Chiclete e Macaxeira

Com os dias contados

2010-03-29T04:03:00.003-05:00

Não sei se vocês sabem, mas além desse blog aqui eu tenho também um sobre treinamento de cães, o Blog da Lord Cão (eu sou treinadora profissional de cães e especialista em comportamento canino), e outro específico para escrever sobre Melissas, o Melisseiras no Exterior, sobre o qual eu comentei no post anterior a esse. Mas não tenho como manter 3 blogs e o que vai morrer é o Chiclete e Macaxeira. Entretanto, tem muito post legal aqui que eu não quero perder, portanto vou migrar o que for sobre Melissas para o Melisseiras no Exterior e o que for sobre cães para o da Lord Cão. O resto, infelizmente, vai pro beleléu.

À medida em que eu for migrando vou apagando daqui, até dar cabo de vez. Os posts migrados permanecerão com as datas originais e com os comentários que foram publicados aqui. Quem segue esse blog deve passar a seguir o Blog da Lord Cão e o Melisseiras no Exterior, pois o Chiclete e Macaxeira está com os dias contados!

Melisseiras no Exterior

2010-02-15T20:41:00.002-06:00

Conheçam o blog Melisseiras no Exterior, um local onde as melisseiras internacionais como eu podem entrar em contato facilmente umas com as outras. Um local onde podem se apresentar, dizer em que país moram e quem sabe até combinar para se conhecer pessoalmente. Um ponto de encontro onde podem saber de outras melisseiras que moram no mesmo país, onde podem trocar dicas de onde comprar Melissas no exterior, onde podem saber de promoções e notícias divulgadas no exterior, onde podem vender as suas próprias Melissas. Quem puder publicar uma notinha sobre o blog seria de grande ajuda, pois afinal ele não tem sentido se não conseguir chegar às melisseiras que moram fora do Brasil.

Esportes caninos

2009-10-12T22:42:00.003-05:00

Uma das coisas que eu acho o máximo são os esportes caninos. Além de divertido, é um excelente exercício de liderança e comunicação entre dono e peludo. Todos deviam experimentar, não necessariamente para competir, e sim para se divertir mesmo! Eu teria copiado a matéria aqui no blog, citando a respectiva fonte obviamente, mas os direitos autorais dela proíbem qualquer tipo de redistribuição (nós da Lord Cão não achamos essa uma filosofia muito inteligente, tanto que os nossos artigos - mesmo estando todos devidamente registrados na Biblioteca Nacional - podem ser reproduzidos desde que sejam colocados os créditos de autoria e um link para www.lordcao.com).

Para ler a matéria sobre esportes caninos, em inglês, clique aqui.

Gatos que convivem com cães quase sempre dão as cartas

2009-10-12T13:06:00.003-05:00

[Ai... É tão mais fácil postar uma matéria na qual eu concordo com quase tudo ao invés de uma na qual eu discordo de quase tudo... Às vezes dá tanta preguiça... Mas taí...]

Atina "adotou" Geremias; aos três anos, a gata SRD (sem raça definida) faz do labrador de sete anos um verdadeiro capacho

Esqueça aquela velha história de inimigos mortais. Diferentemente do que retratam filmes e desenhos animados, cães e gatos costumam conviver em harmonia e, pasmem, a soberania é quase sempre felina. [Não sei por que esse "pasmem", qualquer um que conhece um tiquinho de cães e gatos sabe que os gatos são mais soberanos]

"Os gatos são mais territoriais e, por isso, têm fama de durões", explica a veterinária especializada em felinos Graziela Maria Vieira. "Já os cachorros são mais sociais e administram bem um animal de espécie diferente no mesmo espaço." [Depende da raça e do temperamento do cão]

Na casa do estudante Silvio Crisostomo e da supervisora Lela Santos, ambos 36, quem realmente manda é Atina. Aos três anos, a gata SRD (sem raça definida) faz do labrador Geremias, 7, um verdadeiro capacho. [Obviamente o cachorro não precisa ser um capacho, mas os donos devem sempre valorizar o gato como líder entre os dois]

"Ela chegou para salvar Gerê de uma depressão profunda. Ele ficava muito sozinho e, segundo o veterinário, precisava de uma companhia", conta Silvio. Como a casa não comportava outro animal do mesmo tamanho, fizeram o teste com a gata, e deu certo. [Costuma dar certo, cães e gatos podem ser ó-ti-mos companheiros, mas de novo, depende da raça e do temperamento do cão]

Atina, que durante a reportagem brigava com o cão ao vê-lo receber afagos, captou a mensagem. "Ela adotou o cachorro a ponto de sentir ciúme dele" [bichos não sentem ciúme, um dia as pessoas aprendem, tenho fé], diz Lela. "Se brigamos com Gerê por causa de alguma travessura, ela fica ao seu lado e nos ignora." [Provavelmente porque a gata se considera a líder da casa, acima dos donos como muitos gatos fazem, e não adimite que subalternos briguem com o seu protegido]

Veterinário e professor de psicobiologia da PUC-SP, Mauro Lantzman faz um alerta sobre esses palpites, que interpretam como ciúme alguns comportamentos [VIVAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!! ALGUÉM COM BOM SENSOOOOOOOOO]. "Quando bichos e humanos dividem o mesmo teto, algumas respostas a estímulos podem ser confundidos com personalidade."

Dona de dois cachorros e três gatos, a veterinária Fernanda Lorenzo, 25, comprovou a superioridade dos felinos. "Já tinha os cachorros quando os gatos vieram. Em questão de dias, os bichanos mostraram seus traços dominantes", afirma. [E mesmo que os gatos não o façam, os donos devem fazer por eles e colocá-los na posição hierárquica mais alta, sempre]

Na relação entre a gata Olívia e o cão IG, ambos sem raça definida, é ela quem dá as cartas. "Ele chega a chorar quando Olívia impede seu caminho." Já no caso da outra gata da família, a vira-lata Julieta, 4, a história muda um pouco, e ela costuma se adaptar ao comportamento dos cães. Se eles estão à beira da mesa pedindo comida, lá está ela fazendo o mesmo. [Nenhum deles devia ficar pedindo comida! Que falta de bons modos!]

Sinal de que os gatos não são dominantes sempre. "Isso depende do ambiente social em que vivem e do temperamento do cachorro", frisa o veterinário Lantzman. [Esqueceu de levar em consideração o temperamento do gato?]

Como garantir uma convivência pacífica

- Gatos de pelos longos, como persas e angorás, são mais adaptáveis ao convívio com cachorros [Eu queria saber o fundamento dessa frase, mas não tenho conhecimento suficiente para questionar]

- Para os cães, não existe uma raça adequada, basta que o animal seja dócil [Totalmente errado, tente colocar um cão com elevado instinto de caça junto com um gato... A reação não vai ser das mais pacíficas... Claro que existem exceções, mas a raça faz toda a diferença]

- Quando o bicho novo chegar, deixe-o em um cômodo sozinho durante 24 horas [Discordo, o animal novato deve ser primeiramente apresentado ao outro em território neutro, fora de casa, depois os dois devem associar a presença do outro com coisas boas. O novato deve ficar junto do antigo, mas sob supervisão constante pelos próximos dias]

- O tempo irá ajudá-lo a reconhecer os movimentos da casa e fará com que os animais sintam os cheiros uns dos outros por debaixo da porta [E deixar tudo a cargo dos animais? De jeito nenhum! Os donos são a parte mais importante no processo de adaptação!]

Fonte

Hypo-allergenic dogs

2009-10-12T03:46:00.003-05:00

My allergist actually maintains that there is *no* such thing as a hypo-allergenic dog - that what you react to is the dander, which any dog has, not the shedding.

Escrito por Brianna Tracy em 26 de fevereiro de 2006 para a lista Petdogs-L do Yahoo Groups

My husband is allergic to cats and dogs. He votes with the there are no such things as truely hypo allergenic dogs (despite the claims of some breeders). What helped him has allerpet C for cats and allerpet D for dogs. It is a liquid you put on the animal and it helps lower the dander (does not eliminate completely) which helps over all. When he was unimployed, it allowed him to be in the house during the day which otherwise he could not have.

