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Archive for December, 2008


The Dogs of Christmas

Wednesday, December 10th, 2008

All our Chiristmas canidsWoof woof woof! Woof woof woof! Woof, woof woof, woof woof! (to Jingle Bells.)

I almost titled this one “The Canids of Christmas” instead, but I decided I might stick to the vernacular names that I started with on the cats post. I hope everyone is having a lovely day, because it’s time to cry havoc and let loose the dogs of Yuletide.

http://dogs.about.com/od/fordoglovers/ig/Christmas

About.com is chock full of galleries of Christmas stuff, especially when it comes to pets, which is why we’re linking back here again. Check out the Santa hats on these puppies (and dogs)! Twenty four photos and images to bark in the holiday season.

http://photobucket.com/images/dog christmas

Another fun gallery. It runs a large gamut between photographs and stockings, even Christmas cards. I wonder if there’s any ideas in what to do for your favorite pooch on this fine holiday season—certainly there should be some keen suggestions in these images.

http://icanhascheezburger.com/tag/loldog

LOLDOGS? Aww.

We could not find any appropriate LOLDOG to usher in the spirit of the season, so please accept this funny picture of a cat with a dog ear on its head.

Urban legends: Deciphering Country of Origin barcodes for pet food

Tuesday, December 9th, 2008

UPC bar codes may be misleadingI am one of those pet lovers that take great care to make sure that my dog has the best of food. The thought of him becoming ill or dying due to contaminated food is so horrifying that I very carefully read every label and want to make sure that not only are there healthy ingredients but that it is made in the USA.

Recently, I received an email that contained a chart for deciphering the EAN bar codes on dog food to determine the country where a product is made. It sounded like a great solution to me so I decided to do a little more research.

Wow, am I glad that I did! I found that this is an urban legend. According to Snopes.com, the determination of product origins is more complex than simply looking at an EAN (European Article Number) bar code and correlating it to a country code chart. The 3-digit prefix in an EAN bar code indicates the country where the bar code was assigned. This is not necessarily the country where the product originated. The example that snopes.com gives is: if a Mexican company imported fruit from Guatemala, then packed and shipped the fruit to the United States, the final product’s EAN would likely indicate an origination in Mexico and not Guatemala.

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration mandates country-of-origin labeling on many food products, but this does not apply to pet food. Consumer groups are currently advocating the closure of this and other loopholes.

Therefore, for now, I will continue to scan the ingredients and labels and will follow the old adage of “Let the Buyer Beware”.

LA Times running an article about Black Dog Syndrome

Tuesday, December 9th, 2008

Looks like the LA Times has picked up on some of the controversy in the animal welfare head space about dark colored animals. While we have reported about it here on PETS 911 it is not fully accepted across the board; yet it seems to be prevalent enough to merit both concern and controversy about the expectations of the public.

While the response seems to be not about adoptability, but length of wait, that still seems to fit the fears that this particular term is covering. Harder to adopt out isn’t the same thing as impossible to adopt out–it’s still something that may need further public education and outreach to counteract.

When prospective adopters do venture to a shelter, black dogs sometimes fade away into the kennel shadows. “They almost become invisible,” Bernstein said.

Reliable quantitative studies on the problem are few, and Ed Boks, general manager of the Los Angeles Animal Services department, said his data indicate black dog syndrome is a myth.

In the last 12 months, he said, 27% of the 30,046 dogs taken in by his department were predominantly or all black. Of those that were adopted, 28% were predominantly or all black, he said.

Whitman said the question isn’t whether a black dog will get adopted, but how long it will take. The average wait at her shelter is two weeks, she said. Black dogs may linger two months.

Karen Terpstra, who until recently was executive director of the Humane Society of Kent County in Michigan, said the problem is national. “We’d have a purebred black Lab, 2 or 3 years old, pretty much the perfect age, and it would sit there for weeks waiting to get adopted,” said Terpstra, now chief operations officer for SPCA Cincinnati. “A tan Lab would go in days.”

Link, via the LA Times

PETS 911 Article on Big Black Dog Syndrome

The Cats of Christmas

Monday, December 8th, 2008

cat-peeking-through-treeWith the season neigh upon us, it’s about time to turn out eyes towards the evergreen trees, egg nog, and holiday greetings from relatives. Also, strange fun by the fireplace with our pets and loved ones.

