Pets

This is my son with a friend of a friend’s dog Ruby. We don’t know Ruby that well but she’s always been quite friendly with us when we’ve visited our friend (Ruby lives next door to our friend but is always visiting).

On the weekend we were visiting and my son was out the back sitting on a seat. He was fine, but then started crying as if he’d fallen over and hurt himself. I ran out the back and asked what was wrong and he told me that Ruby had bitten him.

I asked what he was doing before she bit him and he said that he was just patting her. I believe him. We have our own dog and I’ve drummed into him since he was old enough that you never pat a dog without asking the owner first and you have to be very careful around dogs, especially dogs you don’t know.

When we’re walking our dog we are approached a lot by kids wanting to pat Monty. Sometimes they ask but more often than not they just go up to Monty and pat her. Now she loves a pat and is pretty safe but I always say to these kids that they should always ask the dog’s owner before they pat it. They should also let the dog sniff them before they launch into a love fest with the dog.

I don’t know exactly what happened between him and Ruby but he had some broken skin, a miniscule amount of blood and he’s left with a bruise. I’m sure it hurt a bit physically but the shock was what made him so upset I think.

It was a harsh lesson to learn, and could have potentially been a lot worse, but I think he’ll be more careful around dogs now.

Jaycee also blogs at Semantically driven

Dogs love bones - well all the dogs I’ve ever known do. I normally feed Monty raw marrow bones. She loves to chew on them and then dig up my garden to bury them.

The bone featured in the photo above was a roast for us yesterday. I don’t normally give her cooked bones but I couldn’t let this one go to waste.

There’s differing opinions about whether to feed your dog cooked bones because of the splinter danger factor, but so far I’ve never had a problem with Monty. A friend used to feed her dog only cooked bones and he was okay also. I wouldn’t give a small dog a cooked bone though.

Jaycee also blogs at Semantically Driven.

What with all the scares about recalled pet foods and the inability to assure that it’s safe, now is a good time to consider making your own pet food. It seems like a hassle, but this article offers a great defense of both the necessity and how easy it is to get started. As NakedJen says,

I know that the idea of cooking for your dog or your cat seems rather absurd in this day and age of drive-thru burger palaces and microwave macaroni and cheese. If we’re feeding our own children food that was prepared by small children in a factory in China and then flown 10,000 miles and nuked before it was dumped in a bag and shoved through a window and into the back seat of our cars, why on earth would we consider shopping at a grocery store for our dogs and then coming home and actually cooking them a meal?

Well, here’s why.

Because you love little Scruffy just as much as you love Muffy and Junior and if that really is the case, Scruffy deserves to eat just as well as everyone else in the family.

Her notes offer some good recipes to get started, with heavy emphasis on the organic, and there’s a good discussion in the comments about exactly what your pet friend should be eating. HeraldNet also has some good recipes to get you started, including one for a doggie meatloaf. Here’s the recipe:

One detailed source of information is “Home-Prepared Dog & Cat Diets: the Healthful Alternative” by veterinarian Donald Strombeck ($42.99).

Meatloaf
This recipe is from “The Good Food Cookbook for Dogs” by Donna Twichell Roberts.

3/4 cup water
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 rib celery, diced
13/4 pounds meatloaf mix (see note)
1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon ketchup

Bring water to boil in a small skillet. Add carrot and celery. Reduce heat to medium and cook 5 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly.
Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly to combine.
Place meatloaf on foil-lined baking sheet. Form into a bone shape measuring approximately 9 inches long by 5 inches wide by 1 1/2 inches high. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven about 1 hour.
Remove from oven and let cool about 10 minutes. If desired, spread additional ketchup or mild barbecue sauce on top of meatloaf, pipe mashed potatoes around the lower edge, and garnish with a cheese slice cutout.
Makes 1 meatloaf.
Note: A combination of ground beef, pork and veal (or chicken or turkey).

Let me know how your efforts turn out!

Image via Cute Overload, HeraldNet Link via Lifehacker

pet food, pet food recall, make your own pet food

Well, if you don’t, you should. The Daily Kitten is a spectacular add to any feed reader, and a good place to stop by if you just need a cute pick-me-up. Plus, today’s kitten is Persian! And sticking her tongue out!

Image via The Daily Kitten.

cats, kitten, Daily Kitten

Since today is Saint Patrick’s day and the Daily Puppy is an Irish Wolfhound, I thought today might provide a good chance to learn a little bit more about the breed that my husband claims to want whenenever a Saint Bernard just isn’t big enough.

