This dancing couple was the winner of last year’s Britain’s Got Talent…I love to see dog acts winning these contests – who needs just another singer?
“Look at our relationships with other people. Most of us are not as dependable as animals.”
– Gregory Castle, CEO of Best Friends Animal Society
Posted in dog quotes
Tagged animals, Best Friends Animal Society, dependability, Gregory Castle, relationships
I’m generally not in support of dressing up dogs in costumes…but take a closer look at this one…
Happy Easter!
A common challenge in the adoption business is finding homes for black dogs. For many years, shelter workers worldwide have reported that black dogs (and cats) are less likely to be adopted than others and more likely to be euthanized.
It’s a case of judging a book by its cover – or is it?
In films, if there is an evil or menacing guard dog, it’s usually black or dark coloured (e.g. Rottweiler, Doberman). Black cats are notoriously associated with the devil or witches, as well.
However, research published in early 2012 suggested that the issue isn’t colour – it’s breed. And no one appears to be gathering statistics on the adoption of black dogs vs other dogs. Plus there’s the fact that the Labrador (including black Labs) is routinely the top of the list when it comes to popular breeds. This means that someone isn’t afraid of black dogs!
Practically speaking, however, it is usually more difficult to photograph a black dog. Many shelters find that they can’t do a black dog justice in the photos that are mounted on the internet on shelter web pages and Facebook sites. Rescue organisations are encouraged to place additional overhead lighting in the kennels of black dogs to make them more appealing to visitors. Another suggestion is to take a black dog for a run or brisk walk before photographing him/her – thus photographing them when they are panting which is more likely to look like a smile in their photograph.
Patricia McConnell has commented on Black Dog Syndrome (fact or fiction) on her website.
Meanwhile, rescue organisations often hold special events for the adoption of black-coated animals. These are photos I took last year at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary during their May appeal – Back in Black… The adoption fee was waived for all black animals during the month. Very creative!
Do you think Black Dog Syndrome is real? What does your rescue organisation do to support the adoption of black dogs?
A detector dog checking luggage. (Credit: © Monika Wisniewska / Fotolia)
A study funded with a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, has found that detection dogs are more reliable detectors than previously thought. The study has been conducted by Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
The study is the first to be conducted in the world’s only detection dog research facility designed in conjunction with a military dog trainer. The Alabama facility, which provides expert detection dogs to police and military forces, flushes out fumes between tests, ensuring a fresh field each time.
Researchers have found that the key to improving a dogs’ smelling skills through diet is achieved by limiting proteins and increasing fats. Such a diet, the research team says, appears to help dogs return to lower body temperatures after exercise, which reduces panting and, thereby, improves sniffing.
‘Dogs tested in the new facility signaled with 90 percent and above accuracy. We also found we can push detection performance even further with the right kind of food.’ said Joseph Wakshlag, associate professor of clinical studies and chief of nutrition at Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
During an 18-month period, the research team rotated 17 trained dogs through three diets: a high-end performance diet, regular adult dog food, and regular adult dog food diluted with corn oil. Measuring how different diets affected each dog, they found that dogs eating the normal diet enhanced with corn oil returned to normal body temperatures most quickly after exercise and were better able to detect smokeless powder, ammonia nitrate and TNT.
‘Corn oil has lots of polyunsaturated fats, similar to what you’d find in a lot of nuts and common grocery store seed oils,’ said Wakshlag. ‘Past data from elsewhere suggest that these polyunsaturated fats might enhance the sense of smell, and it looks like that may be true for detection dogs. It could be that fat somehow improves nose-signaling structures or reduces body temperature or both. But lowering protein also played a part in improving olfaction.’
‘If you’re a dog, digesting protein raises body temperature, so the longer your body temperature is up, the longer you keep panting, and the harder it is to smell well,’ said Wakshlag.
Source: Cornell University media release
My thought for the day…(just ignore the spelling mistake!)
I love true stories about how dogs bring people together. This one comes from Florida, where people at The Doglando Foundation have created the Full Tummy Project.