Escrito por Abby Harrison-Melott em 27 de fevereiro de 2006 para a lista Petdogs-L do Yahoo Groups

Having been through all manner of allergy testing myself (including 5 days of "totally controlled living" in a hospital allergy wing), I agree that there is no such thing as hypo-allergenic dogs!

It IS the dander and this is shed regularly and continually and is normal for the dog. Regularly brushing the dander out of the hair can/may help but not if the allergic person has to do the brushing! [I] elected to keep [my] dogs and merely increased Vit. C since this is thought by some to be helpful for the allergenic!

Escrito por Joyce Thomas em 27 de fevereiro de 2006 para a lista Petdogs-L do Yahoo Groups

7 tips for a stress-free hotel stay with your dog

2009-10-11T14:06:00.002-05:00

When you're on vacation, it's important to let your dog know that the rules at the hotel are the same as the rules at home. This will help both you and your dog to relax, knowing that you've got everything under control!

1. Bring your dog's bed or favorite blanket from home. Having a familiar object will help your dog to feel comfortable. You can also bring any toys or other objects that will make him feel at home.

2. Take a walk. When you first arrive at the hotel, ask the staff where there is a nice, safe place to walk around. Then take your dog there for a walk to relax him.

3. Enter your hotel room first. This is very important, since this is the first time you are entering the environment with your dog. Right from the start, you are letting him know that this is "your" space.

4. Ask your dog to wait. Don't let him start exploring right away. Instead, have him wait patiently while you unpack, shower, or make phone calls. It's important that your scent is everywhere before the dog settles in. The only one who should move in the environment is you -- until you are ready. Then you initiate activity. [Não sei se eu faria exatamente assim, pois alguns cães adoram novidades e cada cantinho ter ou não o cheiro do dono não faria muita diferença para eles. Entretanto, fazê-los esperar antes de explorar o lugar é um excelente exercício de autocontrole e liderança]

5. Maintain your dog's schedule. Keep the same feeding schedule, and make sure your dog gets the same amount of exercise while on your vacation as he would at home. A good exercise routine can help alleviate any anxiety he may feel about the change in environment.

6. Find out about the area. Will it be hotter or colder than your dog is used to? Are there any regional health risks you need to be aware of? Where is the nearest vet and 24-hour clinic? Prepare in advance!

7. Reserve a pet-friendly room in advance. Make sure you understand the rules you need to follow and what services they offer for your pet. Not sure where to start your search? Best Western has over 1900 pet-friendly locations, so they're sure to have a hotel accommodation near your destination.

Fonte

Afinal, o que é ser um vira-latas?

2009-10-11T01:21:00.010-05:00

Ótimo post que encontrei no Mãe de Cachorro. Meus comentários estão em vermelho.

Essa vida é esquisita... Postei o texto que segue abaixo em março deste ano, no dia em que retirei das ruas a Bebel, gravidíssima, que foi castrada no dia seguinte e que depois virou Cora, foi doada, fugiu, foi encontrada e, finalmente, ganhou um lar pra lá de maravilhoso. Na época, só repassei o texto aqui pro blog, botei uma frase em negrito e deu.

Hoje, recebi o mesmo texto da querida Mircea e ao relê-lo, tive uma reação totalmente diferente. Como consegui simplesmente postá-lo em março, sem tecer maiores comentários?

Antes de mais nada, gostaria de dizer (ou mais provavelmente, de repetir, porque já devo ter dito isto aqui antes) que os cães (e gatos) não são vira-latas. Eles estão. Estar vira-latas é ter a infelicidade de precisar vasculhar lixeiras em busca de comida. Não ter raça definida, ou seja, ser um cão SRD (Sem Raça Definida), é ser filhote de qualquer raça misturada [Eu tenho uma definição um pouquinho diferente: considero mestiços os cães com pelo menos um dos pais de raça conhecida e SRDs aqueles que são de origem desconhecida ou indefinida. Exemplos: mestiço de cocker = cocker + SRD, mestiço de cocker com poodle = cocker + poodle, SRD = SRD + SRD]. Mas as pessoas sempre confundem e acham que o cão vira-latas é o sem raça definida. Se for um schnauzer revirando lixo, por exemplo, não é vira-latas, é abandonado. Ai, ai... Enquanto isso, compram cachorros mestiços e se acham no direito de ter preconceitos contra os pobres animais de rua, ou que têm família, mas não a tal raça 'definida'. Você diria que uma pessoa é "de rua"? Ninguém "é de rua", são as circunstâncias que definem este "ser das ruas" e, consequentemente, virar as latas... Você tem preconceitos contra pessoas que vivem essa extrema miséria humana? Bem... Preciso dizer que quem despreza um "simples cão" com certeza desprezará um ser humano? A base do respeito ao próximo é a mesma, seja ele de que espécie for...

"Ah, Ana, mas o meu cachorro é de raça! É filho de poodle com bichon frisé..."
Eu digo: É SRD! (e se pra você ser SRD é ser vira-latas, digo mais, é vira-latas!)
"O meu é pastor alemão com pastor belga."
Eu repito: É SRD! (e se pra você ser SRD é ser vira-latas, repito também, é vira-latas!)
[Os dois casos acima eu chamaria de mestiços, mas claro que os mestiços também são cães sem raça definida, ou seja, os mestiços são SRDs, mas eu gosto de usar uma terminologia diferente para ficar mais especificado. Isso é importante para o meu trabalho de treinamendo de cães, pois o temperamento e o comportamento são muito dependentes da raça. Se a gente sabe pelo menos uma parcela das raças que compõem determinado cachorro, pode entender melhor as atitudes dele e consequentemente direcionar melhor o treinamento]

Acordem, pessoas, principalmente as que compraram aquele filhote de shih tzu que depois ficou com cara de lhasa apso (ou de gremilim)... Ou aquele pinscher que depois tinha mais jeito de chihuahua... [Só uma pequena observação: aqui o contrário é mais provável, já que o chihuahua é mais difícil de criar do que o pinscher - cabeça grande costuma requerer cesária, as ninhadas são menores e a raça é mais delicada - então é mais comum um chihuahua ser misturado com pinscher do que oposto] Arrisco dizer, sem exagero, que existem na verdade poucos animais de raça realmente pura, principalmente no Brasil, o país do 'jeitinho', onde há tanta falsificação de pedigrees e certificados "de pureza" quanto de tênis, CD, DVDs e por aí a coisa caminha.

Esta semana, ainda, conheci uma senhora que pagou R$2.500,00 (sim, eu disse dois mil e quinhentos reais) em um filhote de pastor alemão com sarna demodécica de um "criador" aqui de Floripa. Foi lá reclamar e ouviu "Escolhe qualquer outro e leva no lugar."... (claro, pro infeliz que o vendeu, é só uma mercadoria com defeito)

"Ah, mas esse não vale! É puro, 'só' tem uma doença", vão me dizer (sem atinar que, por acaso, é uma doença inaceitável em qualquer plantel de criador decente e honesto, diga-se de passagem...). Até pode ser, por acasos de viver em cidade relativamente pequena, conheço uma outra cadela do mesmo "criador" e ela é o trash, do trash, do pastor alemão, totalmente fora do padrão, e se aquela pobrezinha ganhou pedigree, meus amigos, que porcaria de Kennel Clube temos em Floripa! [Infelizmente acho que esse problema não é só aí, é no Brasil todo]

Aliás, porcaria mesmo, porque quando comprei o Shoyo, a mulher teve o descaramento de oferecer para eu registrar o Sushi como sendo da mesma ninhada (sem nem ter visto a cara dele e, pior, o Sushi sendo dois meses mais velho que o Shoyo!). E é claro que os dois teriam um super hiper pedigree, totalmente dentro das normas, legalizado, assinado, carimbado e, claro, devidamente pago! [Também acontece no Kennel do Recife deles tirarem o pedigree de ninhadas sem nem ver os filhotes. Assim como acontece deles registrarem o mesmo cachorro duas vezes, gerando assim um pedigree falso para outro cão qualquer. Por isso eu acho que pedigree tinha de ser um documento obtido em etapas. Primeiro, quando filhote, o cachorro seria analisado pelo padrão físico - se bem que num filhotinho dá para ver muito pouca coisa - e receberia um documento temporário. Depois, com 1 ano e meio de idade ou mais, o cão teria de ser submetido a exames físicos, de saúde e de temperamento. Se e somente se tudo estivesse OK ele então receberia o pedigree definitivo. Isso ajudaria a fazer com que só tivessem pedigrees os que realmente estivessem dentro do padrão - em todos os aspectos, não só no físico - e ainda reduziria o cruzamento legalizado de cães muito jovens, pois os pais com registro temporário não poderiam gerar ninhadas com pedigree]

Então, pessoas queridas, abram seus olhinhos cheios de fantasias românticas e, se realmente quiserem comprar um animal, estudem exaustivamente a raça e procurem um criador decente com o mesmo critério que procurariam um médico para salvar a vida de vocês. Porque com menos atenção e cuidado do que isso, lamento informar, mas você corre imensos ricos de terminar levando ou um cão SRD pra casa, ou no mínimo um péssimo exemplar da raça [que ainda pode vir com várias doenças genéticas], que só porque ganhou um papelzinho carimbado com importância superestimada, te faz sentir 'especial', quando na verdade, está só atestando a sua santa ignorância e ingenuidade.