To help start celebrating this early, we figured that a few links to places that have galleries of cats at Christmas would be a good start.

http://cats.about.com/od/catpictures/ig/Christmas-Cats

About.com has a nice assorted gallery of cat pictures. Cats with Santa, cats and mistletoe (do not eat!), cats lurking in Christmas trees, cats opening presents! All the things that a delighted cat owner might want to get in on. For smiles and cheer, and whiskers, certainly.

http://lisascatloverspages.com/catchristmaspic.html

If the above moggies weren’t enough for all of us there’s also this lovely little gallery. Two pages of cats batting at tensil, sniffing Christmas lights, and otherwise loving it up.

http://icanhascheezburger.com/tag/christmas

Of course, who can go on nowadays without a daily dose of LOLcattery? I can has Christmas!

funny pictures of cats with captions

Merry kitty Christmas everyone and a sprightly Yule.

CanineCancerAwareness.org, Advocacy for canine cancers education and dogs in need

Friday, December 5th, 2008
Trigger, a dog in need of help at Canine Cancer Awareness.org

Trigger, a dog in need of help at CanineCancerAwareness.org

We would like to bring everyone’s attention to the plight of dogs suffering from cancer, and an organization that assists them. Here is one dog whose story has touched our hearts.

I adopted Tigger three years ago from Small Dog Rescue in Princeton, NJ. They saved him from being put down. He was adopted into three homes before and returned. The moment our eyes met it was love at first sight. Tigger is my son, my love, my everything. In August 2007, the University of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia performed an ultrasound and a mass was seen in the liver. The next day it was removed with clean margins. Diagnosis: hepatocelluar carcinoma HCC, a highly curative cancer with surgery. But Tigger’s cancer returned in May 2008. He had a chemoembolization performed.

The above image and text are quoted from Tigger’s sponsorship page. This is where people can go to sponsor particular dogs.

CanineCancerAwareness.org aids people with paying for the medical treatment of dogs who have contracted various cancers. Pet caregivers who have an animal in dire straights often find themselves between the rock and the hard-place of caring for their pet or going bankrupt.

They are an advocacy group attempting to shed light on the dreadful reality of dog cancers, but they also work to help bring people who have suffering pets needed relief. As they say on their site, there are an overwhelming number of people who need aid—and like any aid organization they are at the mercy of their resources—so they seek sponsorship of the dogs on their rolls.

SPONSOR A DOG

Besides providing knowledge and an awareness of canine cancer, Canine Cancer Awareness has mainly been established to help those owners who have been faced with a diagnosis of cancer in their precious dog but simply cannot afford treatment. Our goal is to assist the owner with treatment costs while working closely, and sending funds directly to, their veterinarian.

However, due to the overwhelming requests we have gotten for financial assistance, we are unfortunately unable to help all of those who have gone through the application process. We screen our applicants very carefully so as to distinguish those who truly are not able to afford treatment. These treatments can be very expensive, most times in the thousands, which also depletes our funds rather quickly. Our goal is to really make a difference.

There are many more and it’s a cause close to the heart of many pet owners. Even if you aren’t here to donate money, perhaps you can read up on their mission and advocacy and help work to spread awareness of canine cancer.

Link to CanineCancerAwareness.org

Oil tycoon’s wife to ride to the rescue of wild horses

Friday, December 5th, 2008

Billionare's wife to help rescue horsesMadeleine Pickens, wife of the eccentric billionaire tycoon T. Boone Pickens, wants to ride to the rescue of a beleaguered national icon. The wild horses that have been an emblem of the wide-open American West for centuries more recently became a major headache for the federal government, which routinely removes some of the horses from 1o Western states to prevent overpopulation and protect grazing land. But as the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) holding facilities grew crowded, federal officials gingerly announced that they were considering a euthanasia program to cull the herds at their facilities and contain costs.

The plight of these horses is still in the wind and news is a little scarce; but it’s very good to hear that there are those out there with the means as well as the passion to help them out.

This one has been in the making for a bit–and we’re not ones to just churn up old news–but for any horse advocates and enthusiasts this is probably something to look to.

Links: via Discover Magazine and horsechannel.com.

Change.org: Pass the Puppy Uniform Protection Statute to Help Stop Puppy Mills

Thursday, December 4th, 2008

The mission of change.org is to be a vehicle for the voice of the citizens. Right now they are collecting causes from people, the ten most popular will be presented to the Obama Administration.

Let’s all try to get behind facing up to the strive and sorrow caused for animal welfare by putting our voice behind the dangerous practices of puppy mills.

