I’ve never been able to understand people who let their dogs stay outside overnight and the dogs bark constantly — yet the owners never seem to hear them or care about it at all. Am I the only one who’s lived in neighborhoods with this sort of nuisance going on? I doubt it.

Most of the dogs — well, really, most of the pets — which we’ve had have been “indoor” pets. Even when we’ve had dogs, they may have spent time outside, but generally came indoors overnight.

My problem isn’t people who leave their dogs outside. My problem is when those people obviously neglect the dogs, and who obviously care nothing at all about their neighbors.

The last neighbors like this in our neighborhood insisted they never heard the dogs and weren’t aware that it was a problem. They were lying, I’m sure. Everyone within four square blocks of their house heard the dogs — almost all night long on almost every night for six months before the neighbors finally moved out of the neighborhood and took their dogs with them.

In the first place, such dogs suffer themselves. They generally are barking incessantly out of boredom, or loneliness, or even out of fear because of the loneliness.

In the second place, such poor dog owners cause many others to suffer — and even put the dogs at risk from irate neighbors who may retaliate in drastic ways to silence the dogs.

So I guess my plea to you all would be this: Be aware of your pets’ behavior, whether they are outdoors or indoors, and take care of them. You’ll be doing your dogs a favor, as well as keeping peace in your neighborhood.

Technorati Tags: barking dogs, bad neighbors, neighborhood pet nuisances, for pets and pet lovers

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As a proud member of the “Baby Boomer” generation, I do NOT appreciate a cautionary news story this week about Alzheimer’s disease. According to the latest predictions, something around 10 million people of my generation will be struck by Alzheimer’s disease or a related form of dementia.

Certainly this news isn’t on a par with that, but I just discovered today that aging dogs and cats can suffer from a form of Alzheimer’s disease. As a matter of fact, the article I’ve linked to is by a veterinarian and says the changes in the pet’s brain involves the same type of beta amyloid plaques that are seen in victims of the human disease.

The veterinarian writing about this, Shawn Messonnier, D.V.M., reports that he’s had good results treating the dog and cat disease with the B vitamin choline supplement CholodinR. I’m not familiar with that at all, and I’m only passing along information you will find if you read the article I’ve linked to.

I urge you to read that entire article. Print it out, or at least bookmark the website so you can return to the information there if you have a pet dog or cat, or friends who do. It certainly is something pet lovers need to prepare for.

Technorati Tags: dog and cat Alzheimer’s disease, treating dog and cat Alzheimer’s disease, for pets and pet lovers

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Many years ago, we had a German Shepherd/Lab cross who was a wonderful pet. But during her first year or two with us, she would be oddly destructive whenever we had to leave her at home alone. She would chew up many things, and she often whined excessively and got extremely agitated and excited whenever she saw us preparing to go anywhere without her — and just went nuts whenever we returned home.

I see now, according to a very helpful online article by the Humane Society that she was probably suffering doggy separation anxiety.

This is much different than simple desire to go with you, or happiness at seeing you on your return, this is a mysterious behavior syndrome which, according to the Humane Society article, is not fully understood and which goes way beyond normal nervousness or excitement.

I wish I’d had access to this information when Heidi (the dog mentioned above) was with us. I know it could have made her life happier as well as ours. In our case, she sort of “outgrew” the problem, or at least it seemed to resolve itself as she grew older. Part of that, too, may have been because we moved to an entirely different state and began living in a small town where my wife stayed home with Heidi and our newborn son, giving the dog more attention and perhaps making her feel less fearful.

Anyway, if you think your dog might be a candidate for help with separation anxiety, I hope you’ll check out the Humane Society article and I hope it’ll be useful for you.

Technorati Tags: dog anxiety. separation anxiety in pets, Humane Society articles, for pets and pet lovers

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Most of what science does regarding genetics is all a wondrous mystery to me, including this project where they mapped the entire genome of a boxer dog. This will, the article explains, help fighting the numerous diseases dogs and humans have in common.

As I understand from the story, when diseases in humans are caused by a gene mutation, or any sort of genetic problem, it usually affects a complex range of genes. But in dogs, the same disease with the same genetic factor is generally limited to one gene. The idea is that tracking down genetic causes/factors in diseases which are common to humans and dogs would be easier — find the genetic factor in the single dog gene, then apply that finding to humans.

Or something like that.

