- 10 Realtime And Reliable Photo Search Engines http://t.co/HoGUk218 via @zite
- Here they come to save the day! 10 Pet Heroes http://t.co/y3eMGNA2 via @zite
- Check out this article: Kemper’s director leaves http://t.co/CE7Usqk0
- This would've been very cool, I think....Steve Jobs' Dream Of iCar Revealed (VIDEO) http://t.co/ANCjjpwi via @zite
- Dogs helping their people..Dog Is Lifesaver for 3-Year-Old with Diabetes http://t.co/8HUXJWYW via @zite
Is Your Pet Head of the House?
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?
A Kitty and a Marine
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
Dogs Have the Right Perspective
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:
- Having the capacity for unselfish love. Dogs love us regardless of our faults and know how to make friends quickly and easily. They don’t obsess about the trials and tribulations of the day and truly embrace the concept of unconditional love.
- Having the ability to live in the moment. Dogs don’t live in the past nor do they worry about the future, they are masters at living in the moment. They know what it’s all about to stop and smell the roses!
- Keeping the peace. Dogs are peaceful souls that have a “live and let live” philosophy. They like to be around friendly beings and enjoy being in a harmonious environment.
How DID they get so smart?
Dogs: They Make Us More Human
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.”
Posts We Liked in 2010
As 2010 draws to a close, it’s time to reflect on the year that was with some of our favorite posts:
- Do You Hear What I Hear? A closer look at our pets and their senses
- Show Me Your Pearly Whites-Like us, our pets enjoy having a bright, shiny smile….ways to keep your pet’s smile looking great
- Positive Aspects of Pet Adoption-we name just a few
- Cleaning Greener-Healthier ingredients to use for cleaning your home
- A Cat or a Kitten? Which Should You Adopt? There are good and bad aspects to either, this post will help you decide which is best for you
- Remembering A Friend-A tribute to Jack the Black Lab, a wonderful client that left this world way too soon
- America’s Top Five Dog Parks-Where they are, what they offer
- Mom, Can We Get a Betta? This post discusses pets that are good choices to help your child learn good pet care habits
- When You Gotta Go, You Gotta Go! Discussion on how long is too long between potty breaks for your pet
- GIGO-Garbage In, Gas Out-What happens when you feed your pet treats or food that don’t agree with him
We look forward to writing about a variety of subjects in 2011. Bo and Jessie are already developing their content calendar!
What subjects would you like to see in 2011?
Five Things to Learn from Your Pet
I was reading the January 2011 issue of Real Simple magazine this morning and came across this article. I really liked it so thought I’d share:
- Celebrate everything. Even if I’m gone only 10 minutes, when I get home Bo and Jessie are so glad to see me! Take time to acknowledge and celebrate the small events in every day. If our pets could speak, they’d say, “you deserve a yummy treat for that!” Who can argue with that logic?
- Just being present is enough. When having a bad day, your pets can sense your mood is not what it could be and will stay close, cuddle with you as a comforting gesture. They don’t say anything, they don’t have to, their closeness is enough. If faced with trying to figure out what to say to a friend that might be dealing with a serious illness or loss of a loved one, words aren’t really necessary, what really matters is showing up.
- Brain size doesn’t matter. The author tells a story of a parrot named Chicken. Although Chicken’s brain wasn’t very large, she took pleasure in human-like activities such as rearranging the cupboards. If you observe pets, you’ll see that even though humans are smarter, we’re still just animals with the same emotions, like anxiety and joy.
- Don’t try so hard. Cats are independent creatures who stay true to themselves and resist outside influences. It wouldn’t be such a bad idea for us to take a cue from them and dance to our own music rather than clamor for affection and acceptance.
- You can get along with anyone. How often do we read of various unlikely species such as cats and dogs, dogs and birds becoming the best of friends? If raised in a warm, caring environment the natural conflicts can very often fall away.
I’ve heard people refer to that “dumb” dog or that “goofy” cat, but when it comes down to it in many ways animals are sooo much smarter than humans! Take a moment today to acknowledge the natural intelligence of your pet, they’ll love you even more for it!
Can You Read Your Pet’s Mind?
Ever gotten a look from your pet and wondered what he’s trying to tell you? If so, there may be a way to read your pet’s mind using a pet psychic. With 62% of American households now including a pet, and more than $45 billion dollars being spent annually on pet products and services, more people are turning to pet psychics to learn what’s going on in their pet’s head.
I must confess to being a skeptic when it comes to psychics for humans or pets. Although I haven’t been totally convinced psychics are beneficial, friends and clients of mine have shared their pet psychic success stories.
One success story was of a dog that was healthy, but he just seemed sad. His owner contacted a pet psychic to gain some insight. The psychic “contacted” the dog, who in turn told her he wanted a job, wanted to run. Once she discovered this, the owner enrolled her dog in canine frisbee activities and the dog was much happier.
Another story involved a cat that ran outside every time the door opened. Her owner, concerned about the cat’s safety and becoming increasingly dismayed by this behavior decided to contact a pet psychic. The psychic “contacted” the cat, who in turn “told” her she’d been under much stress and going outside was her form of stress relief.
