Scratchings-and-Sniffings

Today is Link Love Day

Adventures of Snotface Critter  ----->>>

We used to have this fun little guy (on the left, I think) come visit us, but since his Mom found a great new full-time job, we don't see him much. The site is a little out dated, but the photos are fantastic, so I thought I would share. After all, how many great ferret sites are there? Not many.

Oh, but here's another: Enlightened Ferret

This great blog from Catster.com, has some fantabulous outfits for cat people. Now, we don't say enough about cats around here, even though the Grumpy Old Lady says we should. So, hop over and visit The Cats Meow and check out all the great content, today.

Love me, Love my dog

Found on the Facebook page for German Shepards. Love it!

Pit Bulls Are The Best- McNuggets - not so much

In response to the stoopid (yes, stupid) radio ad McDonald's did recently touting their chicken nuggets as less risky than petting a stray pit bull, America responded with acclaim. And McDonald's pulled the ad. 

Now, if we could do the same for puppy mills, we'd be golden.

 

Wordless Wednesday - Chester Fits In

While Emily and Olive were stealing Beneful Baked Delights in the kitchen, this is what Chester was up to.

Trees and Rolling Hills

One doesn't like to think about ... the end. You know, when the grim reaper comes and delivers you to your fate. In this pic, Carmie, our dog, passed on... and left us bereft for two years. Wabby, the cat, is still with us but...at 19, who knows how much longer we will have her.

Our pets force us to think about the end, don't they? Despite the best in healthcare, our pets do not live long enough. Whatever pet you have, it's likely that he or she will pass on before you do. I know, some birds live forever, but...for those of us with warm-blooded animals (dogs, cats, ferrets, horses, etc), we will face their demise at some point in time. 

That is not to say one or more of us won't go first. It happens. And, there is a movement to give pets protection by creating trusts for them. I approve. I have not done this, but I approve it. I wonder why pet insurance companies don't partner with the legal firms offering pet trusts - and give folks a way to combine the two. Seems like that would be in the pet's best interest, yes?

To Choke or Not to Choke

Introducing guest blogger, Alecia Evans of Walk in Sync

Do we have an ethical or moral right to use training and walking tools with dogs that choke them when there are safer more effective tools we can use to train them? 

Have you ever used or are you considering using a harness to train and walk your dog? 

Has the time for collars, neck and nose attachments to your dog run its course? 

What do you think?  What do your readers or subscribers think? 

Here's what I think:

We Can Do Better for our Dogs and Pups

Good Dog! Good Cat!

Once in a while you meet someone who is impressive not just because they like the same things you like (think pets) but because they are working in the community to help promote change. 

Steve Dale is that kinda guy. He's smart and talented and a good writer, but he's so many other things it's hard not to gush about him, given the chance. Of late, he's also an author of two new books, Good Dog! and Good Cat!  

As a pet behaviorist, Steve makes it his duty to help pet parents understand why Fido and Fluffy do what they do. Oh, if we could all just spend an hour with Steve - the things we might learn!

I'm one of the lucky ones who got a sneak preview of these books before they came out. They involve a nice Q &A, where Steve shares the questions he's most generally asked, and the answers to those questions. 

PALs for Life

We are all judged by our compassion. We are all required to show compassion. We are less human when we cannot be compassionate to animals, as well as people. The picture should show more animals - horses, birds, ferrets, guinea pigs, wild animals, elephants, and farm animals. All creatures great and small.

Hey, that's my Mom!

Does your dog recognize you... on TV (well, in a video) or in a picture hanging on the wall?

We catch Emily watching TV all the time. I know many people don't think dogs watch TV. They think the dog may be interested in it because of the noise or the movement and that the dog's eyes can't really see the images. Well, that's just not so at our house. Emily is clearly watching TV. I don't know what she thinks of what she sees, but she likes shows with people and, of course, dogs. And, it's obvious to me that she's not just watching flickering objects on the TV monitor. She's engrossed in whatver is going on there - she is watching.

Animal Planet recently published this article, Would my dog recognize me in a picture? by Alison Kim Perry and it struck a nerve with me. In a good way.

The research done by Veterinary Behavior Solutions DVM, Beth Strickler, seems to show that yes, our dogs can recognize us in pictures. Sometimes. "Dogs can distinguish between different people based on the person's appearance at that time, meaning that sometimes a dog can identify his owner's head in the photo. But if in another photo his owner's head is blocked, the animal might have a problem figuring out who she is."

She goes on to say that dogs generally depend on more than 'sight' to identify things. Hounds, like our Chester and Emily, may use their nose more than their eyes. I know Chester is always sniffing - us, our clothes, our furniture, the air... and he certainly needs to use scent as an identifyer. Emily is supposedly a sight hound, however. She watches...everything. Her expressions are amazing!

When she's watching TV she's totally engrossed. I can talk to her and I know she hears me because her ears will move or she will blink, but she will not move her gaze from the TV.

We've only had our 3 precious pups for a year or so, so I don't know if they'd pass the picture test of ID. I do know they are so happy whenever we go out and come back (whether we're gone for an hour or 5 hours - which is our limit); all three dogs act like we're turning voyagers who left them untended for weeks on end. Mind you, they get treats and toys and have warm, soft beds to sleep in, and windows to look out and all manner of comfort. Not enough, if they're Mom and Dad are not home. :-)  Oh yes, we love it!

Animal Hoarding - A Glimpse Inside

This article over at SFGate, by Jennifer Scarlett (Co-president of the San Francisco SPCA) really opened my eyes to the issue of animal hoarding: Shedding Light on Animal Hoarding.

She talks about "therapy -and legal action" and share this image for a peak inside the way researchers believe this issue starts.

Jennifer writes, "One very clear thing about animal hoarders is that they need intervention to stop. After all, most of them think they’re doing the right thing. And two of their signal traits are denial and persistence."

She goes on to state cases where hoarders are discovered and defend themselves, where they actually believe the animals are fine - when in truth, they are riddled with parasites or disease. Or, they are malnurished.