Scratchings-and-Sniffings

Who Says Cats Don't Show Affection?

Whether or not cats show affection to their owners is a debate that seems to rage on and on. Those of us who have adorable, loving cats routinely defend the cat species as loving and attentive. Those who have only dogs, and have only met cats that are aloof, laugh at us and point fingers at the cats they know...who would never deign to sit upon a human lap.

Well, Tom and I spent 12 days in Colorado, returning home to Rochester, NY in the wee hours of the morning this past Saturday. (if this was a personal blog, I'd tell you about our not so great flight(s) home...but, that's for another blog - suffice it to say, fie on the airlines! Fie, fie, fie!)

Navajo Dogs

I've always felt you can measure the health of a people by how they treat their animals. The Navajo don't seem to be doing so well. 

We camped on the outskirts of Canyon de Chelly near Chinle Arizona for a night hoping to see some Ancestral Puebloan ruins like we saw last year at Chaco Canyon. We didn't see much of the canyon. You need a guide to go in and you pretty much have to go in jeep or some other four wheel drive vehicle.

 

We did see about a dozen stray dogs roaming the campground looking for scraps. They were all malnourished and at least three looked like they were nursing pups or had recently been nursing pups.

 

The Navajo ruled this part of the country for over 700 hundred years...

Bark in the Park - Greyhounds, Pugs, and Tiny

More good Bark in the Park video. Tom was busy moving around the Erie, CO event, capturing as much as he could. This shows the Greyhound Rescue folks, the Pug Rescue folks, and Tiny, a teeny, weeny, little poodle that gave everyone the "oohs" and "ahhs"...

In the opening clip you can see Chloe with Koa, and Miah with Twiggy (who is a bit hidden amidst all those other Greyhounds - she's the totally black one) and I'm there too, but I'm not telling you which one I am because Tom was not supposed to take picutres of me.

Does your local town or community hold dog events like this? We'd love to hear about it...and put video clips up for you. This Bark in the Park link seems to prove there are other areas doing the same thing. Everyone loves dog shows, even amateur dog shows, so we would love it if you'd share your content here.

Hey, speaking of dog shows...check out the Shine petblog in a couple of days - I have an interesting post on mixed breed dogs entering the AKC shows.

Summertime Puppy Fun in Colorado

One of the best parts of this visit to Erie, CO (where, as you read this, we are no longer) was watching Koa and Twiggy, the housedogs, play. My daughter was dog-sitting Koa, a mixed breed, and Twiggy, her Greyhound, couldn't have been happier.

To add a bit of background, Twiggy has been a handful. She suffers from separation anxiety and tends to find unacceptable things to do while the folks are out. Over the year of having her, starting from her truly puppy days, Chloe has figured out how to occupy Twiggy's time - leaving treats around the house for her to find, and using a large, hollow bone filled with peanut butter for her to gnaw. Yum!

While those tactics work (the crate thing didn't do it - the less said about the messes in the crate, the better), it seems that Twiggy really likes having a companion.

Bark in the Park - Competitions

You've seen me post on the Incredible Dog Challenge Purina sponsors around the country, the most recent being in San Diego. Well, during our trip here in Erie, Co, we got to experience a smaller version of the Incredible Dog Challenge...sort of.

At Bark in the Park, there were a number of interesting and fun events going on, including "treat toss" and "frisbee toss" and even a demonstration by scent tracking dogs (who followed the scent in my daughter's sneaker to find her way across the park - but really now, YOU could have found her from the scent in her sneaker! Don't tell her I said that...)

Luckily, we were there and got to see these family dogs do their thing. And, we got some video of it. Notice the outstanding performance of the Golden Lab at the end of our video. Personally, I think he's got talent. We weren't able to stick around and ask if he does this routinely, around the area...OR... if, maybe, he's going to try out for the Incredible Dog Challenge.

But, don't you think he should? I do! (Twiggy ran the 25 yard dash...and we think she won, but, again, we had to leave before they announced the winners; really, tho, she's a Greyhound and I did not see any other Greyhounds in the competition...so who do you think won? Yes, she was fast!)

