Tag: pets and animals

How do animals know it’s safe to eat mushrooms in Sunnyvale yard?

DEAR JOAN: Recently I noticed mushrooms growing at the base of one of the juniper trees in the backyard. It was interesting, so I took a picture.

A couple of days ago, I noticed that the mushrooms were gone, and there were scratch marks in the damp earth at the base where the mushrooms had been.

I am curious as to what animal could have eaten the mushrooms, and if that animal is in any danger from poisoning. I see raccoons, possums, squirrels, and birds on my backyard camera.

Who is the most likely culprit, or victim?

— Nancy McKiernan, Sunnyvale

DEAR NANCY: The winter rains can turn our Bay Area yards into fairylands with mushrooms popping up all over. While it is never a good idea to eat one without knowing exactly what type it is, animals don’t have the benefit of being able to call on a mycologist to determine the identity.

RELATED: California officials warn against foraging wild mushrooms after deadly poisoning outbreak

Instead, they rely on taste, outcome and experience. If a wild animal eats a mushroom that later makes it ill, it will avoid those mushrooms in the future, provided they survive. They’ll likely also stay away from anything that has a same or similar taste. That provides them with some protection against eating the poisonous ones.

In the Bay Area, there are two mushrooms that are unsafe for any creature, and those are the death cap (Amanita phalloides) and the western destroying angel (Amanita ocreata). Both are commonly found near and around oak trees.

As for what animal would eat the golden hued mushrooms you observed, the list is long. Mushrooms are a treat for wildlife as they have a high water content, are a good source of protein, and a good source of vitamins and phosphorus.

Rats, squirrels, deer, box turtles, wild turkeys, and wild boars, just to name a few that might be visiting your yard, all love mushrooms. The scratches you observed lead me to think of turkeys, but there’s no way to know for certain.

DEAR JOAN: I’m already thinking about spring and what I’ll be planting in my vegetable garden. Last year, much of the garden was eaten by rats, birds and squirrels. I’m wondering if one of those plastic owls would scare them away?

— Alice B., Clayton

DEAR ALICE: Decoys do work, however briefly, against the birds but it’s unlikely the rats and squirrels will even raise an eyebrow.

Stationary owl statues and other decoys might keep the birds away for a day or two, but then the birds figure out there’s no threat, and before you know it, they’re perching on the fake owl’s head and having a good laugh.

You want something that will move unpredictably. Objects that are pushed and pulled by the wind, and which add unexpected flashes of light have a better and longer track record of success. You can hang reflective ribbons or old CDs throughout the garden.

For the rats and squirrels, the only thing stopping them are physical barriers. Surrounding your garden with a hardware cloth fence and a shock wire on top will do wonders.

The Animal Life column runs on Mondays. Contact Joan Morris at AskJoanMorris@gmail.com.

Joan Morris, Correspondent

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January 26, 2026
Why are birds perching on only 1 set of power lines in Newark?

DEAR JOAN: There is something that I have noticed for years, and I finally decided to ask the only expert I know.

At the southbound Thornton Avenue exit to Interstate 880 in Newark, there are some power lines that extend all the way across the freeway. Every time I go that way I see many birds sitting on the lines, but only on the southbound side, never on the other side.

This is not a once-in-a-while thing; I’ve noticed it for many years.

I’ve never seen them fly away, they all just sit there. Can you think of anything special about these particular power lines?

Inquiring minds want to know.

— Sherry Hughes, Newark

DEAR SHERRY: Not being able to read bird minds, or the minds of any living beings, I can’t say for certain, although I’m sure they have an excellent reason. I can, however, list a few possibilities.

First off, birds really like sitting on elevated lines, whether those are power lines, telecommunication wires or cable lines. The high wires provide an excellent vantage point for surveying the area, giving them a bird’s eye view of the territory. From there, they can look around for food and watch out for predators.