At any rate, the “moral of the story” might be this: In so many ways, the dog really may be man’s best friend!

Technorati Tags: dog genetics, dog genome, dog disease treatment, human disease treatment, for pets and pet lovers

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I posted some information and links last week for those of you interested in building your own “cat condo.” This post includes a true-life dog tale, and some quality dog and cat homes you might want to look at if you’re in the market for pet houses.

First the story: About a year ago or so, my daughter and her husband got a beautiful German Shepherd/Chow mix dog from my son’s veterinary girlfriend. The dog, named Ginny, had been abandoned at the pet emergency clinic where my son’s girlfriend, I call her Doc, works overnight shifts.

Ginny needed a lot of calming, a lot of love, and some behavioral training. She’s doing extremely well. But she’s very shy around other pets, and especially frightened by my daughter’s cat. The cat, named Dot, does not like Ginny, and hissed and scratched at her when Ginny first got to her new home.

So, a year ago last Christmas, Doc and my son bought my daughter a crate-cage just the right size for Ginny. It has become routine, when Ginny gets her food, to drag the dish inside her crate-cage sleeping quarters. She feels protected from the cat and can eat in peace. (Ginny also goes into her crate-cage simply when she wants some “me-time,” though she’s now getting along pretty well with Dot the terror cat.)

I tell you this story because the first product I’m offering below is a Cedar Indoor Dog House — also suitable for cats; check the dimensions and functionality for yourself. If you’ve got a dog or cat with timidity problems, maybe it’s something you can use.

NOTE: I am not a merchant and do not sell or ship pet products or pet supplies. I merely market for a variety of online merchants with useful pet products and supplies I’m happy to offer you as a convenience when I find something I think would be useful to you, my good pet lovers.

Enjoy:

Cedar Indoor Dog House in Clear Finish Unattractive dog crates are a thing of the past! At first glance, this elegant piece of furniture looks like an end table, blending seamlessly with your home der. It is actually a spacious indoor h… [Read more] Log Cabin Dog House with Porch Inspired by the idea of country log cabins, this pet house is constructed by aligning half logs together, creating texture, sturdiness, and durability. Your pet can enjoy lying in the sun on the ma… [Read more] The Mansion Dog House From the sturdy craftsmanship to the stylish touch of a chimney, this dog house is perfect for all medium to large sizes dogs. Complete with a spacious, open-air front porch surrounded by elegant l… [Read more] The Virgie Cat Tower Sick of your cat always ruining the furniture? Then we have a solution that both you and your cat will love. The Virgie Scratching Post from Molly and Friends provides your cat more than enough spa… [Read more] Kitty Litter Home in White Disguised as an attractive end table, the Kitty Litter Home is the perfect way to keep your kitty litter box out of sight. This transitional style end table has an easy open door that gives cats in… [Read more] Washroom Pet House Why keep that unsightly litter box on your kitchen or bathroom floor when you can contain it in a stylish pet house? The Washroom can function as a litter box enclosure for cats or an indoor dog ho… [Read more]

Technorati Tags: Ginny the dog, Dot the cat, dog houses, cat houses, pet supplies, for pets and pet lovers

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I went to a fellow pet lover’s blog today, Houndsgood.com and was deeply touched by the plight of a good dog in need of a good home. Here’s a picture of the beauty. Her name is Sadie:

I urge you to go to the Houndsgood.com blog, click on this link, and read Sadie’s story. If you aren’t able to go there for some reason, I’ll summarize here:

Sadie was voluntarily turned over to a shelter because of some conflict she had with her owner’s other dog (or dogs? I’m not sure now), and she faces the prospect of euthanasia. All she really needs is a home where someone will teach her the basics. According to Chris, the “Houndsgood.com” blog owner, she’s truly a wonderful dog who simply needs to be taught how to behave and needs to receive love.

I appeal to you, if there’s any way you would be able to consider a “nationwide” adoption of this lovely dog, go read her story right now and use the contact information in that blog post to help Sadie find the good home every good dog deserves.

Oh, here we go. I’ll give you the contact information from Chris’ blog post about Sadie:

Contact Person: Kaylene
Contact Information:
Heard County Animal Control Center
11818 Ga Hwy 100
Franklin, GA 30217
Phone: 706-675-3570

Please, I urge you, at least go to Chris’ full post about Sadie and read this lovely dog’s complete story. I thank you, Chris thanks you in advance, and I know Sadie would thank you.