Mas vamos ao texto, e aos comentários que desta vez não consegui deixar de fazer [em azul]...

Mitos e verdades sobre vira-latas

Por Cristiano Baldi - para o Yahoo!

Um cão sem raça definida (SRD) é aquele que não tem a origem definida em um pedigree, que é um certificado que atesta a ascendência do animal. Já o termo vira-lata se refere ao comportamento de muitos cães SRD [só SRD não, epa, epa, epa! Tem muiiito cão 'de raça pura' que é abandonado e tristemente precisa virar latas por aí...] que, abandonados, vagam famintos pelas ruas, revirando latas de lixo atrás de algo para comer. Um cão SRD abandonado, ao menos em teoria, deixa de ser um vira-lata depois de ser adotado por alguém. E isso vem acontecendo cada vez mais: adotar cães abandonados virou moda.

Cada vez mais gente prefere escolher um vira-lata, em um abrigo para animais, a comprar um cãozinho de raça [Eu queria acreditar que isso é verdade]. Este é de fato um hábito muito saudável que, além de diminuir a população de animais abandonados em nossas cidades, ajuda no controle das zoonoses. Mas junto com a popularização da prática, surgiram alguns mitos.

O primeiro deles é de que ao adotar um vira-lata filhote, ao contrário do que acontece com os cães de raça, não se pode saber qual o temperamento e o tamanho que ele terá quando adulto. [Dá pra dizer o mesmo de cães vendidos, principalmente os que são dividos em tamanhos ridículos [e errados pois não existe tal classificação]: 0, 1, 2, 3. A pessoa compra o tal do poodle 0 [zero], que parece minúsculo porque muitas vezes não ganha comida para não crescer, e depois termina com uma ovelhinha na sala...] A verdade é que o temperamento depende muito mais da criação do que da raça [Eu já comentei essa frase na matéria original que foi postada no Mãe de Cachorro em março deste ano. A frase está errada: temperamento é 100% genético e portanto depende dos pais e avós biológicos. Comportamento é que depende da criação. Há uma grande confusão entre esses dois termos. Um cachorro com temperamento dominante vai sempre ser dominante, porém isso pode ser melhorado muito com treinamento e com os donos certos. Um cachorro com temperamento dócil pode virar uma fera se sofrer abusos]. Assim, se o bichinho for tratado com amor e respeito, provavelmente será dócil e carinhoso. E o tamanho pode sim ser estimado. Segundo a veterinária gaúcha Fernanda Pante, que trabalhou por alguns anos em um abrigo para animais abandonados em Caxias do Sul, a partir dos dois meses já é possível intuir o porte. "Há alguns indícios, como o tamanho das patas e um ossinho no crânio, chamado crista do occiptal, que é mais proeminente em raças maiores", diz ela.

Fernanda, que adotou dois vira-latas, desfaz também outro mito: "Algumas pessoas adotam cães adultos achando que o manejo é simples, que não dá trabalho e que eles aprenderão rápido. Mas há cães adultos que têm um manejo mais complicado. Antes de adotar um animal adulto é preciso se informar sobre a personalidade dele. Será que o bichinho é adequado para aquilo que estou procurando?". [Concordo que há cães que "têm manejo mais complicado", principalmente com a realidade que estou vivendo na adoção da Vênus, mas não acho que este seja um motivo para preferir um filhote ou um cão comprado. Qualquer cachorro, seja de que idade ou raça for, pode ser mais ou menos fácil de lidar, de adestrar, de conviver. E os mais 'terríveis', são geralmente os mais inteligentes. Quem tem que saber mais e sempre estar no controle da situação somos nós, humanos e 'animais racionais'... E outra, o tal do aprender mais ou menos rápido também depende muito de quem está ensinando e como. Tem muito adestrador troglodita que ganha os bichos na base da grosseria e da porrada mesmo, daí, não há raça pura que resista. Um amigo meu tem um labrador com pedigree e o escambau, que foi adestrado por dois idiotas na base do choque e que virou um verdadeiro monstro desequilibrado. Levaram anos pra reabilitar minimamente o cão e até hoje ele não é bem certo das ideias, pobrezinho...] [Também concordo com a história do "manejo mais complicado", mas se um adulto *pode* ser difícil, um filhote é *com certeza* difícil, pois ele precisa aprender a fazer xixi e cocô no lugar certo, a não roer, a não morder por brincadeira, etc. e ainda vai passar pela adolescência, que na minha opinião é a fase mais difícil de toda a vida de um cachorro. De uma forma geral, filhotes dão bem mais trabalho do que adultos, então eu acho que vale mais a pena adotar um cão já adulto]

Outra crença muito comum reza que os vira-latas seriam mais inteligentes. O publicitário, ator e locutor gaúcho Rafa Tombini, dono do Pirata, um simpático SRD malhado, concorda: "Eles são mais amigos e mais inteligentes e por isso podem parecer um pouco agitados". Segundo Fernanda, isso pode até ser verdade, mas talvez não seja uma característica genética: "A gente nota que eles são extremamente espertos. Muitos animais que vieram da rua passaram por condições bem difíceis. É possível que por isso eles tenham aprendido a se virar melhor, de um jeito mais criativo."

A crença de que os cães vira-latas seriam mais resistentes a doenças também é verdadeira. Os cães de raça, por terem menor variedade genética, ficam mais suscetíveis a moléstias. "O vira-lata tende a ser mais resistente justamente por conta de uma grande mistura de genes", diz Fernanda.

Ao adotar um vira-lata, além de arrumar um amigão, você estará fazendo uma boa ação para toda a sociedade. Mas não esqueça: o mais importante para quem deseja ter um cãozinho é o comprometimento. Seja de raça ou não, o animal precisa de cuidado, carinho e dedicação [além e principalmente de exercícios e treinamento. Citando Cesar Millan, as 3 coisas mais importantes para um cachorro são, *nessa ordem*: exercícios, limites e afeto]. Se nada disso faltar, a sua história certamente terá um final feliz.

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Observing good mother dogs care for their pups

2009-10-09T16:43:00.005-05:00

Just observing how a good mother dog looks after her puppies teaches us a lot about how to raise our own dogs.

Fonte 1 e Fonte 2

Incrível cadela que sabe ler!!!

2009-10-08T15:21:00.002-05:00

This morning’s Today Show produced one of the weirder a.m. television moments in recent memory with a segment called “Sit, Stay, Read.” Crowded into a makeshift doggie park complete with astroturf lawn and prop fire hydrants, the fab four — Matt, Al, Meredith and Ann — were agog as a dog trainer showed how a pup [pup? a cadela tem 12 anos!] named Willow can (kinda) read and understand signs that tell her to do basic tricks (check out the clip, below). Never mind that she got one wrong and couldn’t really handle it when Ann tried holding the sign. This dog is a scholar!

[Ela não é linda? Parece uma raposinha!]

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Tããão pequenininhos...

