Tips from City Committees
Monthly tips from our Animal Welfare Committee & Committee for a Better Environment
Autumn is Coming... Preserve your Garden Goodies!
Before the first frost hits your vegetable garden, preserve as much of your harvest as possible. In case you haven’t heard, canning is cool again, and for good reason. Canning provides you with fruits and vegetables during the months when they can’t be grown in your region, reducing your reliance on produce shipped in from distant warm-weather climates (which adds to your carbon footprint). If you’ve been growing herbs, dry and store them for use throughout the colder months.
Bring In the Houseplants. If your houseplants spent the summer outside, don’t forget to bring them in before it gets too cold. If you don’t have any houseplants, maybe now is a good time to consider getting one or two. Not only do plants brighten up the interior of your home, they will also help clean the air. Since most of us in cooler climates open the windows less frequently in the winter, houseplants can do a lot to improve your indoor air quality.
Why Spay and Neuter your Pet?
3 Reasons that make this a Must!
- Spaying and neutering helps to keep pets healthier. Pets that are spayed and neutered have a longer lifespan. Intact dogs and cats have a higher risk of developing complications of reproductive organs later in life.
- Spaying and neutering reduces incidences of bad behavior. Unneutered dogs are prone to urine-marking (lifting their leg on inappropriate things). Unneutered male cats also urine-mark by spraying. Both unneutered male dogs and cats can roam miles away when there is a female in the area in heat.
- Spaying and neutering reduces pet homelessness. In the U.S, there are an estimated 6-8 million homeless animals entering animal shelters each year with only about half of these animals being adopted.
There are low cost options for spaying and neutering. Click here for a map of State funded programs! Always consult your veterinarian for best pet care practices.
One quick thing:
There have been cases of dogs dying after being exposed to cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae. that is growing on ponds and lakes. Some types are toxic to animals (and humans). Do not allow your dogs to swim in ponds and lakes. Please note swimming (human or dog) is prohibited at Lake Artemesia and Greenbelt Lake.