Monsoon season brings one of the southwest desert’s most iconic creatures out of their burrows and out-and-about across the state. Desert tortoises are now in their most active season, and Arizona’s increased human population creates more risks for these slow-moving symbols of the Sonoran desert. 

The Arizona Game and Fish Department asks the public to follow these important guidelines if they encounter a desert tortoise:

• Do not remove a tortoise from its habitat. Taking a wild tortoise home is illegal in Arizona. Additionally, most tortoises stay in the same small area their entire lives, so if you move a tortoise to a new location it will not know where to find food and shelter and will likely die.
• Do not release a captive tortoise into the wild. Captive desert tortoises cannot be released into the wild as they can pass diseases to wild populations and displace wild tortoises. It is also illegal to release captive animals into the wild.
• Keep dogs away from both captive and wild desert tortoises. Even the most gentle dog can pose a serious threat to a tortoise.
• If you come across a desert tortoise crossing a busy road, if traffic safely permits it, pick the tortoise up and gently move it to the other side of the road. Carry the animal so that it is level to the ground, and move it in the same direction it was headed.

Finally - a solution both canine and feline hissy fits! This handy little canister is simple to carry around and very loud, which is why everyone who has a pet (or child) should have one. There is something very powerful about a simple "shhh" sound. Multiply that sound by a hundred and you have some idea of what the Pet Corrector sounds like.

I've long been an advocate of canned air use in correcting negative behavior. But carrying around cans of canned air seems a little silly, and can get a bit expensive. Hence, the Pet Corrector...