2009-10-07T14:55:00.005-05:00

[Enquanto em muitos lugares as pessoas se digladiam por cães cada vez menores e consequentemente cada vez mais problemáticos e mais doentes, em outros lugares é o contrário e elas disputam entre si para ver quem tem o maior cão, com direito a registro no Guinness e tudo o mais]

ND woman's 7-foot-long dog could be record holder

Boomer, a 180-pound Landseer Newfoundland dog, drinks water from the kitchen sink at Caryn Weber's home south of Casselton, N.D

The dog measures 7 feet from nose to tail and stands 36 inches tall at the shoulders

ND woman's 7-foot-long dog could be record holder

Boomer may be a buster: Measuring 3 feet tall at the shoulders and 7 feet long from nose to destructive wagging tail, his owner thinks she may have the world's tallest living dog.

Caryn Weber says her 3-year-old Landseer Newfoundland keeps all four paws on the floor when he drinks from the kitchen faucet in her family's farm house in eastern North Dakota.

Boomer can stare into a car window eye to eye with a driver. A 20-pound bag of dry dog food lasts a couple of weeks.

Weber says the fluffy black and white dog "comes into the house and his tail is so high everything gets knocked around."

Weber plans to send Boomer's measurements to Guinness World Records. The previous record holder was a nearly 4-foot-tall Great Dane that died this summer.

Fonte

42-inch Dog in Arizona Puts 'Great' in Great Dane

Dave Nasser sits with his Great Dane, George, at a friend's home in Tucson, Ariz.

When you're the biggest dog in the world, you make your own rules.

You cruise by countertops of an outdoor kitchen and adjacent barbecue and lower your calf-sized head a notch to sniff out any crumbs from a recent party.

You nuzzle up to a bystander, easing your floppy, foot-long ears into the middle of his chest to request some lovin'.

You saunter up to a couch, twist your 42-inch-tall, 245-pound body into a puppy pirouette and land your rump on your owner's lap to take a load off.

Such is life for 4-year-old George, the Greatest of Danes.

Realtor Dave Nasser, his owner — well, maybe "sidekick" is a better description — runs his fingers through George's turflike fur and talks not about the duo's big plans to etch their names into the Guinness Book of World Records, but of George's docile nature. [ADOROOOOO o dogue alemão!]

"Great Danes are inherently lapdogs. He really thinks he's a tiny dog and wants to sit on your lap all the time. He wants to be right with you," Nasser said.

"Danes aren't outside dogs. They're a little wimpy. You can't just buy one and expect to put it outside. They really are inside dogs and they want to be right with people."

It's good that George is a people person, because he's probably going to be seeing a lot of new ones in the coming months, and millions more could be seeing him.

Nasser and pals Paul O'Rourke and Dana Murray, both of whom have backgrounds in public relations and gather with their spouses at O'Rourke's back patio Friday evenings for happy hour, plan to make George into a canine colossus in the media. They hope to get him on talk shows, photo shoots, maybe even in the movies.

"Either (Jay) Leno, or (Conan) O'Brien seems to me a better fit," O'Rourke said. "You see dogs on all these shows on the circuit. Why not?"

George could probably use the ego boost, because he's adjusting to life with 1-month-old Annabel, the daughter of Nasser and his wife, Christine. George tries to sneak kisses with a tongue long enough to cover Annabel's head, but her parents are shielding her from the gentle giant for now.

The Nassers used to let George slumber with them in their king-size bed, but he's now relegated to a twin bed in the master bedroom because Annabel has taken his spot.

George wolfs down 100 pounds of food every three weeks, and his droppings can weigh 4 pounds or more. [Hahaha! O cocô desse cachorro pesa quase o mesmo que a minha pinscher!!!] The Nassers keep a trash can in their backyard reserved for George's considerable waste. [A e-nor-me quantidade de fezes e de xixi é uma coisa que muita gente esquece de levar em consideração quando pensa num cãoZINHO desses para morar num apartamento...]

When it's time to hit the road, George lumbers into the cab of Nasser's pickup truck, where he hunkers down behind the seats.

Before George claims fame, the first step is to be named the world's tallest dog.

A Guinness World Records spokesman said no dog is currently confirmed as the world's tallest. The latest edition, "Guinness World Records 2010," published Sept. 17, lists the tallest dog as Gibson, owned by Sandy Hall of Grass Valley, Calif. The Harlequin Great Dane was measured at 42.2 inches tall on Aug. 31, 2004, but Gibson died Aug. 7.

George's vet, William Wallace, said Great Danes usually range between 28 and 36 inches tall, and said George is the biggest dog he has seen in his 45 years of practice.

O'Rourke added that they're going public with their Guinness quest because of a recent news story about Boomer, the Landseer Newfoundland in North Dakota whose owner is trying to get Boomer listed in the Guinness World Records as the tallest dog. Boomer is 3 feet tall at the shoulders.

"Our hand has kind of been forced," said O'Rourke. He's a building products manufacturer's rep who used to run his own PR agency.

Guinness makes applicants jump through a number of hoops. Nasser is working through an application, which requires vital stats recorded by a vet, verification of the dog's statistics by other witnesses, a video and a press conference. Nasser said he'll finish his application within the next month.

O'Rourke and Murray are going a few steps further, planning a Facebook fan page for George. Murray, an account director at the Caliber Group, a PR firm, says the organization will be pitching in to spread the word about George. O'Rourke is savvy in the world of big media, having landed a former client, jockey Kent Desormeaux, on "The Tonight Show" in 1998. O'Rourke thinks he can get Nasser and George on the talk-show circuit.

There is precedent. Gibson made appearances on Oprah, Leno and other shows.

If George does go big-time, Nasser will have to get ready to adjust his life. He said any time he takes George to Udall Park, he gets swarmed by people.

"I have to listen to the same bad jokes," Nasser said in a good-natured, mock-complaining tone. "If I had a nickel for every time a guy asked if I had a saddle for him"

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A Second Chance: by Kathryn Randall

2009-10-07T13:34:00.003-05:00

[Não sei se esse artigo aí embaixo é parte de um livro, um caso real ou um conto fictício, mas é uma bela história e me fez lembrar esse post aqui]

Wearily, he wonders what will happen next. Scruffy and dirty, the dog crouches in the back of the crate, quivering. Fearful eyes dart back and forth as if to ward off an unseen enemy. The day that began as a nightmare seems to worsen by the minute. With a whimper, he shrinks back, looking for safety.

Reflecting on the last few weeks, he wishes he hadn’t given in to the hunger that had landed him here. Turned out that the “nice people” weren’t so nice after all. Eventually, they handed him off to some other folks who kept him tied in a garage. At least he had been fed and warm – yet today, they shoved him in a cage.

With a bump and sway, the cage lifts from the ground. Off balance, the captive scrambles and panic sets in. Anxious voices escalate, doors slam, and engines roar to life as his sensitive ears scream for relief. Soon there’s motion, and his stomach lurches as the cage slides back and forth across the seat. The scene would be almost comical except for the sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach: fear of the unknown.

After a while, the vehicle stops and there is momentary quiet. Abruptly, the cage is hauled into the blinding sunlight, causing its occupant to blink. A few steps later, he is lowered to the ground, the door swings open, and a man peers in.

“Hey, Buddy, come on out,” comes a soft whisper.

They gaze at one another then, slowly a hand slips in with gentle fingers to pat the new arrival. Tension seeps out of the weary little body and he noticeably begins to relax. Craving an act of kindness, he leans forward and hope replaces apprehension. Inching toward the opening, he wonders if it is worth the risk…

“Hi Buddy,” says the man, “my name is Joe. Doesn’t it feel good to get out of there?”

Cautiously, the dog draws near and greets his benefactor with a tentative lick on the hand. Momentarily tensing when Joe scoops him up, he soon begins to calm under tender petting.

“Don’t worry, Buddy,” Joe whispers in his ear, “We’re going to be friends. I know you’re scared right now – so was I when I first got here – but soon enough you’ll realize this place isn’t so bad – for a prison.”

As Buddy curls up in welcoming arms, Joe continues in soothing tones.

“I don’t know what you’ve been through, I’m guessin’ much the same as me: unwanted, always scrapin’ by. And trust? No way. I’m a lifer, locked up forever, so I know what I’m talkin’ about. Trust is hard but I got yer back and I won’t let you down. Over the next few months, I’ll always be here. Then when our time is done and you go to yer ‘forever’ home, you’ll remember today: the beginning of your second chance – something we all deserve...” Joe’s wistful voice trails off as he stands. Nodding to the guard, he heads back to his cell. Buddy trots along, deciding that the day couldn’t end any better.

