A Flurry of Information

As more and more pet owners pamper their pets and try to avoid the "commercial products," more and more smaller companies are turning towards internet/blog marketing then ever. Over the last few months, I have gotten more emails and questions from small companies telling me about their products in the last few months then I have gotten since I've started this blog.

Maybe I'm just becoming more popular on the web (I doubt it!) or companies are just becoming more grassroots in the way they promote their items.

My biggest issue, of course, is what to believe. It is so difficult for a company to convince someone that they need this product over the products they currently use...especially if the products a consumer currently uses is working for that person.

I read all the emails I get, and try to pass on the ones that look legit, but my I think my dogs are enjoying the products they have and aren't looking to be test animals for my blog. But, at the same time, you never know where that one great product will come around!

Prepare for Problems With Fish

Recently, I didn't heed my own advice on having a fish tank. I didn't have back-up equipment that could have saved me a lot of trouble.

I had checked the temperature on my 55 gallon display tank one morning to find that there wasn't even a reading on the thermometer. The temperature had dropped so low, it was below that of the 68-degree low range reading. In fact, it had dropped to probably in the low 60s. For a tropical tank that is usually kept at 74 - 78, this could be quite a problem.

The source of the problem was a faulty heater. No matter what I tried, it wouldn't work. And who knows how long it had been out, since I hadn't checked the temp in a couple of days.

Now on to an emergency trip to the pet store...who didn't have the size heater I needed!! So, on to the next store who did have one on the shelf.

I was lucky...I didn't lose any fish in the long run. But for a $22 heater, I should have had one in reserve, even a used one, to insure my overall investment of fish. With fish tanks, one little error such as this could cause major fish loss.

The thing that saved me, I think, is that the temperature dropped slowly and I'm guessing the heater probably wasn't broken for that long. Fish are more sensitive to sudden temperature changes then they are to a more gradual change. Which is why it was important when I got the new heater to only increase the temperature by a few degrees ever 4 hours over the course of several days. I also added some ich preventative, since when fish are stressed out, they are more prone to disease.

I'm happy to report that all the fish are fine (and warm), but that I could have saved myself some time and aggravation by having a back-up.

Presidential Pups

In honor of election day, This article from AKC talks about the tradition of presidents with dogs.
Did you know George Washington, the father of our nation, is also the father of American Foxhound?

Or that Richard Nixon had four dogs?

And who doesn't remember Bill Clinton's Choc. Lab Buddy?

Some interesting presidential dog facts!

And, no matter what you support, get out and vote!

Shelters Fighting "Black Dog" Syndrome

In many shelters across the country, dogs with thick, dark black coats usually take longer to get adopted. The phenomenon is commonplace enough to have earned its own name: "black dog syndrome."

The worst part, is that because they are the hardest to adopt out, they’re in shelters the longest and are the most likely to be euthanized if nothing happens.

There is no exact reason as to why this occurs, but there are several theories. Could it be a subconscious thing, like the fear of black cats? Could it be that in some black dogs - the black pug comes to mind - that it's harder to see the dog's true features? Is it because they just look scarier?
Some people have actually turned in their black dog to a shelter because they've gotten new furniture and don't like the dark fur their pet sheds.

The sheer difficulty in marketing of a black dog is also one theory of why they stay in shelters the longest. Their black coats can make them invisible in poorly lit kennels. The same problem occurs with amateur photos on shelters' websites, which is how many people find the dog they intend to adopt.

And then, because a lot of these dogs may be at a shelter, a person thinks maybe they aren’t being adopted for a good reason – maybe there is something wrong with them.

Add that to the fact that in bigger breeds, such as Rottweilers, Dobermans, and pit bull mixes, the dogs just down right look big and scary.

