![[Cat and a fish in a fishbowl.]](cat_n_fish.jpg)
Government-Sponsored Web Sites
for Pet Owners
Government-Sponsored Web Sites
What
you should know about adopting a pet from shelters / foster groups.
---
Part of the Web page for King County, Washington, this information is useful
to anyone who is considering the adoption of a pet in any area of the U.S.
Questions addressed include: "Do shelters/foster groups have purebred animals
for adoption?" and "How do I choose the right pet?"
U.S.
State and Territory Animal Import Regulations --- Health requirements
governing interstate movement and the admission of animals. Includes a
link to the regulations for each of the 50 states plus Guam, the Virgin
Islands, and Puerto Rico. Although these health regulations apply primarily
to livestock and poultry, the information may be useful for pet owners.
The same applies to the USDA's International
Animal Export Regulations
information.
USDA's
Animal Care Home Page --- Animal Care's mission is to provide leadership
in establishing acceptable standards of humane animal care and treatment
and to monitor and achieve compliance with the Animal Welfare Act through
inspections, education, and cooperative efforts.
Information about obtaining a license for a pet and other pet-related information
are available on many county- and municipal-level web sites. Some examples:
South
Carolina's Code of Laws--Title 47, Chapter 3, "Dogs And Other Domestic
Pets" --- The official SC State Code regarding pets.
Domestic
Ferret Issues in California --- The background section of this site
explains that "Since the mid 1980s, ferret organizations have promoted
legalization of ferrets as pets in the states that had prohibited
such ownership. Eight states legalized ferrets as pets since then: Alaska
in 1985, Pennsylvania in 1987, Vermont in 1989, Georgia in 1991, New Hampshire
and Utah in 1993, Michigan in 1994, and Massachusetts in 1996. Only California
and Hawaii prohibit importation and possession of ferrets as pets." This
site also includes an extensive annotated
bibliography on the ferret.
U.S.
Customs' Traveler Information Site --- The "Pets/Animals" section includes
information for people wanting to travel to or from the United States with
their pet. For example, "Dogs, cats, and turtles are free of duty. Other
pets imported into the United States, if subject to a customs duty, may
be included in your customs exemption if they accompany you and are imported
for your personal use and not for sale." Also, "For information on requirements
of the country into which you will take your pet, write to that country's
embassy in Washington, DC, or to its nearest consular office."
Travelers'
Tips--On Bringing Food, Plant, and Animal Products Into the United States
--- The "Live Animals" section of this USDA publication contains information
about bringing live animals into the United States. Citation: United States
Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service,
Program Aid No. 1083, Revised October 1999.
When making plans to visit a National Park with your pet, you may want
to check the park's web site to determine what the rules regarding pets
are for that specific park. For example, Yellowstone
National Park, Cape
Cod National Seashore, Shenandoah
National Park, or Harper's
Ferry National Historical Park.
MoversNetTM,
Sponsored by the US Postal Service
--- Moving tips for moving with
a pet includes the publication "Get Those Doggies Moving: And Those Cats,
Birds, Fish, Reptiles and Small Mammals" by W. Bradford Swift, D.V.M.
Assisting
Passengers Traveling with Service Animals --- ![[Dog and a boy in a wheelchair.]](service_dog.jpg)
This document reports on a project that represents two years of research
into service animal training policies and practices, public transportation
policies and practices, and a review of pertinent laws, regulations, and
literature. Pet owners may find parts of this document pertinent, especially
the distinctions made between "service animals" and "pets." For example,
"Dogs are by far the most common type of service animal. However, cats,
pot bellied pigs, monkeys, and birds also are trained as service animals."
FDA
Recalls and Safety Alerts--Veterinary Section
--- In addition to describing
veterinary-related recalls and safety alerts, this Food and Drug Administration
site also lists Health and Human Services news releases that are related
to animals. For example, the October 1999 release about Contaminated
Pet Chews.
The Biological Resources
Division (BRD) of the USGS says that a school of veterinary medicine
is a good source of information on how to tell if a pet food is nutritious
and information on pet care. The BRD then refers us to a list, maintained
by the University of Pennsylvania, that contains links
to all North American schools of veterinary medicine.
"Fighting
Fleas and Ticks" --- This is an article written by Dixie Farley and
published in the FDA Consumer Magazine, July-August 1996.
Missing
Pet Network (MPN) --- The MPN is a group of volunteers, sponsored by
the USDA Animal Care Office, who help people find missing pet animals.
They accept no money, make no endorsements, and use no advertising on the
MPN web pages. This site includes (a) a list of Lost and Found Pets organized
by state and (b) Advice on How to Look for Lost Pets.
Care
and Management of Pets in Disasters--- The Web site for the West
Virginia Office of Emergency Services has devoted this page to a Red Cross
4-page brochure titled, "Pets and Disaster: Get Prepared."
"Household
Pet Ownership and by Selected Characteristic"
--- This table is one
of only 23 tables cited by the U.S. Census Bureau as "Frequently Requested
Tables from the 1999 Statistical Abstract of the United States."
Pets
in the White House --- Part of the "White House for Kids" site, this
page displays photos of and information about five presidential pets.
![[Image of a white bar.]](white_bar.gif){kind=small}
![[Image of an addressed envelope.]](letter.gif)
jac_wv@hotmail.com
Joyce Coombs
CLIS J734
Professor Bob Williams
University
of South Carolina
November 27, 2000