First thing to know about the Irish Wolfhound? It’s the world’s tallest breed of dog. According to its Breed Standard, “The minimum height and weight of dogs should be 31 inches and 120 pounds; of bitches 28 inches and 90 pounds. Anything below this should be debarred from competition. Great size, including height at shoulder and proportionate length of body, is the desideratum to be aimed at, and it is desired firmly to establish a race that shall average from 32 to 34 inches in dogs, showing the requisite power, activity, courage and symmetry.” Good to know the small ones are kept out; wouldn’t want to encourage runty Irish Wolfhounds!

But the gigantic nature of this dog is not the only interesting fact to learn: Irish wolfhounds are known for their appearance in Celtic and Irish mythology. Apparently, “The Celts are very fond of their wolfhounds. Many warriors have one or two, which they use for hunting, and which spend the rest of the time lolling around at their master’s feet in the dun. There are many tales of people being turned into wolfhounds.”

In terms of the history of the Irish Wolfhound, they were a very popular dog, around as early as 1 BC. As the ‘Irish Wolfhound’ entry in Wikipedia notes:

While many modern texts state Irish Wolfhounds were used for coursing deer, contemporary pre-revival accounts such as Animated Nature (1796) by Oliver Goldsmith are explicit that the original animal was a very poor coursing dog. Their astonishing size, speed, and intelligence made them ideal hunting animals for both wild boar and wolves, and many were exported for this purpose. They were perhaps too ideal, as the wolf is now extinct in Ireland. The Irish Wolfhound has been recorded as being exhibited in ancient Rome to some excitement, and mention is made that they so amazed and terrified the Romans that it was seen fit to only transport them in cages. There exists stories that in the arena, the original Wolfhound was the equal of a lion.
During times of conflict with England, it was not uncommon for Wolfhounds to be trained to take armoured knights off of their horses, thus allowing an infantry man to move in and finish the kill if the Wolfhound had not done so already.

I thought it interesting that the Irish Wolfhound is now extinct in Ireland, and had to be revived by Captain George Augustus Graham, who devoted his life to the resuscitation of the breed. According to Wikipedia, “Captain Graham rebred the Irish Wolfhound with the Deerhound, Great Dane, Borzoi and other breeds; this saved the breed, but had the inevitable effect of altering its appearance, most noticeably leaving the Irish Wolfhound with alternative colours such as brindle (inherited from the Great Dane) as before they were mainly grey in colour.”

One last fun fact: the breed of Irish Wolfhound has a motto! It is: “”Gentle when stroked. Fierce when provoked.”

If after reading this you think you might want an Irish Wolfhound, the Irish Wolfhound Club of America, Inc., is a good place to start.

Image via the Daily Puppy.

Irish Wolfhound, Saint Patrick’s Day

In a couple of days there will be a new addition to our family. Due to an unfortunate event, my mum and dad’s dog will be coming to live with us for a little while, or perhaps a long while.

Mum and dad live in the country and because mum is over here while dad is in hospital, I said you can’t leave Connie (picture above) all alone with people just popping in for feeding. Bring her over here. So she will be arriving.

I’m not normally into little dogs like this but Connie is an exception to the rule. She’s a placid little thing and will sit comfortably on your lap and be very affectionate. The only thing is if she gets excited she can piddle inside.

I will have to plug up a couple of little potential escape holes in the backyard but she has stayed here before and she was no problem. Wish I could sneak her into the hospital. I reckon dad would like that.

The ultimate race in endurance, Iditarod 2007, is about to begin this Saturday, March 3rd. In Anchorage, Alaska sled dog teams are gearing up to head out into the unforgiving Alaskan wilderness. These teams will brave 1,150 miles of the roughest terrain on the planet traveling from Anchorage to Nome.

The challenge is man and dogs against the elements: severe cold (temperatures that dip below zero), fickle landscape (thawing rivers), and Alaskan wildlife. It is not for the faint of heart. Yes, humans and dogs can easily lose their lives in this race.

Who will win? How many will make it through safely? Which ones will need to be rescued? These are the same questions asked every year. Alaskans and the rest of the world await the adventure.