But think twice when looking at black dogs. My family members did. The photo above is of their pit-bull mix they adopted. Ebony, as she has been adequately named, was just begging to be adopted. She was playful and friendly and had been found roaming the streets, all alone. Skinny to the point where you could see her ribs, the description read as follows: One-year-old terrier-mix is a very pretty girl. She has a very lean body that is accentuated by her beautiful black coat. She was found as a stray by a person that was not allowed to have pets in his home. He cared for her for three weeks while looking for her owner. She is a very polite young lady looking for her forever home.


The description was right-on. Although she may look big and mean, she is one of the nicest dogs I’ve ever been around. Loyal and loving, all she needed was someone to treat her right. After her adoption, she gained over 20 pounds, and is now a strong, playful, dog. I would use the old cliché that she is all bark with no bite…but she doesn’t even bark all that much. Not much of a guard dog, when someone walks in the house, all she wants to do is play. When she’s let out in the yard, she runs around to get her exercise, and then quickly returns home. Ebony has no desire to be lost again without a family.


As you can see by her place on the couch, she is a full-fledged family member.

So, the next time you’re at your local shelter, take a good long look at the black dogs. They may surprise you.


This post is part of Petside's Pet Net Adoption Event. Check out other great posts about pet adoption.

Dog Dials 911

This story comes from Florida about a dog who dialed 911.

A Beagle named Belle started clawing at his owner when the owner started acting funny. Belle's owner was diabetic. When the owner's blood sugar fell and he passed out, Belle ran to the phone and called 911.

How could Belle do this? Well, Belle is a trained service dog - trained to help his diabetic owner. Dogs are able to sense high and low blood sugars. Dogs can smell many hundred times better than humans. When your blood sugar starts to rise, your breath starts to get a sweet smell to it. So you're able to tell the highness. But when you start to drop into the low, it drops into the seizure.

As a part of Belle's training - if she detects problems - she finds her owners cell phone and bites down on the #9 key. The phone then connects and Belle barks or whines into the phone. This alerts someone to call for help.

Lost Parrot Recites Address

Read Full Article

"When Yosuke the parrot flew out of his cage and got lost, he did exactly what he had been taught — recite his name and address to a stranger willing to help.

Police rescued the African grey parrot two weeks ago from a neighbor's roof in the city of Nagareyama, near Tokyo. After spending a night at the station, he was transferred to a nearby veterinary hospital while police searched for clues, local policeman Shinjiro Uemura said.
He kept mum with the cops, but began chatting after a few days with the vet.
"I'm Mr. Yosuke Nakamura," the bird told the veterinarian, according to Uemura. The parrot also provided his full home address, down to the street number, and even entertained the hospital staff by singing songs."

I'm not sure who's smarter - The parrot for learning it and saying it, or the owner for teaching him how!

My Dog's Talk To Each Other

I don't know what they are saying, or for that matter how they say it, but my dogs talk to each other.

Last night, Kelso (the barker), started whining and barking to "go do his business." Since he had just gone, we wondered, what the heck is going on? But as soon as I opened the door to the doggie litter box (yes, they do make litter boxes for dogs), he turned away.

So I figured he was just messing with me, until my other dog, Rocco (the quiet one) all of sudden ran in to do his business. Rocco hardly ever barks or whines, and somehow Kelso knew that his brother needed to go to the bathroom. But he also knew that the quiet one wouldn't make much of a fuss about it.

To me, this type of communication is quite extraordinary. But then, I wondered, what are they saying to each other about me? Are they playing favorites with me and my wife? Which one likes me best? Are they talking trash about us when we're not there?

What do you think your dogs are saying about you?

A Cat In The Road

They say no good deed goes unpunished. I was walking the dogs recently and saw a cat sunbathing….in the middle of the street. So, walking with one dog in each hand, I figured I would try to scare the cat out of the road for her own safety.

The dogs, of course, see the cat and since they want to play with everything and everybody, they start pulling on their leashes trying to take me over to the cat. Since I don’t want the dogs to actually come into contact with the cat, I walk across the street, to the side of the kitty, figuring she would run when she saw us coming. Didn’t quite turn out that way.