The lines are also a convenient spot for taking a rest and as there are other birds on the line, a chance to converse. They come and go as they please, but it’s not likely they would all fly off at once unless something really frightened the entire flock. It might look like the birds sit there all day and night, but it’s a revolving cast.

Such gatherings also provide some communal support and protection from predators, and in the winter, the combined flocks can offer a little extra warmth.

Considering how much power is surging through the lines, we have to wonder how the birds can casually perch on them and avoid electrocution. The answer? Science.

Just like water, and nature itself, electricity seeks a balance. It flows from high energy points to low energy points. A bird sitting on the wire doesn’t interrupt or redirect the flow, but if it was to have one foot on the wire (high energy) and another on the ground (low energy), the electricity would seek to balance, redirecting through the bird to complete the circuit, with deadly consequences. The birds are remarkably exact about the positioning on the lines, keeping a small but equal distance between them, and avoiding touching anything else.

Why the birds choose one wire and not the other most likely has to do with environmental factors. The wind might be stronger on that side, the wires might not provide the same vantage point, or there could be something on that side of the freeway or the lines themselves, that the birds just don’t care for.

The birds like a clear pathway when they fly off the wire, and the ones on the northbound side might be more advantageous.

Wish we knew for certain, but maybe one day the birds will talk.

The Animal Life column runs on Mondays. Contact Joan Morris at AskJoanMorris@gmail.com.

Joan Morris, Correspondent

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November 17, 2025
Is that a great horned owl making un-owl like sounds in San Jose?

DEAR JOAN: We live in an urban area of San Jose, and sometimes at night hear the hooting of an owl of some sort. Recently we heard that repeated hooting, but interspersed with a call that I can only describe as more like a peacock!

Several hoots, followed by a sort of “waahh” then more hoots. I checked on Bird.net, which told me it’s a great horned owl and that females can make more unusual calls such as the one we heard. Is that true? And, we didn’t know that great horned owls live in urban areas!

— Malcolm Smith, San Jose

DEAR MALCOLM: That’s absolutely true. Great horned owls don’t have the repertoire of a song bird, but they do have some range.

The call of the great horned owl is described as hoo-h’HOO-hoo-hoo, and the female will often add in a one syllable call that is more guttural.

Young owls make a high-pitched demanding squawk when telling their parents they’re hungry. When angry or threatened, the owls make a rapid clicking sound with their beaks.

We have all sorts of wildlife living largely unnoticed in our suburban jungle, which is why it’s important to not do things that might harm them.

DEAR JOAN: One of our cats is a challenge to pill and I have found a different solution that works for us. We have a pill syringe.

We place a pill in the syringe and open our cat’s mouth and with the syringe shoot the pill to the back of the mouth. If you get the pill past the hump of the tongue, the cat has to swallow the pill. The plus to this method is you can’t accidentally put your fingers between the cat’s teeth.

— Scott Gerken, Bay Area

DEAR SCOTT: I’m all for avoiding a cat’s teeth. Thanks for the tip.

DEAR JOAN: Your recent column on a cat not willing to allow flea medication resonated with me.

I needed to figure out a way to trim my cat’s claws without taking her to the vet every time. My cat loves wet food so I put her food into her bowl and immediately grab the trimmer and get to work. I pick up each paw, separate the toes and nip off the sharp ends.

I had to acclimate her to this by rubbing her toes while she scarfed her tasty food. I then started gently getting the trimmer near the claws until I had success. It took about a week but now it’s pretty easy to do.

The wary cat in your column might also benefit from having very tasty kibbles while “mom” gently rubs the spot where flea medication will eventually be applied.

— Celia (and Mimi the cat), Santa Cruz

DEAR CELIA AND MIMI: What a great tip. Thank you.

DEAR JOAN: My technique with my dog is to grind the pill with a mortar and pestle until it is broken down, like fine sand. Then I mix it into wet pet food really well. Usually works really well.