Tyrone's Brush with Temporal Myositis

Some of you will remember Tyrone, the little Bishon /Poodle cross that belongs to our friends, Steve and Alexandra. We've written a couple of posts on this little guy. He's a great little dog and a fantastic addition to the neighborhood. He's also a distemper survivor and now he has a rarely encountered problem; one that I hope is not related to his history with distemper.

Over the last few days he developed a painful condition affecting the temporal and masseter muscles of the head. The condition is variously referred to as Temporal or Masticatory Myositis. Myositis is the term for inflammation of the muscles. Tyrone would spontaneously cry out in pain when someone touched his head and working the jaw muscles would cause the same reaction.

The Kitten Connection: Bringing a New Kitty Home

Since we're talking about cats...well, we were yesterday, I thought we'd talk little cats, today. You know, kittens. Don't let the cat out of the bag, but I'd LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to get a kitten! Somehow, though, I'm pretty sure the Wabby would have none of it. She's the reigning feline in the household (the reigning pet, actually, until we move and get a...dog...), so any attempts to introduce younger versions of herself are sure to be met with astonished disdain. As in, "What are you thinking, bringing in another pet? I don't need any company, thank you."

Well, she's that way. She gives me a steely-eyed stare when I ask, oh so innocently, "Wouldn't you like a little kitty to keep you company?" Then she digs her claws in my shoulder, in a friendly sort of way.

For those of you who aren't handicapped by a Queen kitty and might actually either have some kittens or be looking to adopt some kittens, here are some great tips from Purina Cat Chow® in their series on "The Kitten Connection:"

Scratchings & Sniffings Out Loud with Dr Grace & Dr. Larry: Cat's Vet Visits

In this Scratchings and Sniffings Out Loud podcast, Dr. Larry and Dr. Grace talk about cats. It's not that we haven't discussed cats before, of course. But, this time, we're talking about overall health and when to take your cat to the vet. Truth is - cat owners take their cats to the vet less often than dog owners. Cats just seem so self-sufficient, I guess.

You will hear me admit that I'm one of those cat owners who doesn't take her cat to the vet as often as I should. The Wabby seems fine, to me. She acts fine, to me. Why should I take her to the vet - a tramatic experience for both of us? Well, Dr. Grace has a very good point... listen up cat owners:

Bark in the Park - World's Shortest Dog Parade

Our visit to Erie, Colorado is coming to an end, later this week. Yes, we're sad. We love Colorado - and we love the Bark in the Park Event, as described in this post written on June 17th. The event was held last Saturday, June 20th. We have several videos to share. In this one, you get to see "The World's Shortest Dog Parade." Notice how well-behaved the dogs are. I don't know if that's an Erie thing, or if it's because many of these dogs are repeat visitors to the parade.

You'll see my daughter and granddaughter with Twiggy, the black Grey-hound, and Koa, the sandy-colored mix... Koa belongs to a friend of my daughter's. We were "dog-sitting" all week. Let me tell you - the two dogs took to each other like bees to honey. They were fun and exhausting. Both are just young'uns, so play was a big part of their day. And, jumping on the beds if we left the doors open. (really, dogs know where the comfy furniture is...and they'll use it, if you aren't looking!)

Why Does My Dog Pant Like That?

I get a lot of questions about panting in dogs. Is it normal, can it mean he's sick, why does he pant in the first place? Those kind of questions. When you think about it, it makes perfect sense that some dog owners would find panting odd and a source of concern. After all, the normal respiratory rate for an adult dog is somewhere between 20 and 40 breaths per minute and with panting that can quickly soar up to ten times those rates. 

In most dogs panting is a normal response to heat and, sometimes, fear and anxiety. Dogs don't sweat the way we do and they have to have some way to cool themselves. We have sweat glands over large parts of our bodies and the evaporative cooling of sweat helps keep us from overheating. If you live in a place like New Orleans, or St Louis for that matter you are well acquainted with the evaporative cooling effects of sweat. I sure needed it last night as I watched the Cardinals eek one out against the Tigers.