The Full Tummy Project sets up every Thursday evening at the Global Outreach Center in Bithlo, Florida (east of Orlando, home to DisneyWorld) to provide food and other essential supplies to homeless pet owners.
photo courtesy of Pets of the Homeless
The Center has traditionally provided meals for the poor and homeless (like most soup kitchens and homeless shelters), but the folks at the Doglando Foundation recognized that many homeless also own animals and the animals suffer from their poor living conditions and inability to pay for veterinary care.
“Between 5 to 10 percent of homeless people have dogs or cats, and in some [rural] areas of the country, it’s as high as 24 percent,” says Renee Lowry, executive director of Pets of the Homeless, a national organization that helps provide food, medical care and assistance to homeless people who need help caring for their animals.
People are homeless for many reasons; for example some have mental illness but others have lost their jobs in the enduring recession and have had mortgages foreclosed. The family, including the family pet, ends up on the streets.
So the Full Tummy Project is a soup kitchen for animals and there are currently over 150 families registered with the project.
The Orlando Weekly covered the stories of the people involved in the Full Tummy Project, so read the full story by clicking on the Orlando Weekly cover page above.
Posted in animal welfare
Tagged animals, Bithlo, DisneyWorld, Florida, Full Tummy Project, homeless, Orlando, Orlando Weekly, Pets of the Homeless
I stood by your bed last night, I came to have a peep.
I could see that you were crying, You found it hard to sleep.
I whined to you softly as you brushed away a tear,
“It’s me, I haven’t left you, I’m well, I’m fine, I’m here.”
I was close to you at breakfast, I watched you pour the tea,
You were thinking of the many times, your hands reached down to me.
I was with you at the shops today, Your arms were getting sore.
I longed to take your parcels, I wish I could do more.
I was with you at my grave today, You tend it with such care.
I want to re-assure you, that I’m not lying there.
I walked with you towards the house, as you fumbled for your key.
I gently put my paw on you, I smiled and said ” it’s me.”
You looked so very tired, and sank into a chair.
I tried so hard to let you know, that I was standing there.
It’s possible for me, to be so near you everyday.
To say to you with certainty, “I never went away.”
You sat there very quietly, then smiled, I think you knew…
In the stillness of that evening, I was very close to you.
The day is over… I smile and watch you yawning
and say “good-night, God bless, I’ll see you in the morning.”
And when the time is right for you to cross the brief divide,
I’ll rush across to greet you and we’ll stand, side by side.
I have so many things to show you, there is so much for you to see.
Be patient, live your journey out…then come home to be with me…
Source: Unknown (I found this in my old email files and it is so appropriate to all of us who have loved and lost a dog)
Posted in dog quotes, dogs and mourning
Tagged animals, Do not cry, dogs, grief, I am with you
Does your dog celebrate St Patrick’s Day (a.k.a. St Pawtrick’s Day)?
Most dogs don’t really enjoy being dressed in costume. However, there are breeds that have Irish roots. Let’s honor these breeds on St Patrick’s Day and simply include our dogs in the celebrations rather than dressing them up!
Grab a Guinness and let’s toast:
The Irish Setter, pictured here are Daisy Sheridan and family at her birthday in 2010
The Irish Terrier
The Irish Water Spaniel
The Irish Wolfhound
The Glen of Imaal Terrier
The Kerry Blue Terrier
The Soft-coated Wheaten Terrier
Kathleen Crisley, specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand
Have you seen this statue?
The statue in 1937. Photo by Oakes Plimpton in the book ”Robbins Farm Park, Arlington, Massachusetts: A Local History”
Robbins Farm Park in Arlington, Massachusetts is interested in having its dog statue returned. It was last seen in about 1950, when the old family farmhouse on the land was demolished.
The group Friends of Robbins Park is putting out an APB (all points bulletin) on the statue, which may have been adopted by someone who was part of the demolition crew. It could be lingering in a junk yard, buried under years of debris. No one is sure.
The statue was formerly installed on a hill at Robbins Farm Park, which offers a great view of the Boston skyline. Children were often photographed on the statue, such as this photo from 1937.
If you can help solve the case of the missing statue, contact the Friends of Robbins Farm Park at 781-646-7786.
Source: The Boston Globe
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