December 17th 2011 2:25 pm
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If you can start the day without caffeine,
If you can be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,
If you can eat the same food and be grateful for it,
If you can understand when loved ones are too busy to give you time,
If you can overlook when people take things out on you,
If you can take criticism and blame without resentment,
If you can face the world without lies and deceit,
If you can conquer tension without medical help,
If you can do all these things...............
Then you are probably the family dog.
September 11th 2010 10:18 am
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Today is Responsible Dog Ownership Day!
As we know, caring properly for a dog takes commitment, time and work-not just providing them with a bowl of food and water.
To promote Responsible Dog Ownership, how about we make a list?
Please comment this diary entry with important qualities that YOU think makes a dog owner responsible...let's see how long we can make the list! I've started the first four:
RESPONSIBLE DOG OWNERSHIP LIST
1. Providing adequate exercise
2. Cleaning up after (picking up dog waste)
3. Providing veterinary care
4. Socializing
May 15th 2010 9:01 pm
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Tracksie was found as a puppy by animal control on the side of a busy highway. She was then taken to an animal shelter. Weeks passed, and no one claimed her. I was visiting the shelter one day, looking for the perfect dog. I had wanted a dog for a diuturnity, and Beagles had always been my favorite breed. Tracksie was absolutely the most perfect pup for me. At seven months old, she was the most sweetest, lovable dog I had ever met. When she saw me she came running to the gate of the cage. I put my hand though the hole and she licked it. I fell in love and was ready to adopt. However, two men had wanted to adopt her, so the shelter volunteers decided to do a coin toss to see would could adopt the beagle girl. So, I took a day off to go the drawing...it all went so quickly, I can't even remember what happened, I just heard a "Congratulations!" Then they told me to pick which beagle I wanted, for I was not able to take them both. I picked Tracks. Then I heard clapping, and people wanted to take a picture of her to put in the newspaper. After signing more papers, and paying an adoption donation of only $20, I brought her home and there began our everlasting friendship.
February 14th 2010 6:09 pm
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1. Adopt from a shelter
Many pet breeders have only one goal in mind—to raise large quantities of purebred animals for profit. They’ve also been pilloried for misdeeds such as overbreeding, inbreeding, poor veterinary oversight, lousy food and living conditions, overcrowding, and culling of unwanted animals. Why buy when you can ADOPT one of the 70,000 puppies and kittens born every day in the United States? Love knows no pedigree. Check out Petfinder.com to find your perfect match.
2. Spay or neuter your pet
Did we mention 70,000 puppies and kittens are born every day in the United States? That’s 15 puppies and 45 kittens for every hairless biped that slides out of a birth canal. And “multiplying like bunnies” isn’t just any old trope. We don’t need any more homeless animals than we already have. As a bonus, spaying and neutering helps dogs and cats live longer, healthier lives by eliminating the possibility of uterine, ovarian, and testicular cancer, and decreasing the incidence of prostate disease.
3. Rein in your pets; protect native wildlife
Always keep your dog on a leash when outside, and confine your mangy feline indoors. Topped only perhaps by habitat destruction, cats are the biggest, baddest bird killers of all time. Even wind turbines have got nothing on them. While you may poo-poo high cat-related bird-mortality rates as collateral damage in the great Circle of Life, domestic cats do have an unfair advantage. Unlike wild predators, house cats are always well fed, well rested, and in tip-top fighting shape. They’re also present in more concentrated (and rapidly increasing) numbers than say, the San Clemente Loggerhead Shrike.
That aside, two out of every three vets, according to the Humane Society of America, recommend keeping cats indoors, because of the dangers of cars, predators, disease, and other hazards. The estimated average life span of a free-roaming cat is less than three years; an indoors-only cat gets to live an average of 15 to 18 years. If kitty needs to heed the call of the wild, an outdoor cat enclosure is a good compromise.
4. Swap out the junk food
Most conventional pet-food brands you find at the supermarket consist of reconstituted animal by-products, otherwise known as low-grade wastes from the beef and poultry industries—you know, inedibles you wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot fork. In fact, the animals used to make many pet foods are classified as “4-D,” which is really a polite way of saying “Dead, Dying, Diseased, or Down (Disabled)” when they line up at the slaughterhouse. Unless that can of Chicken ‘N Liver Delite explicitly states that it contains FDA-certified, food-grade meat, you should know that its contents are considered unfit for human consumption—but apparently good enough for your cat or pooch.