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Training in only one environment – big mistake!

2009-10-07T12:20:00.004-05:00

Most often people train their dogs and puppies at home or at a trainers facility. The dog or puppy learns how to do basic commands and acclimates to the home or training facility and becomes easier to handle in those particular enviroments.

Unfortunately, when the dogs are taken into another environment the owners are surprised to find that the dog or puppy is out of control. This is due to a couple of factors, not completing training the dog to respond in one environment before moving to a new environment and training in only 1-2 different environments.

With my recent addition, a 1 year old rescue Akita, I applied my own dog training advice. In just 4 months Jade as met over 200 dogs, rode in an elevator and has been in 2-3 new environments each week. To see her story go to my blog for the latest http://kcdogguy.blogspot.com/.

As a result she is non-reactive in any new situation and in each new experience I perform the same Come-Sits, puppy push-ups, stay and downs. If I get less than 80% success, she’s less than an 8. I return to those areas until she is at least an 8 and preferably a 10. I have the advantage of having access to hundreds of dogs at Wayside Waifs. Jade’s current goal is to do all of her exercises while 4 other dogs play off leash in the same area with her. At this point on leash she’s about a 7, off leash a 2-3. Ultimately, my goal is a perfect 10 off leash.

Making your own dog a perfect 10

Think of each new environment as ever expanding circles.

Before we know that a dog is ready to go on to a new environment with a particular behavior we need to test the dog. For the example I will use SIT. Let’s say in your home your dog will sit 4 out of 10 times when asked to sit. At this level your dog is a 4 and is not ready to go into another environment, especially if you had to lure your dog into those 4 sits you received. In another 2 days your dog is now able sit 9 out of 10 times without a reward each time. At this point your dog is a level 9 and is ready to move to a new environment, in this case you would go from the house to the backyard. Once in the backyard the dog now drops back down to a 5, or only a 50% response/success rate. You return to rewarding more often and in just a day your dog is back up to a 9 in the backyard. Now move to the front yard with the dog and repeat. What should eventually happen is in the front yard the dog may only drop to a 7 this time. Why? The dog is starting to generalize and should need less training in each new environment. Be cautious not to jump to quickly to the next area. For example, you move from the front yard to your local dog park and the dog drops to a 1. This indicates you jumped to an over-stimulating environment too quickly, a better area may have been [a] quiet less traveled park. Dog training is timing and moving forward in small increments [ótima frase].

With each new area you may have to use a reward with each repetition, but only for the first 10 repetitions and then move quickly to every other, every 5th repetition and eventually 10 reps without a reward. Here is my suggested training transition schedule for an average dog:

- Inside the home
- Backyard
- Front yard or driveway
- Neighbors yard
- Gas station parking lot or wide open public area
- Local park – baseball diamond (fenced in)
- In the presence of another dog (10-100ft away)
- Parking lot of pet store
- Inside the pet store
- Dog park parking lot/entrance
- Around one loose dog
- Around 2 or more dogs
- Dog park

You can pick just one behavior you want the dog to do or wait for your dog to master several in each environment.

In my situation I would visit all these areas and get my dog to a perfect 10 on leash then repeat working these areas with my dog off leash or with a long lead. Since I train primarily with a long lead or no lead I moved through the above areas in 8 weeks with Jade.

I would not suggest moving the dog to the next area without working the dog up to at least a level 8. This may sound like a long process, but for the basic commands Look and Sit this is just a 5-10 day period. Remember, if you have no control over the dog you probably transitioned to a particular area too quickly. You can take your dog to the dog park or pet store before they are a perfect 10, but be aware they will not perform as you expect if you did not work up to the new areas.

Leash Walking to a perfect 10 (2-Leash Method)

I found that if given a chance when the dog pulls on leash the owner immediately pulls back causing the dog to pull and so the circle begins. To alleviate this problem and save hand, arms and shoulders of the owners I thought of a 2-leash method to walk dogs.

Begin with 2 leashes on the dog, one that will drag on the ground and the other you will hold lightly in your hand. Now imagine that you have a plane of glass [that] extends out to your left and right side [estranho esse conceito, não entendi a razão]. Start by standing on the drag lead at about the 3 foot mark and hold the other leash in your hand. Take 1-2 steps and then step on the drag lead and change directions. This will stutter the dog a bit and he should turn to follow you. Repeat 2-5 times and then increase the number of steps you take before you step on the drag lead. DO NOT TIGHTEN the leash you are holding in your hand. This leash should stay loose and give the dog full length of the lead. Now take 3-4 steps and step on the drag lead, but do not stop. Try to keep a normal walking cadence as you tap the drag lead. We are trying to teach the dog without yanking back to walk within 3-4 of us, stop when we stop and turn when we turn. When you do stop, step on the drag lead and reward the dog.

Walking to a perfect 10

I measure how well a dog walks on leash by pulls per 10 feet inside and pulls per 100 feet outside. Beginning inside I will leash the dog to me with a 6 foot lead and walk down a hallway. If I am using the 2-leash method I will count the number of times I had to tap the drag lead. My goal is 0 taps per 10 feet in the house and 0 taps per 100 feet outside. This is a bit opposite of the 10 philosophy. With leash walking we want the dog to be a 0. Once the dog is non-reactive to the leash in the house and will walk around the home with me and not pull I am ready for the first transition, the backyard.

Once in the backyard I start counting my pulls or taps on the drag lead. If I can walk the dog 100 feet without a tap he’s ready for the front yard. Once I master the front yard I will then measure the number houses I can walk by before I have to tap. Once I can walk by 10 houses without a tap I progress to the next new area. Again, I want to teach the dog these basic rules, walk when I walk, stop when I stop and turn when I turn – without prompting. In this case you want to work your dog from 10+ pulls/taps to 0 pulls/taps per 10 or 100 feet.

Level 10 Stay

Stay should be taught as no motion whether the dog is sitting, standing, lying or on it’s back. Stay simply means do not move. Start with your dog on a 6-10 foot leash and just let the leash sit on the ground. If the dog should try and bolt, step on the leash and say Stop. Put the dog in a sit, present a flat palm to the dog and say Stay. Count to 5, reward the dog. Repeat 10 times doubling it each time up to 20 minutes (10 times). With each repetition take one step back from the dog. At the end of 10 repetitions you will be 10 feet away and the dog will be on a 20 minute stay. If the dog breaks at any particular point, work at that distance and time interval until they do not break and move. Once you can work up to 10-20 feet away from the dog and can get 2-5 minute stay 10 times you can move to the next area - backyard, front yard and so on.

To increase the dog’s staying power, during the initial phases start to wave your arms, turn around and make noise. Adding these distractions in will help desensitize the dog to distractions. Once the dog knows a Sit/Stay work on Stand/Stay and Down/Stay. Eventually the dog will learn that Stay means no movement in whatever position they are in.

Level 10 Come

Recall is the least practiced and most frustrating behavior for dog owners. To create a perfect 10 recall you need to train in several different environments, but also list your dog’s triggers. A trigger is what set’s your dog off or gets them excited. It could be cars, cats, birds, noises or anything that will distract your dog and cause him not to respond to Fido Come! The training starts the same as others, in the home. In the home take the dog’s food and split into 10 portions, get Fido in front of you and say Come and reward the dog like this the first 2 days. Then randomly call the dog to you in the house, once he comes when called 8-10 times in a row progress to the backyard and eventually the front yard. Use a long lead (15-30 feet long) in the front yard so the dog does [not] run away.

Figure the Triggers

A trigger is anything that sets your dog off. List out your top 10 triggers and figure out at what distance your dog sees and then reacts to it. Your goal is to interrupt the sequence of events at the alerting stage and call the dog back before he reacts and bolts off. Be sure to have a long lead or a regular leash on your dog when practicing this. Set up situations that you can work on your dog’s top 10 triggers and start with the easiest one first. Once you can call your dog back 10 times from the easiest trigger move on to the next trigger.