— Steve Kessler, Bay Area

DEAR STEVE: Excellent idea, although I’d check with my vet to see that it’s OK to do that. Some medications are supposed to be given whole.

The Animal Life column runs on Mondays. Contact Joan Morris at AskJoanMorris@gmail.com.

Joan Morris, Correspondent

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September 22, 2025
Nonprofit providing animal-assisted therapy wins grant for expansion in Frankfort

Katy Kleinschmidt says Coping Together’s animal assisted therapy not only helped her son Jack form deep relationships with his favorite animals, but improved his ability to connect with people as well.

Jack, who has autism and struggles to communicate, started working with Shelley Skas, founder and president of the animal-assisted therapy nonprofit, about three years ago after struggling to recover from the isolation brought by COVID-19 lockdowns, Kleinschmidt said.

“I was pretty desperate,” Kleinschmidt said. “His behavior just got more, I don’t want to say aggressive, but just more regular.”

At first, Jack was working individually with Skas. But one day, Kleinschmidt said, Skas asked the two of them to tour her ranch on Steger Road in Frankfort.

“She put him to work right away,” Kleinschmidt said, with Jack quickly building a routine of helping out therapy animals while eventually joining other groups of developmentally and intellectually disabled adults in their therapies. Now, Jack looks forward to trips to the ranch two to three times per week, with Kleinschmidt noting visible improvements in his behavior and use of language.

“People are actually paying attention to him and interacting with him. And that’s what he thrives on,” Kleinschmidt said.

Jack Kleinschmidt, a 32-year-old with autism, works with a donkey at therapy nonprofit Coping Together’s Frankfort ranch. (Katy Kleinschmidt)

Coping Together, which currently operates out of an Orland Park office and the Frankfort ranch, is hoping to expand operations with the help of a recent grant Skas said she applied to on a whim. Kubota Tractor Corporation announced Coping Together as one of its 10 grant recipients earlier this month, providing $25,000 for a new mower and an additional $25,000 Skas said will fund a self serve coffee and snack station for clients and family members who bring them to the ranch.

The coffee station will be stocked and monitored by students who come to the ranch to learn skills to help them transition from high school to postsecondary life, some of whom were busy Thursday afternoon cleaning horse stables and the ranch’s indoor arena. Partnerships include Rich Township High School and Tinley Park’s iCan Dream Center.

Skas said the coffee shop will be part of Therapy Town, a homey area dedicated to individual and group therapy sessions including animals. Current in-house therapists will have their own offices, and quiet areas will be available for clients who might be overstimulated or wanting their own space.

Skas prides herself on providing a wide range of services and resources to meet clients where they’re at. They include adults with disabilities as well as couples, families, veterans and just about anyone who could benefit from working with animals.

Shelley Skas, founder of Coping Together, explains how animals are used in the mental health program at the ranch in Frankfort. (John Smierciak/Daily Southtown)

“For example, if you were having a hard time cleaning your house … we’ll have the clients, whether or not they’re group or individual, go out and create an obstacle course,” Skas said.

The goal in Skas’ example is for the client or clients to create different courses representing different rooms in a house, where they will later lead a horse or other animal.

“Usually they’ll give them a hard time,” Skas said about the animal. The exercise allows the client to problem-solve on the spot, thinking of ways to change the course or their approach with the animal step by step.

Donkeys await their chance to work with people with special needs Thursday, Sept. 18 at Coping Together in Frankfort, which recently received a $50,000 grant. (John Smierciak/Daily Southtown)

“So instead of someone being hard on themselves as to why they’re not getting something done, they now realize why they were being too hard on themselves,” Skas said. “I expected to be able to get something completed, but I could still do it. It might not be in that way that I originally envisioned it, but that’s for the client to come on their own.”

Coping Together is hosting a fundraiser on Oct. 5 designed to raise money for the Therapy Town project, which is still in its planning stages, Skas said.

ostevens@chicagotribune.com

Olivia Stevens

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September 20, 2025