Instead, the cat stood up in the attack position and hissed at me and the dogs. Now, my original thought was that the cat would turn and run away from the human walking two dogs. Instead, the cat FOLLOWED US. So much for my plan! But, at the very least it got her out of the street. The cat followed us for a little bit, while my dogs kept pulling towards her. Finally, I picked up the pace of my walk while getting my dogs attention away from the cat. Once the cat decided we were pretty much out of her territory, she gave up following us. However, I’m sure this could have ended with the dogs and cats essentially fighting….like dogs and cats.

I guess the cat was protecting her turf. Since I haven’t had a cat in a while, I’m interested in hearing from cat owners about how their kitty’s react to threats in their turfs.

Buying A Dog From a Store

This debate will probably never die down...should stores be allowed to sell big pets such as dogs and cats. Understandably, a lot of the stores get their dogs from puppy mills, and I understand that side of the debate. Still, there are countless dogs sold by pet stores every year.

Purchasing from a pet store is like any other major purchase...you need to do your homework. Doing this, however, meant that you have to put your spur of the moment emotions aside every time you see a dog that you just "have to have."

We purchased our first puppy from a store, but only after doing considerable research, asking the store for references of others who have purchased from there, and asking around to other pet owners for their feedback.

We also took several visits to the store to see their puppies. The dogs at the store where we purchased from were always alert and awake. They were playful and, well, puppy like. The puppies also played in pens together, rather then being individually crated. The pens were very clean, as were the dogs. The puppies were well documented, with information from the breeder should we wish to contact them to find more info about the parents of the dogs.

I've visited other stores and didn't get the same feeling. In fact, going to some of the local malls, it seemed as though some of their dogs were drugged...they were very sluggish and did not act like you'd expect a dog to act when seeing new faces. The mall dogs were dirty, the place smelled, and some dogs were in crates way too small.

This is the problem with pet stores, there are too many who don't care about their animals, and are just looking for the profit. The one diamond in the rough that does show they care about the animals get lumped in together and get a bad rep. That is why we made sure to do our research. The last thing we wanted was a dog with health problems and social issues from not being treated properly and not being with other dogs.

We got our second dog from someone who needed to get rid of him because he wasn't compatible with other pets. Both dogs have their own attributes and issues, but the dog we "adopted" actually has had some more problems then the one we purchased, since the adopted dog was a bit older and had been neglected and mistreated.

Like anything else in life, it's always better to do your homework before making a major purchase.

Morning Dog

When we got our second dog, I never intended for either one of them to be more attached to either one of us. But it seems each one has taken to the habits of each of their owners.

I'm a morning person, while Mrs. Pet Haven is a night owl. When I'm up early to start a new day, it's usually Kelso who's up and about with me. Sometimes he's awake even before I am. As soon as I'm up, he's right there with me, ready for to play with his toys and do "his business."

Rocco, on the other hand, is the night-time dog. He'll lounge on his bed in the morning while Kelso is up and about. Getting them set for their morning walk, it's Rocco that usually fights me a bit.

At night, however, when Kelso and I are falling asleep in front of the TV, it's Rocco who's running about, looking for food, and trying to play. Of course, my wife gets the full night time responsibility...since it's always my side of the bed that Kelso goes to in the morning when he wants to get up before we do.

Who would have thought that my pets could be a morning dog or a night owl?

Creating Bad Habits?

I might be guilt! I think I'm creating bad habits in my dogs. I'm an enabler. You see, when my oldest dog, Rocco, doesn't particularly like his dinner (he has allergies, so I have to be careful what I feed), he usually goes to bed hungry. Until 3am, when he wakes me up and whines.

Rocco isn't the type that usually goes to the bathroom at that hour, so I knew something else was bothering him a couple of weeks ago the first time he woke me up whining. I got up, gave him a treat, and he begged for more. Then a I realized that he didn't really eat his dinner, so he must be hungry. I got him some dry food, and he eat it up.