Making your dog a perfect 10 is not difficult, just test your dog and establish his current level in different situations. If the dog is put in a situation you know he is not proofed for, don’t reprimand, but train him to react appropriately in different situations. The more places you train your dog the less reactive he will become and the more control you will have. Try this little tip, any new environment you go to with your dog, have them do 10 quick Come-Sits as soon as you are there. It sets the tone for the adventure!

Fonte

Este obediente cãozinho não precisa de petiscos

2009-10-06T13:03:00.010-05:00

Esse yorkshire é a coisa mais bonitinha. Você tecla os comandos - em inglês - e ele obedece, todo sapeca. É uma gracinha porque é um york de verdade, que foi filmado e colocado na internet. Eu fiz uma pequena lista com os comandos que deram certo. E você, quais conseguiu descobrir?

Brinque com o cãozinho clicando aqui.

Comandos que funcionam:
- Sit
- Down
- Stand
- Paw
- Speak / Bark
- Kiss
- Roll
- Dead
- Fetch
- Jump

UPDATE: A leitora Lúcia do Cachorro Paraguaio descobriu outros comandos fofos!

- Spin
- Beg (que é igual ao Stand)
- Dance
- Up
- Shake / High Five / Wave (que são iguais ao Paw)
- Walk
- Sneeze

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Alice Cooper and The 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act

2009-10-05T17:32:00.003-05:00

Some people never learn from the mistakes of history. Ken Baker is one of those people. His introduction of the 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act and, along with it, Breed Specific Legislation [ou melhor: Bad Stupid Law] (outlawing/banning certain dogs by ‘type’) has been an unmitigated failure. A disaster on every level. Dog attacks have not reduced, the cost of attempting to implement his loony legislation has sky-rocketed, innocent dogs have died and, perhaps more importantly, there are people who weren’t even born when he rushed through the Act who are easily and joyfully getting any dog that is marketed to them as a ‘Pit’ a ‘Dogo’ or even a ‘Tosa’. Why? It’s obvious, really. When you try and ban something, you give it the biggest, baddest, most powerful marketing push possible...

The year is 1972.

Word from the United States is that original ’shock-rock’ superstar Alice Cooper is making headlines for doing terrible, depraved things in a live stage show containing everything from animal sacrifice to full on necrophilia.

Of course, rumour and gossip fuel the fires. In reality, one single incident propelled Alice Cooper to notoriety. At a concert in Toronto someone in the crowd threw a live chicken on stage. Why anyone would bring a live chicken to a rock concert is anyone’s guess, but Cooper collected the bird and, being a boy from Detroit who’d never been on a farm in his life, threw it back – assuming “It had wings, I thought it would fly.” [dã]

Except, it didn’t quite fly as much as it plummeted back in to the crowd.

A sea of blood, guts, wings, feathers and media storm erupted.

“Alice Cooper kills chicken and drinks the blood.”

“Satanic Cooper sacrifices animals at live concert.”

“Evil Alice kills animals in frenzied sacrifice in front of baying mob”.

Well, you get the picture.

The rumours that surrounded Cooper and his stage show grew and grew – as rumours are prone to do. Before you knew it, Alice Cooper was the anti-Christ and the children of the world were not safe from the evil he spewed.

Nobody, it would seem, bothered to actually find out much more than that. Especially Mary Whitehouse the veteran ‘media standards and decency’ campaigner who busied herself by deciding on our behalf what we should and should not be allowed to see, think or do.

When it was announced that Alice Cooper would be bringing his shock-fest to the UK, Whitehouse went in to overdrive.

She lobbied MPs. Some of them supported her. In fact one MP, Leo Abse objected to Cooper’s show so much, he accused him “peddling the culture of a concentration camp.” Strong stuff.

The frenzy surrounding the most villainous man in music built and built.

Watching this all unfold were, basically, three groups;

1) The outraged.

2) The sensible.

3) The really, really, really, really, really EXCITED!

Whitehouse did not manage to ‘ban’ Cooper from bringing his show to the UK. Nor did the MPs, he was after all a singer, not a criminal.

Given the mass hysteria surrounding rock’s baddest of the bad, which of the following scenarios do you think played out upon his eventual landing on UK soil?

1) The public shunned the morally corrupt singer and sent him packing where he would later fade in to obscurity

2) Without doing a SINGLE stroke of his own PR, he sold Wembley Stadium out TWO nights in a row

???

Cooper’s sold out Wembley shows elevated his career to a new high. He is still going (very) strong to this day.

Had Mary Whitehouse actually met him before making her judgement, she’d discover that Alice Cooper is a devoted family man, born again Christian, keen golfer and one of the GREATEST showmen alive. The Alice Cooper show is a morality play. It’s a character showing, teaching, if you like, that if you do bad things, then bad things happen to you. Alice – the character – never ‘gets away’ with anything. It’s more Shakespeare than Satanism. In fact, I’ve found myself streaming out of Alice Cooper concerts (I’ve been to many. Many, many!) to sometimes overhear the dissefected youth of the day say “Well the music was great, but I thought it’d be all Satanic and stuff.” The greatest disappointment Mary and Leo would have found at an Alice Cooper gig is the sheer lack of the demonic, satanic elements and lack of corruption of the young, impressionable audience – the same young, impressionable audience who Mary and Leo DROVE to the show with their ill informed hype and tittle tattle.

Ken Baker has done the same job for the Pit Bull.

He’s made a dog breed that is owned and loved by millions the ‘poster child’ of canine badness. He’s made the breed the 1972 version of Alice Cooper.

Only there’s one big difference, Alice Cooper sent Mary Whitehouse a bouquet of flowers every year up until her death, so grateful was he for the career platform she built for him. I’m fairly sure the countless owners and dogs who’s lives have been wrecked by Baker’s 1991 act will not feel such affection for him.

Breed Specific Legislation has failed. By demonising a breed, any breed, you make it attractive to the sort of people who will do a fine job of perpetuating negative stereotypes [frase perfeita, simplesmente perfeita]. I wonder. Will the same disaffected youth who turned up at Alice Cooper concerts only to leave saying “Well, music was good but a bit disappointed at the lack of animal sacrifices” be overheard to say “Well, dog’s all nice and everything. Bit disappointed at the lack of psychotic viciousness though.” about their newly, illegally obtained ‘Pit Bull type’ dogs?

[Protest Breed Specific Legislation]

Fonte

October 4th was World Animal Day

2009-10-05T16:59:00.003-05:00

October 4th is a day for all animals, everywhere. It’s World Animal Day.

Last year – 2008 – I was truly honoured to become the UK Ambassador to World Animal Day. Throughout the year we try and do our bit, however small, to improve the lives of animals, in whatever capacity we can achieve those aims. It seems like such an uphill battle, I have nothing but admiration for those folks who are on the ‘frontline’ witnessing what must seem like a tidal wave of abuse, neglect, cruelty or just plain ignorance that causes animals to suffer in one way or another. So for this year’s World Animal Day I’d like to extend an appeal to everyone to help, it will take literally seconds out of your day and can/will mean so much. The World Wide Web seems like such a great hub via which World Animal Day can grow and achieve more.

As such, if you have a passion for animals and 30 seconds to spare RIGHT NOW, please do this one thing:

Please go to twitter.com/worldanimalday and follow World Animal Day.

Why?

Because by doing this we can try and make October 4th 2009 a starting date to mobilise and empower more people to stay in touch throughout the rest of the year.

It will enable all the World Animal Day International Ambassadors and supporters to have a central location to exchange news, ideas and information – fast, instantly and we know – because we’ve seen it in action – just what CAN be achieved when animal lovers mobilise in numbers.

So, I’m not asking for your money. Not asking for you to write to anybody. Not asking you to do anything other than visit twitter.com/worldanimalday and follow. If you don’t yet have a Twitter account, please take just 30 seconds to set one up – if for nothing else than this worthy cause only.

Let’s make World Animal Day 2009 the start of World Animal YEAR 2010 (and beyond).

Go to http://www.twitter.com/worldanimalday
Thank you!

Learn more about World Animal Day

Fonte

The Hound Dog Next Door

2009-10-05T16:47:00.002-05:00

The coonhound Hunter Lily

It is said that on Capitol Hill, there are even more dogs than lawyers. And, of course, there is that old chestnut, usually attributed to Harry Truman: "If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog." We don't know our neighbors' names, but we know their dogs' names [haha, no Brasil era assim comigo também]. When I'm out walking my dog, he gets far more smiles and greetings than I do, and we all learn which dogs get along and when a wide berth is in order. In short, we relate to each other through our dogs.

