BostonPetLink.com, Inc.

(Boston)  Massachusetts veterinarians report seeing an increasing number of dogs with serious infectious diseases not typically found in New England, a phenomenon they say is probably fueled by a growing number of pets rescued from Southern states, many of them unvaccinated strays.

The trend, they say, has escalated since 2005, when wrenching images of pets abandoned after Hurricane Katrina prompted makeshift rescue groups to transport animals to northern states in hopes of saving them.

Since then, the caravans north include animals displaced from tornado- and flood-ravaged areas, with the latest flooding of the Mississippi River spawning yet another large-scale migration.

Out-of-state pet adoptions via the Internet have compounded the problem, say animal welfare officials, because some of these organizations are intentionally or unwittingly skirting rules intended to curb disease transmission.

Groups bringing dogs into Massachusetts must register with the state, and the animals are supposed to be quarantined for at least 48 hours and undergo disease screenings, said Michael Cahill, director of the division of animal health at the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources. He said his staff of 18 is already swamped by the roughly 10,000 dogs legally imported to Massachusetts each year. And that does not include many other animals.

“We do everything from cats to cattle,’’ Cahill said.

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How do we look?  Zing Dong is at his finest and I am in my shackles!  I don’t recommend shoulder surgery, it makes it hard to function as a human!  Anyway, an interesting article on diseases being brought into our state.  Ziggy survived Parvo which has taken the lives of many dogs.  Not to be taken lightly!  Now if we can keep him off the kitchen table.  I think we will be feature the antics of sir Zing Dong in the future, and will probably get some videos of his finer moments up here for everyone to see.

After a disabled dog’s wheelchair was stolen from the front yard of his owner’s West Roxbury home Sunday, a New Hampshire-based company that aids handicapped and injured pets has donated a replacement cart.

“The disaster that happened yesterday is now turning out to be a wonderful experience,’’ David Feeney, the owner of 12-year-old Lucky, a Belgian Malinois, said yesterday. “It’s been overwhelming the support I’ve been given.’’

Feeney, 63, believes his beloved dog’s wheelchair was stolen from the front of his Temple Street home in West Roxbury after Lucky had his usual Sunday morning playtime outside of the cart. The wheelchair — also called a dog cart — elevates the dog’s hind legs.

“Somebody must have grabbed it right away,’’ he said. “Who knows why this happened.’’

Realizing later in the evening that the cart was missing, Feeney called police, who helped him search the neighborhood using a spotlight.

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How do people that do this sleep at night?  What could someone possibly want with a doggy wheelchair?  Is there a black market for them?  I am a little troubled by one comment this guy made;