Beyonce was born on 8 March 2012 to Casey, a pregnant dog that was scheduled to be euthanised. She claimed the title of the World’s Smallest Puppy because she could fit into a teaspoon! She wasn’t expected to survive but proved everyone wrong.
Beyonce was saved because of the efforts of The Grace Foundation of Northern California, an animal rescue and rehabilitation facility. Her story was picked up widely in media outlets including CBS, The Washington Post, the Associated Press and Reuters. Now The Grace Foundation is using Beyonce’s celebrity status in a new fundraising campaign for Mother’s Day.
Named the I’m a Survivor Fund (after the Beyonce song), funds will be used to save healthy mums and their puppies. Many of these dogs are euthanised in shelters across California and the wider United States (3.4 million in total each year) because of a lack of facilities and adoptive families.
The messages from the Tiny Beyonce campaign are simple:
1. Spay and neuter your pets to prevent overpopulation of our furry friends
2. Adopt from rescues and shelters to save animals in need
3. Help a rescue or shelter save lives. Volunteer or donate services, resources, or money
All moms (and mums) deserve recognition on Mother’s Day. Why not make a donation to the I’m a Survivor Fund as part of your Mother’s Day gift?
I have just finished reading Merle’s Door (Lessons from a Freethinking Dog) by Ted Kerasote. This book was published in 2007 and became a national bestseller. That’s not a surprise.
Mr Kerasote is an accomplished author. He has written for publications including National Geographic, the New York Times, and Science. And he has other books to his name.
Merle’s Door, however, has to be one of Mr Kerasote’s top literary accomplishments and something that will be remembered as a hallmark of his writing career. Buy it (don’t just download it into your Kindle).
Merle’s Door is a biography of Merle, a dog adopted by Kerasote when they met totally by accident in 1991. Merle was ‘living rough’ in the Utah desert and Ted was on one of his many trips with friends to enjoy nature.
“You need a dog, and I’m it” says Merle. And so begins a lifetime of 13 years together where Ted learns to translate Merle’s thoughts, to give him free reign to learn about life and his surroundings and, in turn, Ted learns many things from Merle.
Using his dog door and the freedom that Ted allowed him, Merle becomes the unofficial mayor of Kelly, Wyoming and makes many friends. Along the way Ted establishes a ‘dedicated quadruped couch’ in his house and Merle leaves lasting footprints in the varnish of the balcony of the house they built together (and where Kerasote still lives).
Merle’s Door is Merle’s biography. Lovingly written by Ted, we learn about Merle’s trademark “Ha ha ha” as he would converse with Ted in a language all his own. He’d go hunting for elk, but was gun-shy when hunting birds (and we find out why later in the book). He has his scraps with other dogs and comes out learning valuable life lessons.
Later in life, Merle’s back end starts to deteriorate and Ted employs the use of acupuncture and massage to help his dog recover (no wonder why I like this book!). With respect, he lets Merle define what will be a good day and a bad day and they enjoy one another’s company to the end.
Mr Kerasote does a wonderful job in depicting the human-dog bond that so many of us dog lovers have appreciated in our lives. And he does it with the flair of an accomplished writer.
Like all true dog stories, be prepared for the end of Merle’s life in 2004 which is obviously written by someone who has lived through the last days of their dog’s life. Have a box of tissues handy – you’ll need it. (I did)
This is a book I intend on keeping and adding to my dog book collection. I’m grateful for Mr Kerasote’s writing talent because, not only is this Merle’s story, but it is well referenced with footnotes to key pieces of dog research (15 pages of references in total).
Through Mr Kerasote’s writing, Merle’s story lives on for all of us to share. A wonderful dog that walked this earth for almost 14 years and left pawprints on many hearts….
Posted in dog books
Tagged acupuncture, Audobon, biography, Kindle, Lessons from a freethinking dog, massage, Merle's Door, National Geographic, nature, New York times, science, Ted Kerasote
Today around New Zealand, people have stopped their daily activities to commemorate another Anzac Day.
