tries out one solution — by putting in Tally in the tub at B.Y.O.D. Dog Wash in Newton Centre, Massachusetts.

Don’t your pets deserve the best toys around?

If you’ve been tied down all month doing your taxes, you might want to take a break to spend some time with your dog or cat. But, if you can’t break away from the forms long enough to hit the park, we’ve got some products perfect for a little indoor play — and also perfect for keeping your pet occupied while you work.

From ‘Chick-toria Beckham,’ the chew toy, to a fantasy fish bowl for your cat, Dr. Martha Smith shows off some stress relievers from Especially for Pets.

Tick Tip: Tape It!

This week during the show’s taping, I was sitting on the couch with a guest from IFAW and my dog Sage. I had my hand on Sage, and halfway through the interview, I felt a tick embedded on her back. It took all my willpower to stop myself from interrupting the interview to scream, “Tick!!” and pull it out.
I managed to contain myself and continue with the segment. But as soon as possible, I grabbed the offending tick and yanked it out. (Btw: Lots of health websites caution against using your bare hands for this procedure. They always recommend tweezers, but what can I say?)

Once I snapped the tick out of there I turned to the gang of people in the studio and held up the tick to laughter and great applause, but what could I do with the parasite quickly as we moved along to our next segment?

My pal Brian Kilcommons, the top dog trainer, was on hand and he shouted out a great tip: place the tick in a piece of Scotch tape and fold the tape over trapping it.

How simple and perfect! A great way to dispose of ticks. (I used a hand sanitizer afterward – always wash your hands thoroughly if you’ve handled a tick.)

We’d love to hear from anyone else with some great tick tips — the experts are telling us that tick populations are higher than ever.

Adopt me! I love children and other dogs!

Rufus, a five-year-old beagle, is looking for a loving home. He loves children and other dogs.

If you are interested in adopting Rufus, please contact Buddy Dog in Sudbury, Massachusetts.

Looking to adopt a horse? Contact the police.

As the Boston Police Department looks to dismantle its mounted unit this spring, the department is also mounting an effort to find suitable homes for some two dozen horses. The horses are currently part of both the police and parks units.

There are a dozen of them all together — the equine members of Boston’s Mounted Police Unit. And, they and their civilian handlers are being laid off due to the tight city budget.

If you would like more information about adopting these horses, please call: (617) 343-4692.

Unexpected sighting in New York Harbor

The Coast Guard is desperately trying to redirect a wayward Humpback whale which is swimming up towards the Hudson River. This is not typical for Humpback whales. They are an endangered species. The Coast Guard is establishing a safety zone.

This particular whale is about 20 feet long, but Humpbacks can grow to about 52 feet long and weigh about 30-50 tons. At this time, the whale does not seem to be in distress.

Video provided by WABC.

Moose rescued from icy lake

People in Washington state rushed to the rescue yesterday after a wandering moose fell through soft ice in the middle of a lake. After more than two hours, the exhausted moose could barely keep his head above water, so rescuers had to think outside the box.

They tied ropes around the animal’s chest and used a pulley to drag the moose to safety.

Video provided by KXLY.