Only The Girls

My brother Bob sent me this video and asked the question, "can any of your dogs do this?" My response, "only the girls."
Enjoy

A Pets Ten Commandments #5

Talk to me. Even if I don't understand your words, I do understand your voice when speaking to me.

New Car Design...Just for DOGS

This week Honda will introduce a special dog package for it's Element model. Features includes a cushioned mesh “dog containment system” for the cargo area; a collapsible entry ramp that stores underneath; a dedicated Fido cooling fan; a spillproof water bowl; a secondary “containment system” for the back seat (to accommodate smaller breeds); special pet restraints; a rubber mat in a dog-bone pattern; and a special collar, leash and dog tag. This price has not been determined.

The Amazing Sophie Tucker

While boating with her family off the coast of Australia, sudden rough seas caused Sophie to fall overboard. Her owners searched for their Australian Cattle dog for over an hour and finally gave up believing that either the rough waves or severe wake had claimed her as a victim.

Instead of succumbing to the sea, Sophie swam over five miles in these same rough seas to a small deserted island. For four months she lived on a diet of wild baby goats she herself caught and killed. She was spotted by wildlife rangers who characterized her as wild. She would not allow herself to be approached by humans and was very protective of her food.

She was finally trapped and her story caught the attention of various news agencies and also her owners. Characterized as wild as soon as she spotted her owners she immediately transformed back to the sweet domestic dog they had always known and loved. It was an immediate reunion and truly happy ending.

April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month

Want to support shelter animals but can't adopt for what ever reason? Many shelters including the SPCA and Humane Society have donation and sponsorship programs. It's an easy way to get involved. So if you can't adopt- support. Thanks

Links to both these agencies are found in our links section.

Dogs In the News

According to an article on Live Science ( livescience.com), dogs do look like their owners. According to the article, 70 people were shown photos of 41 dog owners along with three breeds to chose from. The 70 people (non dog owners) were right over half the time. Random correctness should have yielded 33% results.

Officials in Winston have located and rescued 90 small breed dogs living in squalor as part of a puppy mill operation. They believe there are over 100 more to be found. Please remember adoption, not mills. Know where your dog comes from.

Fall In Love, Adopt a MUTT by DrJLove
On zazzle.com

Finally, also according to Live Science. com, cow farts could be reduced and thereby greenhouse gas emissions by use of fish oil. It seems the omega 3 fatty acids in fish cut down on gas production. Good news.

150 Dogs Up For Adoption

It's hard to imagine 200 dogs in one location. Yet that is how many were taken from a puppy mill in Missouri. Of the 200, 150 are up for adoption. While many are pure bred, it's also true that many of these have lived their entire lives in cages and are not even house broken. If your heart is set on a pure bred and there is nothing wrong with that. Make sure the breeder is reputable and don't ever knowingly buy from a mill.

War Hero Remembered

During World War II a stray named Rip was credited with saving more than 100 bombing victims- locating them amid the rubble. After himself being rescued from starvation, Rip, a terrier mix, began searching bombed out buildings and locating victims. He won a Dickin Medal- a British medal of bravery given to animals. His medal was recently auctioned and fetched over $14,000.

Dogs have often served with man during times of war- during WWI and II carrying supplies and medical aid. During ancient times dogs were bred to fight.

Long Distance Adoption

According to NBC News Connecticut, 45 street dogs were flown in from Puerto Rico overnight to the SPCA in Stamford, CT. They will be available for adoption this weekend. This is a great example of doing whatever it takes to get these dogs adopted rather than the alternative. To view the story follow the link below.

http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Street_Dogs_Arrive_in_Connecticut_Hartford.html

Or got to the CT SPCA site www.spcact.org for more information.

Penny -The Grand Dog

If our daughter and her boyfriend have a dog, doesn't that make her our Granddog? I think so even though I am too young for a grand anything...

Penny is a dynamo. She has many of the qualities of other Grandchildren. She comes over when we say and leaves when we are done. She is a great dog and is one of the few dogs that our terminally shy dog Sissy will play with. And she's cute too.

Lyme

You've previously been introduced to Hobo. He is one of our older dogs. Having older dogs we realize that every new day is a gift. One day I noticed that Hobo could barely get up our one step into the back door. It got to the point where I helped him up and down so he could go to the bathroom. That evening things just seemed worse. I was sure that we were nearing the end of our time together. I held and petted him while we called the vet.

We got into the vet first thing the next morning. All sorts of tests were done including blood work to test for Lyme disease. The good news is that it was Lyme and Hobo responded immediately to his prescribed drugs. All the dogs are treated monthly with flea and tic protection. But if a tic gets in and is infected with Lyme..

If your dog suddenly gets limp, comes up lame, seems suddenly old, has sudden joint pain consider Lyme and get your dog tested. The fact that you don't see a tic is no guarantee- get them tested. Deer tics are small and in long haired dogs nearly invisible.

Why, Jack?

I've been asked why I posted such an ugly photo of Jack. Here is another photo. Sometimes you just have to work with what you have.

Dog Log Cafe Sissy's Final Tail

I usually get attached to a new dog immediately. Without exception there is some connection. Not so with Sissy. At about the one year mark of fostering her we received a call from the Humane Society that we needed to do something- either return her or adopt.

For several months after bringing Sissy home, Xena was her only K-9 friend. Every weekend, weather permitting, we would take all the dogs to the dog park. Most of the dogs love it. Not Sissy. Her fear kept her at arms length from all the other dogs who tried to befriend her. But when she and Xena would take off running, perhaps after a real or imaginary squirrel, Sissy was in heaven. If she could play with just Xena, she was in heaven. Problem of course is that Xena wants to play with everyone. After a while Nikki and Xena and Sissy began to all play.