A few days later, the same thing happens. He doesn't eat dinner (which was a nice mix of a high quality canned food and a dry food), and then gets hungry at 3am. He wakes me, I feed him. We both go to bed happy. But, as Mrs. Pet Haven points out, now Rocco knows that he can wake me up whenever he wants and I'll feed him....not something I want to have happen every night.

So, now I must analyze what's going on here. Am I creating a bad habit? Am I basically saying that it's ok not to eat your dinner, because I'll be at your beck and call to feed you? Or am I just over-analyzing the whole thing? Obviously if he doesn't like a particular kind of food, I should try another (that he hopefully won't be allergic to!).

Has anyone else created an annoying habbit with their dogs? Would love to hear other stories. In the meantime, I have to pay extra attention to Rocco to make sure he finishes his meal and doesn't get distracted so that he'll sleep through the night.

Canada Town to Put Down Pitbull

Found this article on zootoo.com. Unbelievable that this stuff happens! Are people that naive about dog breeds? Apparently so!
by Matt Van Hoven

MISSISSAGUA, Ontario – A Canadian woman's pit-bull-mix could be euthanized because of a 2005 law that bans pit bulls and “substantially similar” dogs from the Canadian province of Ontario.

Gabriela Nowakowska says she bought 10-month-old Rambo a few months ago at a flea market.

So on Christmas when the dog got out of Nowakowska's back yard and was picked up by animal control, it came to light that the she was violating that law – although she didn't know it.

Now the City of Mississagua says that either the dog be turned over to them for euthanasia or Nowakowska will need to pursue legal action. But she says she can't afford a lawsuit.

Twenty-year-old Nowakowska says she has been able to raise about $500, which should be enough to get the dog out of “jail” pending trial

The law that's gotten Rambo into this mess was passed by Premier of Ontario, Dalton McGuinty in 2005. The charge for that law was lead by another man, MP Michael Bryant. Interestingly, one Canadian source said that when Bryant was given 24 pictures of different dogs and asked to locate a pit bull, he chose a photo of a Preso Canario.

As for Rambo, it's been reported that employees at the animal control center where he's being held play with the dog regularly. Nowakowska backed that point, noting that the dog, which is a mixed-breed, is very gentle. We were unable to find any evidence that the dog has even been involved in any attacks.

Rambo's vet says it's hard to pinpoint exactly which breeds belong to the dog's heritage. The vet also said it's unclear exactly how old the dog is, but it seems to be around the 10-month mark.

All that aside, animal welfare groups and local Ward counsellors Pat Saito and Carolyn Parrish have stepped in to defend Rambo, citing the unclear wording of the law and the unfair nature of a breed ban.

Saito said dogs should be judged on their behavior, not their lineage.

Nowakowska says she's pushing to get Rambo back, and will only consider having him turned over to a rescue outside Ontario once she has exhausted the alternatives. Meantime, counsellors Saito and Parrish are working to get the dog a 24-hour reprieve for travel out of the province should he need to be relocated. That's because there's a travel ban on all pit bulls in the province, except those that are grandfathered in.

It seems unlikely that Nowakowska will get Rambo back considering overturning the law is no small undertaking. However, this is not the first time a pit bull has been booted from the province. Another dog named Bandit was relocated to Washington State not long ago. He now serves as a K-9 officer there.

Trackposted to Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Big Dog's Weblog, Rosemary's Thoughts, Wolf Pangloss, Dumb Ox Daily News, and A Newt One, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Woman Finds Dog - Solves Problem

I can't believe this actually happens, but read below and keep in mind that it is a true story.

TEXAS – Kim Velevis and her husband are natives of Houston, Tx. So when they got a letter from Tulsa, Ok., explaining their dog was in a new home, they were a bit confused.

On Christmas Eve, the couple's pug Scooter dug his way out of their fenced in backyard. Just after the new year, the Velevis' received an anonymous letter stating Scooter was in a new home.

The letter's author claimed she found the dog, and that her daughter had always wanted a pug. The woman went on to say that the child's father maintained custody, and she had given the dog to her daughter as a Christmas gift.

