Leap Day comes around once ever four years, so someone should do something to mark the event, right?

Dozens of homeless bunnies "are leaping at the chance to celebrate" this Friday, according to a news release from Animal Friends. The Ohio Township shelter is putting on what they say is "Pittsburgh's First Hoppy Hour" starting at 7 p.m.

A roomful of some of nature's best leapers will be on hand, and available to meet potential adopters.

The Hoppy Hour will start with a round of Cordelia's Cocktails and Evy's Veggies. The names for the drinks and food are the names of two of the bunnies that are looking for love and a permanent home. At some point there will be a special Bubbly Bunny champagne toast.

There will be a movie too: "Monty Python and the Holy Grail."

Admission is $6, but card-carrying members of Animal Friends get in for free.

Each of the three big Allegheny County animal shelters -- Animal Friends, Animal Rescue League of Western Pennsylvania and Western Pennsylvania Humane Society -- has dozens of rabbits that have been turned in by owners who were unwilling or unable to care for them.

Easter is coming and families might be thinking about getting a rabbit for a family pet. Shelter workers and volunteers urge people to consider adopting one of their bunnies instead of buying one from a pet store. Shelter bunnies already are neutered and pet store bunnies are not. Since the surgery is part of their adoption fee, you generally would save money by adopting a rabbit from a shelter.

Staff and volunteers will be on hand for Hoppy Hour to talk about rabbit care. Rabbits make great house pets and shelter bunnies are already accustomed to using a litter box. They have special diet needs, including the fact that timothy hay is the mainstay of their diet.

Animal Friends is located at 52 Camp Horne Road, in the North Hills.

For more information, send an e-mail to specialevents@animal-friends.org or call 412-847-7055.

Look for more information about rabbits in the next edition of Pet Tales, which will run March 6 in suburban editions of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazete and on our Web site

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A Lancaster County dog breeder has entered a guilty plea to five counts of kennel violations, and his son faces a criminal court trial on four charges related to unsatisfactory conditions at his kennel.

State dog wardens during a November inspection "found dogs living in small cages, with excessive amounts of feces and without adequate rabies records" at the Twin Maple Farm Kennel owned and operated by John E. Esh of Ronks, according to a news release from the state.

At the breeding kennel located next door to Mr. Esh's kennel, dog wardens found "unsatisfactory conditions ... including moldy food, excessive feces, poor maintenance and inadequate records. The wardens also found that several of the cages were not large enough to house dogs," the release says. "One cage, holding six dogs, was less than half the size required by law."

That second kennel, Scarlet-Maple Farm Kennel, is operated by Daniel P. Esh. No trial date has been set yet.

John Esh has been sentenced to the maximum fine of $300 on each count, for a total fine of $1,500.

State officials issued this news release this week as proof that they are engaged in a "crackdown on unsatisfactory kennels," as the headline of the news release states.

Gov. Rendell "announced sweeping changes to the state's dog law and regulations in October 2006," the release says. His actions include naming Jessie Smith as Special Deputy Agriculture Secretary for Dog Law Enforcement, hiring a special prosecutor for dog cases and increasing the number of dog wardens, who are the hands-on people who inspect kennels and enforce the regulations.

The governor, by the way, gets high marks in dog circles because he has two golden retrievers that were adopted from rescue organizations.

The Esh men operate what the state calls "large scale commercial kennels." They have the required state kennel licenses, and are classified as "K5" operators, which means they have 251 or more dogs in any given year.

Though the elder Esh has entered guilty pleas and the younger Esh faces a court trial, both kennels are still open and operating. However, there have been multiple inspections since November, when dog wardens cited both men, and corrections and improvements have been made at both kennels. More followup inspections are planned, a state spokesmen said in a telephone interview.

Concerned readers can go to www.agriculture.state.pa.us/padoglaw to follow the progress at this, and other breeding kennels. Go to "Click here to enter the kennel inspection database." You'll see inspection reports and followups and can see comments from the dog wardens. It makes for interesting reading.

Many people don't realize that dog wardens inspect all licensed boarding kennels, and you do need a state license to board dogs. So if you have ever boarded a dog, you can look up the kennel. This is also something you can look at when considering using a boarding kennel.

Lancaster County has 327 kennels, and many of them are the large K5 breeding facilities. Allegheny County has 103, and most of those are boarding kennels. Allegheny County has no K5 breeding facilities listed on the state database. There are five K5 licenses issued to pet stores that sell puppies.

