A young, very friendly female pit bull mix was found this morning on the corner of 49th and Hazel. She didn’t have a collar or tags. The person who found the dog is taking her scanned for a microchip this afternoon. If you have any information about the dog’s owner please leave a comment below.

The Pennsylvania SPCA is coming to West Philly! On Saturday, Nov. 14, pet owners are invited to the Dornsife Center (3509 Spring Garden St.) to learn more about their pets’ needs, body language, and how to problem-solve tough behavior. SPCA will present two workshops: Cat Workshop is from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m., and Dog Workshop is from 12-1 p.m. Both workshops are free and open to the public. In addition, workshop participants will be entered into a drawing to win a free basket of dog or cat supplies and toys.

The workshops will be held in the School Building, Room S108. For more information, call (267) 463-2329 or email: education@pspca.org

As winter approaches, Best Friends Animal Society and Project MEOW invite everyone to their Cat Shelter Building Workshop, which will take place on Saturday, Nov. 7. At the workshop, you can learn how to construct simple, warm shelters for community cats. The workshop is free, and all materials will be provided. If you want to take home the shelter you build, there is a $10 materials fee. Scholarships are available.

The workshop will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. at Beaumont Warehouse (5027 Beaumont Avenue). Please RSVP and contact Best Friends with any questions at: philadelphiacats@bestfriends.org or 215-913-6013.

By the way, the cat on the picture, Mr. Biscuits, was rescued last year from a car engine where he was trying to stay warm on a cold day. Mr. Biscuits was badly burned when the driver unknowingly started the car with him inside. He was rescued by Animal Care & Control Team of Philadelphia and The Grannie Project. Next Saturday, Best Friends and Project MEOW will also educate folks on tapping their car hood before driving in winter.

“Backpack” is available for adoption.

This week’s featured adoptable cat is Backpack, a domestic short-haired adult female cat.

Backpack is an enigma wrapped in a riddle enveloped in a mystery. She is the manic pixie dream girl of cats, who doesn’t feel compelled to explain the quirky things she does. For instance, she’s very diligent about keeping her talons diamond-sharp despite the fact that her front paws are declawed. She likes to play chase but only at a medium rate of speed. She also likes to lie on her back and knead the air…

If you’re looking for a sweet but eccentric cat who likes lots of attention (and wants to be the only cat in the house) and will leave you scratching your head, Backpack is the girl for you.

Backpack is spayed, FeLV and FIV negative, current with shots, treated for fleas and worms, and is litter box trained.

To adopt this cat please complete and return a PAWS adoption application. It is available at the Baltimore Pet Shoppe (4532 Baltimore Ave.), or online. Application and adoption fee ($50.00) applies. Please use number A29675756 when applying to adopt this cat.

For additional information, contact Project MEOW at projectmeowadoptions@gmail.com

This cat is being fostered through the partnership of Project MEOW and PAWS.

UPDATE (10:50 a.m.): The Friends of Clark Park (FoCP) voted last night to recommend to the City’s Department of Parks and Recreation that limited hours be established when off-leash dogs are permitted at the Clark Park Bowl, the latest move in the park’s more than decade-long canine conundrum. The recommendation for permitted hours is daily from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., though, as in the past, enforcement of the new rule will be tricky.

The “fastest dog” competition during the 2011 Bark in the Park. (Photo West Philly Local).

The vote followed a discussion about off-leash dogs that included suggestions of stepped up enforcement by Parks and Recreation rangers or University City District’s bicycle patrol. FoCP board members agreed that a compromise was to post signs with hours for off-leash dogs, which are prohibited in public areas in Philadelphia but have been a fixture in Clark Park for years.

Tight enforcement risks alienating “a community that is one of the more dedicated to the park,” said resident Valerie Ross, who lives near the park. People who run their dogs in the Bowl often help clean up trash there, she said. And park events sometimes focus on dogs, including the annual Bark in the Park (24 years and counting) and even a corporate-sponsored, dog-friendly singles meet-up last year.

But complaints, including some at last night’s meeting, focused on off-leash dogs’ interactions with leashed dogs and children and adults who are afraid of dogs. Ross said the off-leash dogs are rarely a problem.  Continue Reading

There have been several reports of a light-colored long-haired dog with matted fur running loose in Spruce Hill. The first sighting was reported last night near 44th and Pine/Spruce, and there were more sightings tonight in the same area. The dog appears very scared and doesn’t let anybody come close enough to capture her. Here’s a photo of the dog taken by one of the area residents last night.

If you see this dog, please contact ACCT Philly (267-385-3800) and report the location and time of the sighting.