The title of this blog was supposed to be “The Scale Weighs In” but after a week of setbacks I’ve developed an acute fear of stepping on the scale and letting the unforgiving bathroom judge weigh in. I should have weighed in after the first week when we were model fitness partners. Stella and I looked skinnier and felt better than ever. This last week has been a workout disaster and I am afraid that my scale will make it all too real.

I could give plenty of good excuses. We had four days in a row of high winds. Yesterday, we had a blizzard. My oldest son stayed home sick from school. My husband’s work hours changed and now he has to work 11 hour days on top of his one hour commute. These are all true statements; however, they get me nowhere. Stella and I are expanding by the minute.

I have noticed adverse side effects to missing my daily walks. At first, Stella would mightily protest a skipped day. Now, she doesn’t fuss. Not only does she look heavier again, but she doesn’t have the get up and go spunk. On my end of the couch potato duo, I have noticed that my creativity has diminished. I feel more easily irritated. Even my sleep pattern has been disrupted; I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night with extra energy. I’ve indulged in frequent snacks out of boredom.

It will not end like this! Stella and I are underdogs, but we will make our comeback. This is a lifestyle change not just an exercise program. We are in it for the long haul. I’m not ready to step on the scale. I think that it would be too self defeating at this point. I have come to realize that this is more about making a change to embrace life with more energy and gusto than it is about losing weight (although I’m 100% sure that will be an extra benefit). Stay tuned for the next update “Fitness Buddies: Getting Back on Track.”

I’ve had friends staying with us for the last two days. They are a family with three young children, the two older ones absolutely besotted with Monty.

We went to a playground twice yesterday because there’s only so much noise adults can stand in a household full of kids with energy to burn. These two older kids, and then mine, all fought over whose turn it was to walk Monty. Mind you my son, while he adores Monty, never asks to walk her. At the playground, if I couldn’t let her off the lead, they all wanted to walk and run around with her, pulling her around so she couldn’t dictate at all where she wanted to go.

It was fairly warm yesterday and as she did her umpteenth lap past me her eyes implored me to stop this nonsense and let her lie down and rest for goodness sake. I had to say to the kids a few times that it was time to leave her alone now, that she needed to rest. She is about 10 years old so not as spritely and energetic as she once was.

I’m not sure how much she can stand and if she’s on the lead with energetic children trying to control her every move, she’s at their mercy, or mine for it to stop - PLEASE! Today our household is back to normal so we will take a sedate stroll soon.

Jaycee also blogs over at Semantically driven.

Today I had a look through some dog toys and ended up buying one. Quite often these purchases end up languishing somewhere in the backyard for months on end but hopefully this one won’t.

We had one not long after I first got Monty seven years ago but it broke and I’ve finally replaced it.

It’s one of those big round balls that you put dog biscuits in. The dog can smell them and pushes the ball around with their nose to get the biscuits out. This one is a step up from the last one in that it makes a noise as well. The noise is hard to describe as it’s not quite a squeak, but sort of similar. My friend and I were in the shop shaking these balls around laughing our heads off as it’s an unusual sound. She ended up buying one as well.

I mentioned in a previous post that Monty digs holes to keep cool. She also digs holes because of boredom I think. She does have a fair bit to occupy her where I live because there’s plenty of traffic, both human and vehicular that she can bark at, but she can’t do this all the time so hopefully this will keep her occupied for some of the time too.

Do you have any ideas, tested or otherwise, to keep a dog occupied while you’re away?

Jaycee also blogs over at Semantically driven.

Leader of the Pack

I’m an odd ball. TV doesn’t really interest me. It is a rarity for me to sit down for an entire hour. But when my husband started watching “The Dog Whisperer” marathon, I found myself glued to America’s favorite box for three hours straight.

Cesar Milan’s television series, “The Dog Whisperer” has revolutionized how I relate to my dogs. In the past, I tended to treat my dogs like people instead of respecting the beauty of their animal nature. I was very selfish. I expected my pets to fulfill my needs instead of asking, “What changes do I need to make to ensure that my animals are happy?”

As a dog owner, I am the leader of the pack. According to Cesar Milan, the dog feels most secure when it knows its place within the pack. Insecure dogs are the result of insecure leaders. To be a good pack leader, I must be assertive and calm. It is my job to always keep the pack moving forward in a positive direction. I cannot allow us to be stuck in past mistakes.

Cesar points out that the walk is the adhesive that holds the pack together. We learn how to interact as a group through the walk. The walk is an essential part of a dog’s daily life. My dog Stella and I have become fitness partners and you can read more about our walking (and weight loss) adventures in my Fitness Buddies blog.

