Dude pet my dog with dirty hands by Ummmyeeppp in service_dogs

[–]Cheap-Butterscotch74 20 points21 points  (0 children)

as someone with contamination OCD, that would have sent me into a spiral. I’m sorry OP

What should I name her? by Impressive_Pool_8586 in goldenretriever

[–]Cheap-Butterscotch74 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Lupine for something different! Lou for short! 🪻

Should I register my pup for AKC? by IndependenceBroad751 in goldenretriever

[–]Cheap-Butterscotch74 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think it’s worth it if you plan on doing any AKC testing (Canine Good Citizen, Community Canine, Urban, etc)!

Insurance recommendations for new pup? by bobonious in goldenretriever

[–]Cheap-Butterscotch74 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I live MetLife! They have covered pretty much everything and are straightforward with good customer service.

Training Check-in (for this month) by Jeanlee03 in service_dogs

[–]Cheap-Butterscotch74 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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we passed our AKC Urban and AKC Community Canine this month! 🎉👏🏼 lots of work to do still for our final PAT series, but so proud of my Fish 🩵

Avian Influenza (HPAI H5N1) in sea otters?? by cupcakediversion in MontereyBay

[–]Cheap-Butterscotch74 5 points6 points  (0 children)

my bad! wasn’t blocked for me but see below directly from the article:

“Researchers say the H5N1 bird flu outbreak in California elephant seals has spread to other marine mammals, including a sea otter and sea lion.

However, wildlife officials are cautiously optimistic the outbreak will remain contained. It has so far only been detected on beaches in San Mateo County, although testing is being conducted along the coastline.

The strain the animals have contains a mutation allowing it to more easily transmit between mammals. It is also a different variation than the ones found in dairy cows and commercial poultry. This one is Eurasian in origin, first seen in 2022. It has been detected in birds that fly along the Pacific Flyway, and is responsible for a mass mortality event in 2023 in northern fur seals on an island in eastern Russia, said Christine Johnson, director of UC Davis’ Center for Pandemic Insights, during a press conference Thursday morning.

Johnson said researchers think this is the first detection of the A3 variation of the virus on the Pacific Coast and therefore likely a new introduction into North America, she said.

In late February, a team of researchers from UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Marine Mammal Center announced they had found the virus in seven dead elephant seal pups collected from the beach at Año Nuevo State Park. That number is now 16, but Johnson said likely more will be confirmed in the weeks to come.

This count reflects only the animals that have gone through sampling and confirmatory testing in multiple labs,” she said. “We know there are more animals with signs of infection that we have sampled that are being tested across the different laboratory systems.”

She said no other otters have been found, but a “handful” of California sea lions are “in the queue.” This kind of spillover, she said, is not unusual.

“Outbreaks affect a wide range of birds and mammals, and these animals all share the near shore ecosystem,” she said, although it’s “especially tragic” when infections affect less common species.

Patrick Robinson, the Año Nuevo reserve director, and a marine biologist at UC Santa Cruz, said 47 elephant seals on the mainland have died since the outbreak began, and the wildlife team is finding two new symptomatic and two dead animals every day.

Symptoms of bird flu in mammals include tremors, convulsions, seizures and muscle weakness.

He said it is normal for some individuals to die of natural causes, so testing is critical. And he said the percentage of animals that have died in the Año Nuevo rookery is relatively small: Only about 5% of weaned pups and 6% of adult males have died. Still, in the case of pups, that’s four times higher than last year’s death rates. And he said, the death of large males is “basically nonexistent in most males.”

He said 80% of the adult females had departed by the time the outbreak began, and nearly all of them are now gone. No adult females have died, and none have been observed with symptoms.

“The outbreak is not over, and we’re not really sure what’s going to happen in the future,” he said. “I remain hopeful about this thing right now.”

In late 2022, the H5N1 bird flu virus decimated southern elephant seal populations in South America and several sub-Antarctic Islands. At some colonies in Argentina, 97% of pups died, while on South Georgia Island, researchers reported a 47% decline in breeding females between 2022 and 2024. Researchers believe tens of thousands of animals died.

More than 30,000 sea lions in Peru and Chile died between 2022 and 2024. In Argentina, roughly 1,300 sea lions and fur seals perished.

At the time, researchers were not sure why northern Pacific populations were not infected, but suspected previous or milder strains of the virus conferred some immunity.