Technorati Tags: Houndsgood.com, Sadie the dog, dog rescues, finding a home for Sadie the dog, for pets and pet lovers

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Like me, you probably have wondered what happened to the dogs rescued from the now infamous Michael Vick dog fighting/dog mill operation. I just found a story today on a “Baltimore Sun” blog about dogs telling about the happy ending for two pit bulls rescued from Vick’s bunch, named Daisy and Lilly originally, now renamed Sweet Jasmine and Sweet Pea. Sweet Jasmine and Sweet Pea have both begun to show signs of enthusiasm for living. When they were first rescued, they apparently were sick and lethargic. The story reports that a third dog which was rescued was originally so fearful she would crawl on her belly when she moved around.

Go read the story. It’s wonderful to hear that some good news is coming out of that horrible mess. My applause to the people who rescued the dogs and are working to give them back some life.

Oh, one more thing — dog fighting is illegal in every state in the U.S. But, according to the information I have, in Idaho and Wyoming, it is only a misdemeanor. Every other state makes it some form of felony. If you live in Idaho or Wyoming, I encourage you to contact your governor and state lawmakers to let them know dog fighting ought to be a felony.

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Do cats and dogs in particular understand when they’re “outsized” by other cats and dogs?

I ask that because I’ve seen large dogs run from small dogs, small dogs run from large dogs, and the same with cats — in most cases I’ve seen little relationship between size and “bravery” or willingness to stand their ground.

We had a wonderful little house dog named Mitzi. We actually “inherited” Mitzi from my stepmother when she died (along with my younger brother, but that’s another story). Mitzi was a cross between a toy Boston bulldog and a toy Pomeranian. She looked like a tiny Pomeranian with slightly shorter hair and the black-and-white coloration of a Boston bulldog.

She was a sweet little dog — unless you were a dog and you came within yards of her house. In fact, she was absolutely fearless about running off other dogs. Any dogs. Any sized dogs. She once went charging off the front steps before we could stop her and took after a Great Dane. She was such a fierce flurry of noise that the Great Dane simply turned around and ran off. Mitzi had the sense not to chase the big dog into the street and came prancing back to the porch, very proud of herself.

I miss Mitzi. That was years ago, but I’ve never forgotten that tiny dog with the heart of a lion.

Technorati Tags: pet stories, dog stories, pet sizes, for pets and pet lovers

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Our neighbors own a Rhodesian Ridgeback hound. Old Ray — the dog, not the neighbor — is a fearsome looking dog, with a heart that melts at the least bit of attention. He has quite a bark, but never bites.

Unfortunately, Ray is a clever hound and does his best to stay one ahead of Matt — the neighbor, not the dog — when it comes to breaking out of their back yard. Frequently. Also unfortunately, Ray has a little bit of a reputation in the neighborhood. Namely, he’s such a large dog with an awesome bark that many in the neighborhood fear his bite. But Ray, as I said, has never bitten anyone.

I know the sad stories that start with something like, “Officer, I don’t understand what happened. I’m telling you this lovable dog has NEVER bitten …,” and end with an injured child and a dog being put to sleep. So far, this has not been one of those stories.

We value having Ray (and his black Lab companion, Ebbie) as neighbors — along with Matt and Samantha, the “human neighbors.” I’m convinced we have less likelihood of prowlers in the neighborhood with Ray and Ebbie on the job. But the problem is Ray’s adventuresome nature. He loves to find ways out of the yard and to roam the immediate neighborhood.

Try as he might, Matt has been unable to seal all of Ray’s “hidey holes,” the hound’s always been able to find a way to get out. Just awhile ago, he was sitting calmly on his front porch — Ray the dog, not Matt the neighbor — wagging happily to see me as we drove up to our house. Shirley — my wife, who’s neither the neighbor nor one of the neighbor’s dogs — noticed him and remarked, “Looks like Matt missed another hole.” Matt had just been working his way slowly around the backyard fence doing patch work and putting up various barricades as we were leaving for the store a few hours earlier.

Rhodesian Ridgebacks are beautiful dogs. They seem to be genial and loving, they certainly make striking neighbors. Good luck with that fence, Matt. It would be a loss to us all for Ray to get out and lose him to a car wreck or the dog pound.

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