Inspired by Cesar Milan’s show, I view my dogs in a different light. I appreciate that they are not people with fur. They are my furry family members (still dogs but family nonetheless); and as such they have unique needs of their own. As a pack leader, I have to step out of my comfort zone to make sure that my animals are well taken care of. That means a daily walk – 40 minutes minimum. From Stella and ‘Cuda (my shaggy soul mates), I learn how to become a good leader. If I am out of balance and depleted, they will be out of control. If my life is stable and secure, we walk in harmony-always forward-embracing every day together. They are my life barometer. As a pack, we never get off track. -You can catch new episodes of “The Dog Whisperer” Friday nights on the National Geographic Channel.

Unlike some northern parts of the world, we’re in the midst of a heatwave here in South Australia. Today is the second day of 40 degree celsius heat and prior to that it was in the high 30’s for a few days. As well as keeping myself and my son cool, I’m mindful of my dog’s comfort as well. Apparently dogs only sweat from their feet and pant a lot to try and keep cooler. Therefore it’s harder for their temperatures to cool down than us.

When I’m out I usually leave my dog outside. She has access to the back room with her bed and she also has plenty of shade outside if she wishes. I usually come home to a hole in the garden because she’s found a damp patch of dirt where I’ve watered. I do get annoyed this happens but I put up with it because I know she’s just keeping cool.

If I’m only going out for a short time when it’s really hot I put her water inside and lock her inside in the cooler part of the house with the fan on.

I’m always astounded though, that when she does venture outside on a hot day she’ll quite often lie in the sun. She’s a black dog so her coat must attract the sun really well and she must be very hot.

Of course I always make sure she has plenty of water both outside and inside and if I take her out in the car, never ever leave her in the car by herself.

Jaycee also blogs over at Semantically driven.

One of the commenters on my last post has a pretty persian kitty on an up-and-coming website, so I thought I’d let you all know to go take a look. As a fervent advocate of persian kitty blogs, this is a project after my own heart.

Say Hello to Penelope Persian!

Cats, Persian Cats

I have a soft spot in my heart for persian kittens, along with any animal that has that element of the ridiculous that comes from a flat face and a lot of fur. So today’s Daily Kitten? Gets my seal of approval. Plus, there’s nothing cuter than a kitten every day in your inbox (or Google feed reader, if you’re me) to spread a little sunshine.

Say hello to Benson!

Cats, Daily Kitten

Fitness Buddies: Just Keep Moving!

It’s official. Our first week of workouts has come to an end. My dog Stella and I are die hard fitness pals. We gained the weight together and we’re dedicated to walking it off. To find out how our fitness journey started, you can get the details of our before story in the Feb.8th blog “Fitness Buddies.” The saga now continues where I last left off.

Against all odds, we did it! We walked for 40 minutes a day with a preschooler in tow. I had my doubts. Snow came. Husband went on a business trip. Worse yet, I had rarely walked Stella before. Our few forays out together consisted of me being dragged like a rag doll across Pet Smart (the dreaded path to the vet).

This time I was prepared. I brainwashed myself by watching back to back episodes of the Dog Whisperer. I kept the voice of Caesar Milan in my head. Be calm. Be assertive. Be a pack leader. So with my Energizer Bunny son in one hand and Sled Dog Wanna Be Stella in the other, I held my head up high and just kept us moving forward.

My goal this week was to just start moving. We went on daily walks. I also changed Stella from regular dog food to a prescription brand recommend by her veterinarian. Next week is my turn for sacrifice; I will begin to alter my diet.

I have already noticed a change in Stella’s behavior. She is the happiest I have ever seen her. She looks forward to her walks. When my son is with us, she doesn’t pull. As Caesar would say, we walk as a pack to the park. While my son plays, Stella and I run in circles around him.

I feel more relaxed. The physical exercise and fresh air boosts my creativity. The natural beauty of life is appreciated on a daily basis. I’ve become aware of the effects my past sedentary lifestyle has had on my sons. I’ve decided to include them on our fit for life team. No one gets left behind. This is now a pack effort!

Let’s work together for a healthier 2007. I said it already, “No one gets left behind!” I encourage you to gather your pack together and start walking. Share your success stories and tribulations by leaving comments. Stay tuned for next week’s update Fitness Buddies: The Scale Weighs In. Until then, “Just Keep Moving!”