The typical reasons pet owners contact psychics are to solve behavior problems, gain insight into their pet’s health, or to contact pets that have passed away. Owners say being in contact with a pet that has passed away can provide closure and knowledge they did the best they could for their pet.
According to a recent Newsweek article, the practice isn’t restricted to cats and dogs. Cowboys have begun consulting with psychics about their horses. What they learn leads them to change the way they train and compete.
So why is this service growing? Scientists believe this trend is due to humans thinking of our pets as “children” and wanting to care for them accordingly. We tend to forget that our pets are, in fact, animals that naturally think and act differently than humans. Much can be learned about a pet’s state of mind by their body language, if you know how to read the signs.
I am still not sure a pet psychic is right for everyone, but it does provide a unique option for those wanting to get inside the mind of their pet.
It’s National Assistance Dog Week
This week it’s time to honor assistance dogs and all the work they do to enrich the lives of people with disabilities. A “service animal” as defined by The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is “any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability.” The service dog concept was introduced in 1975 by Canine Companions for Independence (CCI). They defined service dogs as highly trained to assist people with disabilities by doing specific functions such as opening and closing doors, retrieving items and operating light switches.
Two assistance programs are Paws for Freedom and R.E.A.D. Paws for Freedom is a non-profit established in 2005 that allows children with learning disabilities to train service dogs in the Student Trainer and Retriever Teams (S.T.A.R.T). To enhance the students’ experiences as well as to provide additional training for the dogs, one hour training/educational sessions are held five times weekly during the school year. Each trainer is assigned a puppy and has the responsibility for the care and training of his/her dog. Pairings are based upon the student’s needs, level of maturity and the dog’s temperament.
Public outings and presentations are also planned for the students accompanied by their dogs. When a dog becomes ready for placement, a two-week training camp is held to place the dogs with their disabled recipients. The student trainers are involved in various aspects of the camp so that they can interact with the recipients and see the end results of their training efforts.
Another assistance dog program is the Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.) program. This program, affiliated with Pets for Life, Inc., seeks to improve children’s reading, literacy and communications skills through partnering of a child and registered pet assisted therapy team. Often children with reading problems lack confidence and fear failure. The dogs are good listeners, don’t judge, and permit the children to work at their own pace. The children view themselves as helping the dog learn and understand the reading material. Participants show improvement in reading and communication skills, higher self-esteem and enhanced social skills.
The R.E.A.D. program is in its 11th year. There are more than 2,000 teams located throughout the US, Canada and Europe.
Materials from Paws for Freedom and R.E.A.D were used as reference for this post
Rainy Days and Mondays Got Your Pet Down?
With alternating rain and high temperatures these days, your dog may be spending more time than usual inside. It’s easy for boredom to set in for your pet, but there are some things you can do to keep them busy and you sane.
1. Food Dispensing Toys – Food dispensing toys are invaluable boredom busters. In the last few years the food dispensing toy market has greatly expanded and there are lots of new and exciting products like puzzle toys available.
2. Kibble Hunt – Put your pet’s food to work for you by making your dog hunt for it with his nose. Instead of dumping the food in his bowl, consider crating him while you hide small piles of food in the house then release him to “kibble hunt.” Initially, make the piles very easy to find. As your dog gets better at this game, practice hiding the food in more difficult spots.
3. Have a Doggie Play Date! – If your dog has a favorite playmate or friend, consider scheduling a rainy day play date. Before your dog’s pal arrives, be sure to puppy proof and pick up all breakables and valuables.
4. Go on a Socialization Outing – If you are unable to take your dog for a walk, consider taking him for a ride and doing a “fun visit” at the vet’s office where he can hang out and get some treats and TLC just for being a great dog. This will provide the added benefit of teaching him that vet visits can be a lot of fun!
5. Play Hide and Seek! – Hide and seek is a great way to exercise your dog’s mind and body and recall skills. Each family member should stock up on great treats. Family members take turns hiding throughout the house, calling the dog to them, and rewarding her generously when she arrives. When her treats are finished, say “all done!” which is the cue for the next person to call her.
Dogster.com was used as reference for this post
Recommended Reading-Dog On It by Spencer Quinn
If you like mysteries and are looking for something a little different this book is great! We are introduced to Bernie Little, a somewhat down on his luck private investigator, and his canine sidekick, Chet.
The story is told from Chet the dog’s perspective which is at times funny (when Bernie arrives home late & asks if Chet wants to go out, Chet asks “Why would that be? Just because my teeth were floating”?), insightful (Chet often comments on Bernie’s financial troubles) and sad (a series of circumstances lands Chet in an animal shelter).
Chet and his owner Bernie… are a great detective team, helping each other out of more than their share of harrowing situations in their search for a kidnapped teenaged girl.
A fun story from a unique point of view, this book highlights the special bond between dog and owner. I’m looking forward to reading the next installment of Chet & Bernie’s adventures, Thereby Hangs A Tail.
For more information on Spencer Quinn and his writing, check out www.simonandschuster.com/spencer-quinn and his daily blog www.chetthtedog.com
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