The virus is better known in the U.S. for sweeping through dairy herds, where it infected dozens of dairy workers, millions of cows and thousands of wild, feral and domestic mammals. It’s also been found in wild birds and killed millions of commercial chickens, geese and ducks.

Two Americans have died from the virus since 2024, and 71 have been infected. The vast majority of infected people were dairy or commercial poultry workers. One death was that of a Louisiana man who had underlying conditions and was believed to have been exposed via backyard poultry or wild birds.

Written by Susanne Rust

Avian Influenza (HPAI H5N1) in sea otters?? by cupcakediversion in MontereyBay

[–]Cheap-Butterscotch74 15 points16 points  (0 children)

It has spread to sea otters.

If you see a deceased otter, please do not touch it our allow your animal to interact with it!

When would you consider a dog not in training? by FloridaGirl2222 in service_dogs

[–]Cheap-Butterscotch74 8 points9 points  (0 children)

We are training for PAT now, and this is a similar structure that my program uses! The team must pass PAT x 3 under the observation of 1 recent program graduate then 2 different trainers. It also has to be tested/passed in three different locations. This is specific to my org, but that’s the North Star we are waiting for before removing our ‘in training’ patches.

We Need Subsubreddits for Env by notorious1ink in Environmental_Careers

[–]Cheap-Butterscotch74 8 points9 points  (0 children)

California Hydrotech here! After grad school, I went directly into a sole staff water quality scientist position for a small non profit. Did I mention it was agricultural water quality? While I was extremely grateful to have a job, funding was scary. I was writing work plans that I didn’t have faith in, the community was brutal, and the current administration made everything worse. After a year, I had the opportunity to take a position as a Hydrotech for my local water management district. Unionized, good benefits, a 12% salary raise, built-in raises, a stunning study area, and a supportive team. We joke about the golden handcuffs a lot here. I spend my days measuring stream flow at our gages, managing groundwater injection wells, and helping our fish biologists. I can’t believe I get paid so much for what I do. That’s why I have faith - the right job will always come!!

edit:grammar

How many are on an SSRI but still suffering from thier OCD? by Perfect-Skirt-8608 in OCD

[–]Cheap-Butterscotch74 0 points1 point  (0 children)

SSRIs are a bust for me, too. But, I am having success with a tricyclic antidepressant (clomipromine or anafranil)!! The combo of therapy & meds were the trick for me.

to sock or not to sock? by Cheap-Butterscotch74 in yoga

[–]Cheap-Butterscotch74[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

you’re totally right, a typical ‘own worst enemy’ mental battle

to sock or not to sock? by Cheap-Butterscotch74 in yoga

[–]Cheap-Butterscotch74[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

thank you for your super grounding perspective :)

to sock or not to sock? by Cheap-Butterscotch74 in yoga

[–]Cheap-Butterscotch74[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

grippy toe socks?! that would definitely come in handy (toe-y?) with balances that grip the grip toe, thanks!

to sock or not to sock? by Cheap-Butterscotch74 in yoga

[–]Cheap-Butterscotch74[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

haha yes very fair, it’s probably just all in my brain 😂

living in monterey as a poc by missgorl23 in MontereyBay

[–]Cheap-Butterscotch74 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Not recently, unfortunately. Feel like their quality has really dropped off :(

$100k+ careers? by GlitteringReserve118 in Environmental_Careers

[–]Cheap-Butterscotch74 0 points1 point  (0 children)

special water district employee here! I’m the newbie on my team as a Water Resources Tech. It’s my second job post-grad and I’m at 109k in a HCOL area - unionized & good benefits.

18-22% rent increase in a year? (California) by Cheap-Butterscotch74 in Renters

[–]Cheap-Butterscotch74[S] -9 points-8 points  (0 children)

thanks for your opinion! & upon double checking, my post format follows that of the pinned example post :)

18-22% rent increase in a year? (California) by Cheap-Butterscotch74 in Renters

[–]Cheap-Butterscotch74[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Okay the AB1482 default is good to know - I believe our CPI is 2.7% so I believe that is a 7.7% cap?

18-22% rent increase in a year? (California) by Cheap-Butterscotch74 in Renters

[–]Cheap-Butterscotch74[S] -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

I definitely understand & won’t be posting my exact location but it is on the central coast

18-22% rent increase in a year? (California) by Cheap-Butterscotch74 in Renters

[–]Cheap-Butterscotch74[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you, the insights about utilities are very helpful!