Now, since nutrition is one of the key determinants of health and resistance to disease, ideally you’ll want your pet’s chow to be comparable in quality with what we would eat.
Natural and organic pet foods use meats that are raised in sustainable, humane ways without added drugs or hormones, minimally processed, and preserved with natural substances, such as vitamins C and E. Certified-organic pet foods must meet strict USDA standards that spell out how ingredients are produced and processed, which means no pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, artificial preservatives, artificial ingredients or genetically engineered ingredients.
5.Clean up their poop
Scoop up your doggie doo in biodegradable poop bags so your buddy’s No. 2 isn’t immortalized in a plastic bag, while deep-sixed in a landfill somewhere for hundreds of years. Cat owners should avoid clumping clay litter at all costs. Not only is clay strip-mined (bad for the planet), but the clay sediment is also permeated with carcinogenic silica dust that can coat little kitty lungs (bad for the cat). Plus, the sodium bentonite that acts as the clumping agent can poison your cat through chronic ingestion through their fastidious need to groom. Because sodium bentonite acts like expanding cement—it’s also used as a grouting, sealing, and plugging material—it can swell up to15 to18 times their dry size and clog up your cat’s insides. Eco-friendly cat litters avoid these problems; a happy cat is a cat that doesn’t claw your face off.
6. Give them sustainable goods
Your furry friends can get in on some saving-the-planet goodness, too—and have plenty of fun—with toys made from recycled materials or sustainable fibers (sans herbicides or pesticides) such as hemp. A hemp collar (with matching leash) is a rocking accessory for a tree-hugging mutt. These days, you can even get pet beds made with organic cotton or even recycled PET bottles.
7. Use natural pet-care and cleaning products
You don’t use toxic-chemical-laced shampoos and beauty products, so lather up your cats and dogs (or ferrets, rabbits, or hamsters—we don’t judge) with natural pet-care products, as well. And if your cat horks up a hairball, or Fifi doesn’t make it all the way to the bathroom, clean up the mess with cleaning products that are as gentle on the planet as they are on your critters’ delicate senses.
8. Pets, not fads
Sure, everyone’s ovaries ping when they see a five-year-old moppet cradle a tiny chick or a bunny during Easter, but nature dictates that baby bunnies grow up into rabbits, and little chicks into full-size chickens. Unless everyone involved understands that a pet is a long-term commitment that involves demands on both their time and money, you’re better off giving the kid a stuffed animal. Impulse buying (say, rushing out an grabbing the next available Dalmatian puppy after watching 101 Dalmatians) isn’t a good idea, either, as the large numbers of fad dogs that pass through shelters (often to their death) can attest. Repeat after us—especially you, Paris Hilton: Pets are not fads or fashion accessories.
9. Melt the ice, nicely
Use a child- and pet-safe deicer such as Safe Paw’s environmentally friendly Ice Melter. Rock salt and salt-based ice-melting products, which kids and animals might accidentally ingest, can cause health problems, while contaminating wells and drinking supplies.
10. Tag your pet
It might be a stretch to call inserting an electronic ID chip into your pet an eco-friendly move, but losing your buddy causes extreme emotional distress that turns you into nobody’s friend. Then there’s the paper waste from printing out Missing posters, the fuel cost of driving around your neighborhood trying to find them, the phone bill as you bawl your eyes out to everyone you know … well, you get the idea. Ask your vet for more info. For hanging tags, check out these recyclable (and recycled) aluminum ID tags and these WaggTaggs made from recycled silver.
For more info go to: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/03/how-to-green-your-pet.php
November 28th 2009 10:50 pm
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Here’s a quick cut-out-and-keep checklist of ingredients to avoid when shopping for pet food.
• By-products of any kind - these can include beaks, feet, feathers, nostrils, hair and hide trimmings and other animal parts that lack nutrition or are hard to digest.
• Meat / Poultry Meal (versus a named meat such as lamb or chicken) - always look for named meats such as turkey, lamb or beef etc, as opposed to generic terms which could be a concoction of various animal species and may even include roadkill or meat form animals that were diseased.
• Preservatives such as BHA, BHT and Ethoxyquin - these may be added to meat prior to purchase by pet food manufacturer, in which case the manufacturer does not have to declare them. Some manufacturers add them to their recipes and may list them on the ingredients panels. The FDA currently allows only a trace amount of ethoxyquin residue (.5 to 5 ppm) in human consumed foods, yet it allows high amounts (150 ppm) to be used in pet food and livestock feeds. Ethoxyquin is listed as a hazardous chemical by OSHA. BHA and BHT have been linked with increased risk of thyroid, stomach and bladder cancers.