Did you know that New Zealand has its own special dog hero from World War I? His name was Caesar.
A Bulldog, Caesar led the grand parade down Auckland’s Queen Street as the NZ Rifle Brigade left for the war. Caesar was trained as a Red Cross dog and worked at the Battle of the Somme in 1916. Dogs were particularly valuable to rescuers in No Man’s Land, as they helped to locate wounded men at night.
Caesar was killed in action. His collar (which has his name spelled incorrectly) is on display at the Auckland War Memorial Museum.
Caesar's collar, with his name spelled incorrectly
Author Patricia Stroud has written about Caesar in her book, Caesar the Anzac Dog. Illustrated by Bruce Potter and published by Harper Collins, the book is useful for teaching schoolchildren about the war. The publisher also offers a study guide for teachers.
Puglet the Pug features in this video to encourage us to do the right thing on Earth Day and every day. Have a wonderful (and sustainable) week!
Posted in dog breeds, Dogs
Tagged Earth Day, pug, Puglet, sustainability, video, YouTube
At the meeting of the Society for American Archeology this week, two University of Cincinnati professors, Jeremy Koster and Ken Tankersley, presented their results of research into hunting dogs in lowland Nicaragua.
The indigenous communities of the Mayangna and the Miskito in Nicaragua survive on subsistence hunting in the Bosawas Biosphere Reserve. The reserve is part of the largest unbroken tracts of neotropical rainforest in Central America, north of the Amazon. 85% of the mammals that are hunted are caught with the assistance of dogs.
Nicaraguan hunters and their dogs on a hunt, photo by Jeremy Koster, University of Cincinnati
The research team found that as both male and female dogs reach three years of age, they tend to increase their hunting success. Older, male and female dogs in the study population returned more game to their owners than did younger dogs.
Bigger dogs are able to track and corral bigger prey, which increases their hunting return rates. Since male dogs are generally larger than females, the males had the greater success rates.
As far as sustainability is concerned, the researchers found that dogs are more suited to wildlife sustainability than other hunting options available. Hunters with firearms tend to disproportionately hunt prey that lives in trees, including slow-breeding primates. Hunters with dogs tend to harvest relatively fast-breeding animals such as agoutis, pacas and armadillos.
Their main conclusion: With age comes greater success!
(Let’s hope the same applies to us; I could use all the help I can get :))
Our local newspaper ran a story recently about a little dog that woke her owners when their garage caught fire. Luckily, the damage was fairly minor and all (including the dog) escaped harm.
It was that story that got me thinking about all of the stories we hear, year in and year out, about dogs that act instinctively to warn their owners of danger or to get help. Here’s just a few dog hero stories that I’d like to share about dogs who have saved their owners or alerted others about fires.
_____________________________________________________
Brutus alerts sleeping family to burning garage (February 2012)
Dog alerts sleeping family to house fire (December 2011)
Dogs saves owner during house fire – Clyde the Great Dane! (November 2011)
Dog warns Daytona man of fire in house (November 2011)
Dog warns man of house fire (October 2010)
And one last video, taken from the camera on board the vehicle of an Alaskan State Trooper – showing the family dog Buddy leading the officer to the family’s home which was on fire…
Kathleen Crisley, specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand
Posted in special dogs and awards
Tagged Alaska, alert, Brutus, Buddy, Daytona Beach, Dog, fire, german shepherd, house fire, Max, owners saved, rescue, state trooper
A massage client asked me this question earlier this week. The dog in question is a Boxer (beautiful boy) who happens to be suffering from degeneration in his spine.
Although he is doing well with regular swimming, acupuncture and massage therapy, his owner knows that he is comparatively young (8) and she wants him to have a good quality of life for a long time. So that’s when we started talking about changes she could make to his physical environment to make things less stressful for him (ramps, steps, etc.)