This would amend the Animal Welfare Act to require commercial breeders who breed 50 or more dogs per year and who sell directly to the public (including over the Internet) to be licensed and inspected by the USDA.

It would also require that all commercial dealers remove the dogs from their cages and provide them opportunities for 60 minutes of exercise every day.

Currently, only facilities that breed dogs for sale through pet stores are required to be licensed and inspected. But thanks to a gap in the law, puppy mills that sell directly to the public are exempt from any federal regulation. Internet sellers and other outlets sell thousands of puppies a year to unsuspecting consumers.

Female breeding dogs in puppy mills are typically forced to live their entire lives in small cages with no opportunity for exercise, socialization, or human interaction. Due to neglect, their puppies are often sick, leaving outraged consumers with frail, sometimes dying puppies and high vet bills.

This law would curb the worst abuses in the puppy mill industry. It’s a much-needed upgrade to our nation’s laws that protect man’s best friend from cruelty and harm.

Link, via change.org.

Adoption Story: I adopted Lucky 16 and 1/2 years ago

Thursday, December 4th, 2008
<b>Lucky</b>. Share your life with a wonderful companion and make this Holiday one that you won’t forget.

Lucky. Share your life with a wonderful companion and make this Holiday one that you won’t forget.

One of the best things about working for Pets911.com is that I receive all sorts of wonderful letters from people. Today I received a letter from Jane L. that I want to share. Her message of the love and joy that an animal can bring to a human is especially meaningful and poignant this year. 

In 1992 I lost my first cat named Willie to cancer and I was heartbroken he was 13 ½ years old. When I lost him, I wept bitterly and couldn’t find the words to express the loss I felt for him. My husband couldn’t stand the pain that I was in so he went to a shelter and bought Lucky for me he was a domestic short hair white cat and had blue eyes and he purred so wonderfully he soon filled my heart with a song.

I kept Lucky for a very long time and he was not very docile he would climb telephone poles and everything he could find. He was taken around the neighborhood with a leash and walked everywhere with us. He even had a summer home and frequented trips to the seashore. He never left my side and one night he darted out the door and I couldn’t find him. I sent out flyers and emailed everyone that I could think of and to no avail. I sent people to the shelters and emailed them also looking for Lucky.

After one month of looking, I finally found him under a car full of fleas, dirty and full of grease. We took him to the vet and he gave him medication and he is still very fine and healthy. We will never let him out by accident again!

Share your life with a wonderful companion and make this Holiday one that you won’t forget. There are too many animals out there without homes just take a walk around your neighborhood at night and see how many are lost or wandered off somewhere.

Take one home with you please.

Thank you for listening,

Jane L

Dog Sports: playtime with our canine friends, more than just fun

Thursday, December 4th, 2008

Did you know there are dog sports that you can teach your dog and then participate in competitions? There are a number of sports you can do with your dog, depending on your goal. The most popular are agility, fly ball and herding. However, there is also dock diving, lure course, dog Frisbee and rally obedience, all of which have become increasingly more popular over the past few years

Our relationships with our pets cause us to engage them in numerous roles, in particular dogs have domesticated into our lives as companions in work and play. By participating in sports with your dog you can strengthen this relationship, engage your dog in traditions they’ve fairly been bred for, and even increase your rapport with your dog.

PETS 911 friend and writer, Cynthia Hamilton, has written up an article about Dog Sports and what benefits you and yours could gain by participating.

Dog Sports, by Cynthia Hamilton

Dachshunds, and a loving archaeologist

Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008

Iris Love, archaeologist and long-time breeder of dachshunds, speaks about the breed and their strange history as well as her own experiences with them.

iris-love-and-dachshundThe 74-year-old archaeologist owns dozens of dachshunds, six of which are slated to compete next week in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show championships, held at Madison Square Garden. Love’s top dog is the somewhat fancifully named Champion Dachsmith Love’s Psyche NT II. At the end of Psyche’s rookie campaign, she is currently ranked the No. 1 smooth bitch and the No. 2 smooth dachshund all-breed. All of Love’s entries are champs, and nearly all are named for heroes of Greek mythology.

Love has bred or co-bred numerous dachshunds that have won the national specialty, which encompasses all three coats: smooth, wire-haired, and long-haired. Tyche Tyche, whom Love named for the goddess of good fortune, is a three-time American Kennel Club dachshund bitch of the year. Tyche’s nephew Diomedes was once the highest-ranking dachshund, but he was supplanted by Adamis, who has lived her entire life in the lap of lapdog luxury.

Link, via the Condé Nast Portfolio