But seldom does a single dog define a neighborhood the way the Black and Tan Coonhound of A Street did.

When my family and I moved to the District from a small town in Georgia six years ago, the last thing in the world we expected to awaken us that first morning was the bay of a coonhound outside our window. We quickly learned that this morning sentinel owned our neighbor Rosemary Freeman, and that her name was Hunter Lily, or just Hunter. We also quickly found out about Hunter's morning ritual of sitting on the front porch and greeting all the neighbors as they walked other dogs or made their way to work at the Capitol, the Supreme Court and the Library of Congress.

Not long after our introduction to Hunter, we were explaining to someone where we lived. "Oh, that's next door to the bloodhound," this person offered. We soon found ourselves giving directions that way. "Across from St. Mark's and next to the bloodhound." It was amazing how many folks understood [Hahaha!!! Um amigo meu dava orientações de como chegar na casa dele dizendo que você devia entrar na rua que tivesse um cachorro deitado na esquina!!! E funcionava!!!].

Even though Hunter was a gentle soul, she was still a coonhound, and she could often be seen dragging Rosemary or some dog walker along as she tracked a scent. When she visited our house or back yard, in minutes she'd have her nose into every corner and crevice. Once, a friend who worked as a prison warden was visiting from Georgia, and he shared with Rosemary that he had worked with numerous coonhounds in his profession, tracking fugitives. Taken aback, Rosemary responded, "No, not Hunter Lily. She would never do that." My friend smiled and said, "Oh, yes, ma'am, she would."

But the only person I ever saw Hunter track was Rosemary -- whenever she left the house without her beloved hound. That long, sad face would be pressing against the front-door glass, or peering through the front curtains, of course accompanied by a deep, elongated goodbye.

Rosemary has a weekend place on the Chesapeake, and it was there that Hunter was truly in her element, off leash and running, nose to the ground on the scent of a deer, a rabbit or maybe even a raccoon.

And so it was fitting that Hunter should spend her last day there.

The past year had been hard on the old girl, as she fought off the numerous physical problems that eventually got the best of her. Rosemary knew the end was near when she opened the bay house door and Hunter went out on quivering legs to do her business, then came right back in. A little while later she just gave out. That's when Rosemary made that call to the vet that all of us who are owned by our four-legged friends dread the most.

Amid the din of health-care reform, nuclear proliferation, insurgencies and politics as normal, unnoticed by many but felt profoundly by a neighborhood, an era has passed on Capitol Hill.

As I sit in my living room and write this, the porch next door is sadly quiet, and I try to remember the last time I heard the song of our neighborhood sentinel. But in the silence the memory of a dear soul named Hunter Lily sings on.

Fonte

Aprenda 10 gestos bons para cachorro

2009-10-05T16:26:00.005-05:00

Agradar seu cachorro com carinho é melhor do que dar petiscos

Os cães são considerados os melhores amigos do homem. E não receberam esse posto à toa. São carinhosos, brincalhões, defendem seus donos e estão sempre por perto. No Dia Mundial dos Animais (4 de outubro), quando também é celebrado o santo protetor deles, São Francisco de Assis, confira dez gestos simples para retribuir a amizade do pet, de acordo com as veterinárias Denise Saretta Schwartz, professora da Universidade de São Paulo (USP); e Maria Lúcia Gomes Lourenço, professora da Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp)/Botucatu.

1) Ração: Oferecer alimentos humanos aos cachorros não faz mal, se [é um SE bem grande] conseguir montar uma refeição balanceada para eles, segundo Denise. Uma dieta caseira inadequada pode levar a várias deficiências e excessos, causando obesidade, desnutrição ou problemas de pele. "Certos condimentos e ingredientes utilizados na culinária humana podem ser prejudiciais à saúde do cão", disse Maria Lúcia. Elaborar um cardápio adequado não é tarefa fácil para os leigos, por isso a melhor aposta é realmente a ração. Aos seus olhos, pode até parecer nada apetitosa, mas a comida para cachorros apresenta os ingredientes necessários e nas quantidades adequadas ao seu amigo de quatro patas.

Na hora de escolher qual das muitas opções da prateleira é a melhor, conte com a ajuda do veterinário, que também auxilia a determinar a quantidade diária. A ração deve ser dividida em, ao menos, duas porções.

O ideal é que o animal coma na hora em que o alimento é fornecido, principalmente no caso das rações úmidas. O pote tem de estar limpo. Lave-o com água e sabão, da mesma forma que suas louças.

2) Sem exceções: Qual dono não gosta de satisfazer as vontades do cãozinho, principalmente quando faz aquele olhar pidão? No entanto, essa atitude prejudica a saúde quando o assunto em questão é comida [e prejudica a sua liderança em qualquer caso]. "O queijo, por exemplo, contém uma quantidade grande de calorias. Um pedacinho para o cão equivale a quase a metade do queijo de uma vez para os humanos. Devemos lembrar que os cães são bem menores do que nós", afirmou a professora da USP.

Doces, então, nem pensar. Causam obesidade e problemas dentários, e estimulam a liberação de insulina. É difícil, mas vale a pena fazer um esforço e conter-se quando estiver saboreando uma guloseima qualquer e seu animal fazendo a maior festa para ganhar uma lasquinha que seja.

3) Nada de petiscos: OK, você não deve presentear o seu pet com pedaços de alimentos para humanos. Então, a forma de driblar a situação é dar petiscos próprios, certo? Não, na opinião da veterinária Denise. "Eles geralmente contêm muita gordura e sal." Nada melhor do que agradá-lo com carinhos e muita brincadeira. Nem pense em conquistá-lo pela barriga [um petiscozinho aqui e acolá, sem exageros, pode].

4) Brinquedos: Os brinquedos são bem-vindos na hora da diversão. Mas fique tão atento quanto ficaria ao escolher um mimo para crianças. Não podem ser muito pequenos ou conter partes fáceis de engolir. Assim, evita que o animal engasgue ou precise passar por uma cirurgia para retirar o objeto.

5) Xô, sedentarismo: Não são apenas os humanos que têm a possibilidade de serem sedentários. Os cães também podem sofrer desse mal. A falta de exercício traz problemas, como os respiratórios e a obesidade. Caminhadas de 20 a 30 minutos [pode precisar de muito mais do que isso, dependendo da raça], de três a cinco dias por semana [não, tem de ser todo dia], são uma boa atitude, que beneficia os bichinhos e seus donos ao mesmo tempo. Dê adeus à fadiga e coloque suas pernas e as patas do seu colega em ação.

Use sempre uma guia, o que afasta o risco de atropelamentos, briga entre cães e acesso a lixo e produtos tóxicos que estejam no chão. Se o animal vive dentro de casa e sobe em sofás e camas, higienize suas patinhas na volta do passeio. Use água morna e sabonete neutro, enxágue bem e seque. Outra alternativa é usar lenços umedecidos.

6) Vacinação: A frase "quem ama cuida" se enquadra também ao relacionamento entre homens e animais. É fundamental que os pets sejam vacinados, o que afasta o perigo de transmissão de doenças até para seus donos, como a raiva e leptospirose.

"Todo filhote deve receber três ou quatro doses das vacinas contra as doenças infecciosas mais comuns - cinomose, parvovirose, hepatite canina, leptospirose, parainfluenza canina - dependendo da idade de início da vacinação, raça e histórico de vacinação da mãe. Todas devem ser repetidas anualmente, assim como a antirrábica", disse Denise. Não se esqueça de levar seu cão semestralmente ou pelo menos uma vez por ano ao veterinário.

7) Esqueça o leitinho: É bastante comum, principalmente quando o cachorro ainda é filhote, oferecer leite. Se você tem esse costume, saiba que está para lá de errado. "Pode causar diarreia e gases em alguns animais. Caso o filhote já tenha sido desmamado, não há necessidade de leite", disse Denise.