Would a raised feeder help my dog?
Raised feeders can be a real advantage for a dog with orthopaedic problems or arthritis. Eating from a raised feeder helps to relieve strain on the neck and back, allowing the dog to eat without dramatically altering their posture and helping them to retain balance.
But – some studies have shown that dogs who are susceptible to bloat have an increased risk from eating from a raised feeder. The most notable reference for this link is an article by Dr Larry Glickman in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Vol. 17, No. 10.
Gastric dilation-volvulus (GDV) is known by the common term ‘bloat’ and other terms such as ‘stomach torsion’ or ‘twisted stomach.’ Regardless of what name you use, the condition is life-threatening. Dogs can die of bloat within several hours. Even with treatment, as many as 25-33% of dogs who develop bloat will die.
In bloat, the stomach fills up with air and puts pressure on the other organs and the diaphragm. The pressure on the diaphragm makes it difficult for the dog to breathe. The air-filled stomach also compresses large veins in the abdomen, preventing blood from returning to the heart.
Filled with air, the stomach can easily rotate on itself, pinching off its blood supply. This rotation is known as volvulus. The stomach begins to die and the entire blood supply is disrupted. A dog with this condition can deteriorate very rapidly – meaning a trip to the vet as an emergency.
Purdue University ranks Boxers as the 16th breed most susceptible to bloat (Great Danes are the highest). So, in this case, the owner decided not to opt for a raised feeder. Not only is her Boxer on the higher risk list, but he also is a gobbler – making quick work of his food!
This is just one example where it pays to do a little research. An idea that seems like a good one may not be so.
Posted in dog care
Tagged acupuncture, American Veterinary Medical Association, arthritis, bloat, Boxer, elevated feeders, gastric dilation volvulus, GDV, great dane, hydrotherapy, journal of the american veterinary medical association, Larry Glickman, massage, Purdue University, raised feeders, research, swimming, torsion, veterinary medical association
A Pit Bull named Little Red is proving to many folks that Pit Bulls are lovable creatures deserving of a good home. I’m proud to say that I’m one of Little Red’s 2,765 Facebook friends (and she’ll probably have more by the time you read this).
Little Red was rescued from Michael Vick’s Bad Newz kennels. From there, she traveled to Kanab, Utah to the Best Friends Pet Sanctuary for rehabilitation. Known as ‘Vicktory Dogs,’ all of the dogs rescued from Michael Vick’s properties were segregated from all non-staff at the Sanctuary under court order.
It took years to see Little Red come back to a state where she could be adopted. Her adoptive owner, Susan, never gave up hope about Little Red after seeing a photo of her shortly after her rescue. Susan sponsored Little Red and kept in touch about her progress. By February 2011, Susan was able to go to the Sanctuary to visit with Little Red. In September 2011, she was cleared to be Little Red’s foster mother.
This is their story:
There are still those who believe in breed-specific legislation and it is dogs like Little Red that prove that these rushes to judgement are unnecessary and unwarranted.
Thank heavens for the good people at Best Friends who took in so many Vicktory Dogs and worked with them on the long journey to rehabilitation.
Source: Best Friends Sanctuary Stories
Posted in dog adoption, dog breeds
Tagged Best Friends Pet Sanctuary, Facebook, Kanab, Little Red, Michael Vick, Pit Bull, rehabilitation, Utah
Dog heroes come in all shapes and sizes. This story, from St Petersburg, Florida is just another example.
Mabeline was being walked by a teenage shelter volunteer when a sex offender assaulted the girl. Mabeline barked and scared the man away. He was later arrested.
Mabeline, the Rhodesian Ridgeback cross, who was adopted from Friends of Strays (photo: Fox News)
The Friends of Strays shelter was able to place Mabeline with a new owner, who only found out about Mabeline’s heroics after the dog came to live with her. This proves that it was Mabeline’s sweet nature that was her best asset – her courage was an added bonus!
Source: Fox News
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