• Fillers – these include, husks, hulls, and other cheap ingredients used to bring down a food’s total production cost.
• For sensitive pets prone to chronic GI upset, ear infections, itching and chewing at the feet, it’s also advisable to add glutenous grains to your red-flag list to avoid. Grains like wheat and corn, as well as soy (which is extremely hard for a canine to assimilate) and beet pulp (added to some pet foods to produce smaller stool size) can aggravate many of these conditions. A totally grain-free diet often mitigates these problems completely.
November 14th 2009 12:28 am
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With the Thanksgiving holiday dawning upon us, here are four things I am Thankful for.
❦ I am thankful for my wonderful dog Tracksie. I can't imagine my life without her... The relationship I have formed with her has taught me an earthy wisdom about living in the world. -I honestly couldn't ask for a better dog.
❦ I am thankful for all the amazing people out there that foster the animals that I can't. Fostering a needy pet is one of the most important things an animal lover can do. I am so thankful for those people that can welcome those animals with open arms. You are all super heroes.
❦ I am thankful for the people who care enough in this world to make a stand. I am thankful for the people who wont allow 'the way things are' to be an excuse for allowing it to continue. I am thankful for the people who open their hearts to the chance of pain, in order to allow a soul to feel loved and do whatever they can to help one in need.
❦ I thankful for all dogs and cats and animals of the world. I could get lost in all their eyes every hour of everyday. Animals are truly amazing.
October 14th 2009 9:23 am
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Ensure the safety of your harried hound:
• Skip the sweets. Several popular Halloween treats are toxic to pets. Candies containing the artificial sweetener xylitol can be poisonous to dogs. Even small amounts of xylitol sweetener can cause a sudden drop in blood sugar, which leads to depression, lack of coordination and seizures. “Chocolate, especially baker’s and dark chocolate can also be potentially poisonous to animals, especially dogs,” advises Dr. Hansen. Symptoms of significant chocolate ingestion may include vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity and increased thirst, urination and heart rate and even seizures.
• Watch out for those wrappers. Cats especially love to play with candy wrappers, but ingesting aluminum foil or cellophane can cause intestinal blockage and induce vomiting.
• Trick-or-treating is for kids, not pets. During trick-or-treating hours it is best to keep pets in a room away from your front door. “Halloween brings a flurry of activity with visitors constantly arriving at the door, and pets may escape the safety of their home. Be sure that your pet has identification tags should he or she accidentally get loose,” recommends Gail Buchwald, senior vice president of the ASPCA Pet Adoption Center in Manhattan. Make sure your pet is wearing a collar with tags and/or is microchipped.
• Careful with costumes! If you dress up your pet for Halloween, make sure the costume does not limit his movement, hearing, sight or ability to breathe or bark. Also check the costume for choking hazards. A smart alternative to dressing your pet from head-to-paw? A simple, festive Halloween bandana.
• Decorations can be dangerous. Re-think putting candles in Jack-O-Lanterns. Pets can easily knock over Jack-O-Lanterns and start a fire, and curious kittens are particularly at risk of getting burned by candle flames. Also take care to prevent your pets from having access to wires and cords from holiday decorations. If chewed, a wire can damage your pet’s mouth from shards of glass or plastic, or deliver a potentially lethal electrical shock.
• If your dog or cat accidentally ingests any potentially harmful products and you need emergency advice, please consult your veterinarian or the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 (a fee applies) or http://www.aspca.org/apcc.
Have a safe and happy Halloween!!
October 8th 2009 6:40 pm
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"To be happy, use your nose. Every day is rich in smells..."
September 6th 2009 8:21 pm
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Labor Day weekend marks summer’s unofficial end, and many families are heading out—with their companion animals—for end-of-season getaways. The ASPCA hopes you enjoy the last days of summer and reminds you to make sure your four-legged friends enjoy a safe holiday, too. By following these simple safety tips, you can rest assured your pet will remain happy and healthy during his last summer blast!
1. Do not apply any sunscreen or insect repellent product to your pet that is not labeled specifically for use on animals. Ingestion of sunscreen products can result in drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive thirst and lethargy. The misuse of insect repellent that contains DEET can lead to neurological problems.