The letter explained that the girl lives with her father in Dallas. The author said she has problems with alcohol and has, “lost everything else.”

She went on to say she's been sober for six months and wants her life to be different. However, she couldn't ask forgiveness for what she'd done. “He does have people who love him and are taking care of him,” the letter said.

The Velevis' say they don't want to press charges, but they do want their dog back. They'd even be wiling to buy the girl another dog.

The woman got the Velevis' address from the dog's collar. She also included $20 with the letter as compensation.

Trackposted to The Pink Flamingo, Rosemary's Thoughts, and Adam's Blog, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

New Job Offer Stressful on Pets

A friend of mine called me with some exciting news – he’d just been offered a managerial job with good benefits. “Congrats,” I tell him. One problem, though…he has to go out of state for training for two months. He lives alone with his two large dogs and now has to figure out how to get care for his canine roommates.

Unfortunately, his options aren’t that great. Finding someone to take in two large dogs for two months is not an easy task. Finding someone who can housesit for two months is also not an easy sell.

Other options include breaking the dogs up for two months, sending them to different family members to watch. However, you still need to find two homes for two months. And the dogs will certainly miss each other.

Another option is to house the dogs in a kennel. The costs will be high and you run the risks of the dogs not getting the same love and attention they would have in his care. My friend also doesn’t like the idea since his dogs were rescued from a pound and now in some ways he feels like the dogs will feel they are back at the pound and may have anxiety issues.

What about hiring a pet sitting service to come over? He’s exploring that path, but it’s so hard to trust people you don’t know.

Hopefully things will work out for him. Some co-workers may help him out. The option that may work out the best is to basically have shifts of people he knows coming in for a few days at a time. It will confuse the dogs a bit, but at least the dogs won’t have to leave their home and will still have top notch care.

Pet Dander Lingering in the Home

A friend of ours is cursed with severe pet allergies. Although I consider it a cruel joke to have pet allergies (and I can relate), it is a big issue and something he needs to deal with on a daily basis.

It’s become a bigger concern since he’s in the market for a new home and has visited several where there are pets. His main concern of course is how long does it take for the pet dander to completely leave the home?

A call to the doctor gave him some approximations, but of course, a doctor won’t guarantee anything. He was told that in general pet dander can take up to 6 months to fully leave the home. It can be in the vents, ducts, walls and carpets. A new carpet and newly painted walls may get rid of the dander faster, but there is no telling if there will be anything in the walls, frames, or baseboards.

There are some things that he can do to help make it a smooth transition if he does buy a place that used to have animals. Those include having the vents cleaned, rugs shampooed and investing in an air purifier. But again, there is no sure fire way to know if all of the dander is out of the home.

If anyone has any experience in this area, please let me know. You can email me at mattfm77@Hotmail.com with any experiences or tips.

M&M's Bad for Fish

As many of us pet owners know, chocolate is never good for your dog. As fellow blogger Pet Campbell http://www.petsgardenblog.com/, found out the hard way, they're not very good for fish either. Thanks to Pet for sharing this story with me via email.....

We had a 500 gallon salt water tank when our kids were small..
Our Daughter who must have been 6 or 7 used to hand feed our amazon parrot m
and m's
Curly.. the parrot loved them.. he would coo and plead with her.. she always
shared..I think she is the only person he liked.. well she shared cookies
and sunflower seeds also..
lol
(She was killed 7 yrs ago by a drunk driver)

one day, coming in from the feedlot ( we were ranchers in Montana then) she
had dragged a stool over to the tank and had fed the salt tank fish m&m's...
several hundred dollars of fish died.. and our babysitter got fired..
gee..
I can laugh now.. but I remember sitting on the floor bawling...
Jesse our son now has the tank and was smarter than his mama
he has a hood that latches, and small fingers cannot open..
And Curly has adopted his daughter as best friend/ supplier of good
treats...

oh those clowns (fish) and anemones...