There was still the problem with us, me and Sissy. She would not allow me to approach if I was standing though she would tolerate me while sitting. In fact after a year she would come up to me in the car while going to the park and nudge me for some affection. She tolerates women much better and allowed our daughter's boyfriend to approach and to pet her while standing.

With all our lack of trust and lack of public displays of affection there was no way I was going to return her and have her go back in that cage. I knew, no matter how short the time, that she would have lost everything she gained. She and Xena and Nikki are good friends. A new beagle has entered our lives, Penny and they too are friends. Sissy and I are also making progress both while sitting and standing. It will improve with time.

Next installment- Penny.

Dog Log Cafe Number 6 Sissy

I recall being at the Humane Society one weekend day and seeing a dog all the way in the back of her cage, frightened to no end. She stayed like this no matter who walked by. Complete terror. Though we had five dogs already and had some success at helping other dogs in need as I looked at this dog I could not think of a way to help; I could not imagine what we would do.

A week or so later we received a call from the Humane Society asking if we were interested in fostering another dog. One with shyness and fear issues. We agreed to look and it was this same dog, named Sissy. In her current state she was not adoptable, would not come to anyone and showed nothing but fear. Her history was a little uncertain. She was probably a year to a year and a half old and had already had a litter of pups. She came from a shelter in North Carolina with her last remaining pup. (we are in CT) It was possible she had always been a stray.

Again I looked at her in her cage and could not imagine the way in which we would help her- yet we agreed.

I took her for a walk around the property prior to putting her in the van for the ride home. She stayed at the very end of the leash, as far away as possible. I believe she shook in fear the entire drive home. It was my hope that our other dogs would be the answer for Sissy and they had been in the past. Next entry - the introduction to the rest of the pack.

Dog Log Cafe- Volume 5 Jack Bear

As previously stated from time to time we have been privileged to work with the local Humane Society. Several months after Lenny we were asked to consider fostering a miniature poodle. All the dogs we have met have a story and Jack, real name Jack Bear, is no exception.

The story we got is that Jack at the time was ten years old and that actually there were two, Jack and another miniature poodle. The other dog died and Jack started crying and didn't stop. So the owners bought a puppy hoping that Jack would enjoy the new friend and stop the crying. Well Jack kept crying and the couple decided they liked the new dog better and after ten years gave Jack up to the Humane Society.

Jack would not stop crying there either and we were again asked to bring him home in the hopes that the pack would help him get over his crying or grief. We met Jack after his having some teeth pulled. He was crying then, we agreed to take him and he cried all the way home. He was afraid of the pack and barked and cried. But like Lenny he soon came around began to fit in. His crying stopped probably an hour of so after he got home. After several weeks we received a call from the Humane Society that that had someone interested in meeting Jack and possibly adopting him.

It just so happened that this was a day or two before my daughters birthday and she informed me she was hoping to keep Jack with us. So Jack Bear became her birthday present and pack member number 5.

Think you're a manly-man? Try calling out Jack Bear to your miniature poodle and see how macho you sound.

Dog Log Cafe- Tough Times

A discussion this morning on a daily news show highlighted the affect that these tough economic times have on pets. When people get laid off often the pets are the first to suffer as they are given over to adoption centers and shelters in an effort to save money.

Dogs don't judge. Don't care that you're rich or poor. They repay love with love. In these tough times please remember the pets. Adopt if you can- you will be rewarded.

Dog Log Cafe- Washington Pups

Congratulations to newly sworn in Vice President Biden and his family on the adoption of their German Shepherd Dog. The Obamas have still to choose their new dog.

President Bush had two Scottish Terriers, Barney and Miss Beazley.

Dog Log Cafe- K9 Hero

In December 2008, in Santiago Chile, highway cameras captured an incredible event as one dog risked his life to save another dog that had been hit by a car. The injured dog died. The hero dog ran off and was not seen again. Click here to see this incredible video on YouTube.

Dog Log Cafe Lenny

We have also been in the fortunate position to help the Humane Society from time to time. Our first assignment was Lenny, another Beagle who had been given up at quite an old age. He suffered from what was believed to be extreme shyness. It was hoped that our pack (we had four at the time) could help bring him out of his shell. When He was brought home there was about half an hour when the five were sniffing and barking and then without warning- all playing together as though they were life long friends.

Really, that is the great thing about dogs- they get along. They never looked back and from that first meeting Lenny fit in. There would certainly have been worse things than having Lenny as a permanent part of the family. But fortunately for him an elderly gentleman came to the Humane Society looking for an older dog that did not require too much physical activity. Lenny was the perfect fit. We returned him to the shelter and it was love at first site. Perhaps it was his years but Lenny exemplified the affectionate side of the Beagle. Some part of Lenny always had to be touching a part of some human. Lenny just made you feel loved.

Dog Log Cafe Volume 4 Ryuu (Part Two)

When we left off the tale of Ryuu, I was feeling quite desperate. I had no inkling how much noise one dog could make. We had managed to track down the young man who had left the dog with us and he seemed to think the noise was no big deal. In reality his situation had not changed at all; he was still living place to place and asked if we could continue to keep him. At this time Ryuu had not been neutered and the previous owner was not sure about breeding him or not.

Its likely obvious that Ryuu became a part of our family- the fourth dog in the pack. He did get neutered and seemed quieter. I am now a huge beagle fan. He is hysterical to watch when he picks up a scent that interests him and he is on the trail. He makes a clicking sound and a cross between a coo and a whine and makes noises I can't really describe. He definitely would follow wherever his nose and the scent take him. At the end of the day he is the first to snuggle up against you and fall asleep. He does several things well, he tracks, sleeps and eats better than most and if he is awake he is smiling his infectious smile.