Jessie, the compassionate dog (at least when Party Marty, that darned cat, is not around!): Sometimes, a picture says way more than mere words can. I just had to post this today. I don’t know to whom credit should be given for the photo, but I trust it will be appreciated by many posting it here. It warms my heart to see this. Dogs rock!
I read an article in the December issue of the Your Dog newsletter that left me shaking my head. Animal ethicists have objected to calling cats and dogs that live with us “pets,” stating that the term is derogatory and belittles our relationship with four-legged residents. Instead of “pet”, the ethicists propose the term “animal companion.”
The ethicists go on to state terms like “pest” , “critter”, and “vermin” should be eliminated when referring to animals. They also believe we referring to ourselves as “pet owners” indicate the animals are property or things to be used without any moral consideration. The replacement for “pet owner” would be “human caregiver.”
Cats and dogs are looking for a safe place to live where they will get the food, shelter and love they deserve. I don’t think they really care if we call them “pets” or “animal companions” as long as we give them a good home.
What do you think?
There are so many things we could learn from our pets that I could go on with this series forever, but I’m going to stop after this third installment. Have you ever held a grudge against someone for a perceived wrong done to you, only to find that other person has moved on and is doing fine? If you think about it, does the grudge really serve any purpose? Not really, what’s done is done and can’t be replayed, so doesn’t seem to waste time dwelling on it, right?
Well, once again, our pets are so much smarter about this than we humans. Pets don’t hold grudges, at least not for more than a few minutes or maybe a day at the most because we’ve left them behind while we were gone. Dogs live in the present, they don’t waste time on the past, or worry constantly about what might happen in the future. Sometimes it seems that pets should hold a grudge, especially against a person that’s abusing them. But, cool beings that they are, pets still care for those they think will take care of them.
You’ll breathe easier once you let the bad feelings tied to the grudge go. Chronic anger has been linked to a decline in lung function, while forgiveness contributes to lower blood pressure and reduced anxiety. People who forgive also tend to have higher self-esteem.
So take it from your wise canine buddy, let the grudge go…….you’ll feel so much better as a result!
What has your dog taught you?
I recently started working with an elderly lady that moved here a couple of weeks ago. She is living in an assisted living community and has a canine roommate.
The lady isn’t very mobile (uses a walker), so it isn’t possible for her to walk the dog. That’s where I come in, walking the dog morning and evening. Those that aren’t “pet people” would question why she would have a pet, since she isn’t able to totally care for her dog.
What I see is that her dog is a companion, keeping her company in the quiet times when family isn’t around and there’s no one else to talk to about the day.
Pets are great company, they watch and listen, but never judge us. They can be a source of comfort in bad times, and are happy to celebrate good times with us.
“Just a dog”‘ “just a cat”……..nope, they’re a whole lot more!
Here’s the story of Leroy, a cat that saved his person’s life, and helped saved the neighbors too!
I found this book reviewed in a magazine I read a few months ago, based on the review I added it to my list of ones to read, and after finishing it today I’m very glad I did!
There are many “a man and his dog” books available, I’ve read a few of them, but I haven’t read one with quite the character Susan Wilson puts into One Good Dog.
The book is told from the perspective of both man and dog. The man, Adam March, is a corporate ladder-climber that has a meltdown one day at the office and loses the posh career and lifestyle he’s become accustomed to. After the meltdown, his wife divorces him, daughter avoids him and he is forced to perform community service at a local homeless shelter.
The canine side of the story is from Chance’s perspective, a pit bull that was trained to fight but eventually finds a way to escape. Chance is quite articulate and perceptive, not traits that would commonly be applied to the breed, but it works the way Wilson tells his story.
Through a series of events, Adam and Chance meet and eventually become a pack of two. They’re both grizzled, not ones to easily trust or care for the other, but over time that does change.
Not everything in this story is pleasant, Chance speaks quite frankly of the fight experience and Adam is shocked to discover what became of his long-lost sister.
This book is a great example of the bond that can and very often does develop between dog (yes, even pit bulls!) and owner. I would very highly recommend it to anyone that is a dog lover!
With so many households now including pets, their role in the family dynamic is changing. While owning pets can have a calming effect in many instances, the pets can create tension in other relationships.
Some families use their pets as peace keepers and often the pet, sensing tension, will do whatever possible to make peace. Since all members of the family view the pet with affection, if the family cat, for example, jumps on the lap of a feuding family member, it often has a calming effect on the warring factions.
Pets can create tension in the family if issues like discipline are not agreed upon by all. As with children, if the pet’s boundaries are not clearly defined and enforced consistently by all family members, behaviorial problems may result. Outside pet behavorists or trainers are often looked to for help in these cases.
Another point of contention may be the pet’s role in the family. Depending on the background of family members, the pet may be viewed almost as a human, while others may view the pet as more of a protector. The differing viewpoints can become even more troublesome when determining how much money to spend for veterinary care, pet supplies or services such as dog walkers.
Families that don’t figure out what the pet’s role will be prior to bringing him home can face some major problems. With some work the issues can hopefully be resolved, keeping the family intact.
What is your pet’s role in your family?
This segment was on last week’s episode of Animal Planet’s Must Love Cats……..I really liked it and wanted to share. This shows how cool kitties can be
I’ve written before about all our pets can teach us, but I read this in the latest issue of The Bark Magazine and liked it so much I wanted to share.
Dogs have the right idea when it comes to:
How DID they get so smart?
I found this article by Linda Valdez on the azcentral.com site and thought it was great. I edited it a bit but the gist is still intact. Enjoy!
Humans spend plenty of money on their dogs. The American Pet Products Association estimates that pet owners in the United States spent $47.7 billion on their pets in 2010. Most went to dogs: The association reports that 45.6 million American households have a dog, while 38.2 million have a cat.
Interacting with dogs can increase a human’s level of oxytocin. That’s the hormone that’s been called the “cuddle chemical.” Oxytocin is released when mammal mothers nurse their babies.
A study published in the journal Hormones and Behavior in 2008 was headlined, “Dog’s gaze at its owner increases owner’s urinary oxytocin during social interaction.” A team of Japanese researchers said the elevated levels of oxytocin found in humans after activities that involved eye contact with dogs “suggests that humans and dogs may have a common style of attachment, and this may partially explain why dogs can adapt to human society.”
On a recent episode of PBS’ “Nova,” Swedish researcher Kerstin Uvnas-Moberg said both human and canine subjects showed a burst of oxytocin in blood samples taken after people spent time petting dogs. The mutual “peak of oxytocin is similar to what we see in breastfeeding mothers,” she said.
Wendy Hultsman, associate professor for parks-and-recreation management at Arizona State University, is deeply involved with dog-agility competitions. She has done academic research on couples who participate in these kinds of dog sports, which require intense dog-human interactions.
“The bond is sometimes much stronger between people and dogs than it is between some members of the family,” Hultsman says of her soon-to-be-published research.
One of the best things about dogs, she says, is that they don’t offer opinions. In a world where even your cellphone has suggestions, that’s worth plenty.
“Dogs fill a wide void in people’s lives,” says Dr. Nancy Bradley, director of medical services at the Arizona Humane Society. She handles animal-cruelty cases, and she has seen “the worst of the worst” that humans do to animals.
When it comes to deciding who contributes most to the human-canine partnership, Bradley has no doubts: “Dogs give us much more than we give them.”