2. Always assign a dog guardian. No matter where you’re celebrating, be sure to assign a friend or member of the family to keep an eye on your pooch—especially if you’re not in a fenced-in yard or other secure area. With all the festivities, it’s easy to overlook a dog on the run!
3. Made in the shade. Pets can get dehydrated quickly, so give them plenty of fresh, clean water, and make sure they have a shady place to escape the sun. Be careful to not over-exercise them, and keep them indoors when it's extremely hot.
4. Always keep matches and lighter fluid out of paws’ reach. Certain types of matches contain chlorates, which could potentially damage blood cells and result in difficulty breathing—or even kidney disease in severe cases. Lighter fluid can be irritating to skin, and if ingested, can produce gastrointestinal irritation and central nervous system depression. If lighter fluid is inhaled, pneumonia and breathing problems could develop.
5. Keep your pet on his normal diet. Any change, even for one meal, can give your pet severe indigestion and diarrhea. This is particularly true for older animals who have more delicate digestive systems and nutritional requirements. And keep in mind that people foods such as onions, chocolate, coffee, avocado, salt, yeast dough, grapes and raisins can all be potentially toxic to companion animals.
6. Keep citronella candles, insect coils and oil products out of reach. Ingesting any of these items can produce stomach irritation and possibly even central nervous system depression in your pets, and if inhaled, the oils could cause aspiration pneumonia.
7. Never leave your dog alone in the car. Traveling with your dog means occasionally you’ll make stops in places where he’s not permitted. Be sure to rotate dog walking duties between family members, and never leave your animals alone in a parked vehicle. On a hot day, a parked car can become a furnace in no time, even with the windows open—not to mention it’s illegal in several states!
8. Make a safe splash. Don’t leave pets unsupervised around a pool—not all dogs are good swimmers. Introduce your pets to water gradually and make sure they wear flotation devices when on boats. Rinse your dog off after swimming to remove chlorine or salt from his fur, and try to keep your dog from drinking pool water, which contains chlorine and other chemicals that could cause stomach upset.
Off Link: http://www.aspca.org/news/national/09-04-09.html
September 4th 2009 11:23 am
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PLEASE READ:
To anyone who says, "It's just a dog:"
You are the reason rescues exist, why thousands of dogs die everyday in shelters, homeless and unwanted.
You are the backyard breeder or puppy miller, who looks at a dog and sees dollar signs, who cares nothing for the inevitable decline in the dog's health after having litter upon litter of puppies, nor for the countless dogs who will now die in shelters because the puppies you breed have taken up their homes.
You are the supporter of these backyard breeders and puppy mills, willing to pay $500 or more for a puppy rather than $90 for a rescued dog, because having a pedigree to show off to friends is more important than saving the life of a true and loyal companion.
You are the one who trains dogs to fight, whether for sport or protection, thus abusing your dog and bringing the call for the extermination of an entire breed of perfectly wonderful dogs.
You are the one who thinks nothing of putting your dog to sleep because it doesn't go with the furniture, or it urinates on the carpet, while at the same time balking at the thought of spanking an unruly child.
You are the one who dumps your dog at the shelter when you move, because you're too lazy to find pet-friendly housing.
You are the one who keeps your dog tied up outside, only bothering to provide the occasional bowls of food and water and possibly a tree for shade, because after all, it is just a dog, right?
To the 90 year old woman in the nursing home, abandoned by her family, yearning for companionship, stroking the fur of a new friend with the words "Therapy Dog" on its side, it's not just a dog.
To the young child who has become literate by reading aloud to a dog in the classroom, it's not just a dog.
To the person with skin cancer who had it detected by a dog when the doctors couldn't, it's not just a dog.
To the blind man who now can see through his companion, it's not just a dog.
To anyone who has been in bed, sick with the flu, and has felt the warmth of that cold nose as he curls up between your legs to give you comfort, it's not just a dog.
To anyone who comes home from a hard day of work to be greeted by someone who's so happy to see you they can't stop wiggling, it's not just a dog.
To anyone who has cried at Old Yeller, because they know what it's like to lose their best friend, to know that their friend is suffering and though it may be hard, the best thing to do is to help them go peacefully, it's not just a dog.
When you say, "It's just a dog," you really mean, "Why should I care about it? Dogs aren't important. They're useless. They don't give anything to us, so why should I give them anything in return? Why do I have to care about their feelings? They don't matter in the grand scheme of things. It's just a dog."
To everyone who says, "It's just a dog," I just have this to say to you:
"You're just not human."
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