Pennsylvania is being called "the puppymill capital of the country" on various animal Web site and e-mail lists. That's a tad unfair, because we are not the only state that has a lot of breeding facilities.

What is a puppymill, by the way? It's a loaded term. It's used by some people to describe a facility where large numbers of dogs are kept in cages with little or no socialization or exercise. The adult dogs are constantly and repeatedly bred and the puppies grow up in cages with little or no human contact.

Other people use the puppymill term to describe anyone who breeds dogs. These types of people generally think that anyone who breeds dogs is bad because there are so many dogs in shelters and rescue groups.

There are good and responsible breeders, in my opinion, and I'm not the only one who thinks this. The good breeders work to breed puppies that have good health and good personalities. Their puppies are usually raised in their homes, and quite often in their own bedrooms. Responsible breeders usually have waiting lists of people who want their puppies, for they are not interested in producing unwanted puppies.

People who want great puppies from those kinds of breeders are entitled to make that choice. Many of them also have dogs adopted from shelters or rescues, but again, that is their choice.

So now back to the state crackdown on unsatisfactory kennels. Many people undoubtedly will be disappointed by the size of Mr. Esh's fine. Many will be disappointed that he is still in business.

At least the state is trying, here.

Don't look to the state to put unsatisfactory kennels out of business. You have the power to shut down puppymillers, or whatever tern you choose to use.

Don't buy puppies from large-scale commercial breeders. Don't buy puppies sight unseen off the Internet. Don't buy puppies from pet stores because virtually all of them come from large-scale breeding kennels.

Eliminate the demand for these puppies, and the supply with dry up.

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Tired of the hearts, flowers and chocolates that are the traditional Valentine's Day gifts?

Here's something a bit different: "Adopt A Tweetie For Your Sweetie."

This suggestion comes from the National Aviary in Pittsburgh, and it does not involve bringing a bird into your house.

This is a way to support the National Aviary and its mission of conservation and education.

The limited-time offer involves donating $25 to adopt a keel-billed toucan, bleeding heart dove, flamingo or pearl-spotted owlet. The adopter can be an adult or a child.

Your adoption kit will include a plush bird toy, a photo of the bird you adopt, a personalized adoption certificate, a fact sheet about your bird and one free aviary admission for an adult (usually $9) or a child (usually $7.50). The free admission could be used when you go to the North Side facility to visit your bird.

For more information, go to aviary.org or call 412-323-7235. Enter extension 235 to purchase an adoption package.

Some of the more popular birds in in the non-Valentine's Day Adopt A Bird program include the bald eagle, African grey parrot and hyacinth macaw, each for $50; and in the $100 bracket, the African penguin, spectacled owl and snowy owl.

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Housebreaking is the bane of many a dog owner, and dogs that can't learn to go outside to do their business frequently are turned into shelters and rescue groups.

There are many tips that work, but the bottom line is this: Housebreaking or potty training a dog takes patience, consistency and constant supervision during the process.

Many dogs become accustomed to going outside, especially when you take them out at the same times each day. But a common problem is that many dogs don't let you know when they need to go out right now.

Some will bark at the door. Others will scratch at the door. Those are the easy dogs.

Others will just stand silently at the door. If you don't see them, they'll do their business right there. The tough ones will urinate or defecate wherever they are when the mood strikes them. Some will hide accidents -- behind the furnace or under furniture because, I think, they know at some level that what they are doing is wrong.

Here's a solution to part of the problem, and this tip will have you hearing bells.

Hang a string of bells on the door knob or next to the door. Every time you take the dog out, use a happy tone of voice to give a command like "Let's go out!" Shake the bells as you say this.

I've never used bells, but I've talked to people who have, including a first-time dog owner. The family adopted a dog from a shelter and the staff there gave them the bell tip. They brought the dog into their home right after Christmas, so they used a short leather strap with sleigh bells that had been part of their holiday decor.

They said it worked like a charm and the dog quickly learned to shake the bells when it was time to go out.

Now there's a company that is sending out news releases about a product called Poochie-Bells. The Web site, poochie-pets.net, includes detailed instructions about how use bells to house-break your dog.

The Poochie-Pets site says it has "the only designer doggie doorbell." They offer more than 50 designers styles and colors, or you can personalize a product that suits your dog and your decor. Prices range from $15.95 to $29.95. You order online.

Pet Tales Journal is interested in reader feedback. Do you have any housebreaking tips? Are you having problems with house-breaking? Send me an e-mail and I'll post them.

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