O animal pode beber outros líquidos, como chás, quando [QUANDO bem grande] indicado pelo veterinário. Nem pense em refrigerantes, sucos com açúcar [ou cítricos] e bebidas alcoólicas. A água ainda é a melhor pedida. Lave bem a vasilha com sabão, enxágue e troque o liquido uma vez por dia ou quando notar a presença de restos de alimento ou sujeira.

8) Sol: Pode parecer frescura [por quê?], mas os cães também precisam de banhos de sol, antes das 10h e depois das 16h. É importante para a síntese da vitamina D, da mesma forma que para as pessoas. Eles devem ter um abrigo, para evitar insolação, e água à vontade.

9) Banho: Dê banho em seu cachorro sempre que estiver sujo [não mais do que uma vez por semana]. Pode ser a cada semana, 15 dias ou um mês. "É importante que proteja os ouvidos com algodão parafinado, com o intuito de evitar problemas como otites", afirmou a professora da Unesp. Aposte em sabonete neutro ou produtos específicos e água morna. Sendo assim, nada de lavá-lo com a mangueira. Se você não gosta de banhar-se com água fria [eu odeio, mas tem quem goste...], por que ele gostaria? Seque-o com o auxílio de uma toalha.

Não se esqueça de penteá-lo [diariamente] com o objetivo de evitar a formação de nós, dermatoses (doenças de pele) e ingestão de pelos.

10) Higiene bucal: Cães também precisam escovar os dentes diariamente [ou pelo menos três vezes por semana] para mantê-los saudáveis. Não use seu creme dental, pois [os cães] podem desenvolver gastrite por engoli-lo. Opte por escova e pasta de dentes específicos para animais.

Fonte

O ponto de vista do cão

2009-10-05T15:41:00.005-05:00

Os cientistas começam a desvendar um mistério milenar: como os cachorros veem o mundo e por que eles são tão apegados a seus donos

Não há parceria como a do homem com o cão. Ainda assim, em termos de estudos científicos, os ratos recebem maior atenção que o cachorro. Devido a seu uso como cobaia, sabe-se quase tudo sobre o comportamento dos roedores e até já se descobriu como tornar sua existência mais longeva. Por outro lado, o convívio por mais de 14 000 anos permitiu ao homem entender, na prática, bastante bem o comportamento canino. Mas também levou à concepção emotiva de que, de certa forma, o totó tem um lado humano, ainda que insista em fazer xixi no poste. Sobre esse assunto já não se está completamente no escuro. Uma série de estudos recentes lançou luzes sobre, digamos, a vida interior dos cães. Obviamente, o que se está descobrindo nada tem de humano.

A apreciação científica mais completa sobre a mente canina está no livro "Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell and Know" ("Dentro de um cão: o que os cães veem, cheiram e sabem", em inglês), da americana Alexandra Horowitz. Desde o lançamento, no início de setembro, a obra está na lista das mais vendidas. Psicóloga da Universidade Colúmbia, com especialização em ciência da cognição, Alexandra se propõe a explicar o que significa ser um cachorro. Em outras palavras, como é o mundo do ponto de vista canino. Cinco meses atrás, a Universidade Harvard abriu um laboratório de pesquisas com 1 000 cães, e a Universidade Duke, na Carolina do Norte, vai abrir o seu neste mês. "O número de estudos sobre cães aumenta porque esses animais, antes estigmatizados pela ciência, são tão interessantes para as pesquisas de convívio social quanto os chimpanzés", diz o biólogo Marc Hauser, chefe do Laboratório de Evolução Cognitiva de Harvard. No início deste ano, ele deixou a pesquisa de primatas para se dedicar aos cães.

Apesar de toda nossa convivência com os cães, talvez seja mais simples entender os chimpanzés, primos na árvore da evolução. Os cães percebem o mundo de um modo tão próprio que só pode ser descrito por analogias. Para poder explicar, a psicóloga Alexandra Horowitz tentou imaginar a vida do ponto de vista de um animal cujo sentido principal é o olfato. Para os cães, o cheiro equivale à visão humana. É o primeiro recurso usado para reconhecer o ambiente ao redor. Quando acordam, esses animais farejam a casa para saber se algo aconteceu enquanto dormiam. Dependendo da raça, um cão pode ter entre 200 milhões e 300 milhões de receptores de olfato nas narinas. O nariz humano só tem 5 milhões. Odores imperceptíveis para nós, como os das moléculas de ácido butírico provenientes das células da epiderme, deixadas por uma presa, compõem para os cães um rastro que pode ser seguido com segurança.

O cão tem maior interesse pelo que é cheirado do que por aquilo que é visto. Paisagens que deixam as pessoas boquiabertas só se tornam interessantes para um canino se o vento trouxer algum cheiro significativo. Cheirar o sapato de um recém-chegado, para um cão, é uma experiência que rende informações que o homem não tem como obter sozinho. O animal consegue saber por onde a pessoa andou e com que frequência esteve naquele lugar, se teve contato com outros animais, se fez sexo recentemente, se está tomada pelo medo ou pela ansiedade. O tempo como uma cadeia contínua de eventos nada significa para o cão. Tempo também é cheiro. Essa capacidade funciona como um relógio sem ponteiro: o passado, para um cachorro, significa odor enfraquecido; um fato novo tem fragrância forte. Ele realmente é capaz de prever chuva, como se acredita tradicionalmente. Não se trata de clarividência, e sim da transmissão pelo vento do cheiro da tormenta que se aproxima. "Imagine se cada detalhe de nosso mundo visual tivesse um odor correspondente", escreveu Alexandra Horowitz. "Para um cão, cada pétala de rosa pode ser diferente, pois foi visitada por insetos que deixaram indícios olfativos de sua presença." O olfato age até mesmo enquanto os cães dormem. O homem, que tem a visão como sentido primordial, sonha com imagens. Provavelmente, o sonho dos cães é repleto de odores. O costume dos donos e veterinários de lavar os cães com xampus cheirosos [e depois ainda colocar perfume] é terrível para eles. Funciona como se fosse apagada a memória dos episódios das últimas semanas. "A menor fragrância dos produtos de limpeza é quase um insulto olfativo para o cão", escreve Horowitz.

Com um nariz tão desenvolvido, os cães se valem de olhos e ouvidos como sentidos complementares. A gama de cores que os cães percebem varia entre o azul, o verde e o amarelo, com menos nuances de tons que as captadas pelo olho humano. Com um número menor de fotorreceptores que o olho humano, eles têm dificuldade em ver objetos próximos. Em compensação, a visão periférica pode ser sensacional em certas raças, chegando a 270 graus (a do homem é de apenas 180 graus). A audição canina é mais sensível e tem um espectro muito maior que a humana. Um ambiente silencioso, como um quarto escuro durante a madrugada, é cheio de ruídos para os cães. Eles percebem sons muito baixos, como passos do outro lado da rua ou o movimento dos ratos entre as paredes, e também sons inaudíveis para o homem, como as ondas de alta frequência emitidas por relógios digitais. Da mesma forma, um cão pode localizar a origem de um som mais rápido que um ser humano. Os dezoito ou mais músculos especializados permitem ao cão dobrar, girar, levantar e baixar as orelhas. No homem, apenas seis músculos sustentam as orelhas.

Os cães descendem dos lobos, e a separação se deu há tão pouco tempo que as duas espécies ainda podem cruzar e gerar descendentes. Mas as diferenças já são enormes. O cérebro do animal doméstico é, em média, 20% menor que o de seu ancestral. Talvez para sobreviver entre os homens eles não necessitem da astúcia de um lobo silvestre. De acordo com Alexandra Horowitz, a ideia de que o dono precisa mostrar que é uma espécie de macho alfa não faz sentido [só não faz sentido pra ela mesmo...]. Os cães também não formam matilhas [que viagem é essa?]. Não existe entre eles um macho dominante como há entre os lobos [pirou]. Talvez o cão veja no homem um companheiro, e não necessariamente um chefe [um conceito meramente aceitável para quem tem um maltês, mas péssimo para quem tem um rottweiler]. O animal domesticado se tornou especialista nas reações humanas. Ele percebe o sentido pela entonação da voz e é capaz de diferenciar o elogio da reprimenda. Da mesma forma, ele olha para o rosto humano em busca de informações, orientações e segurança. No final, é mesmo o melhor amigo do homem.

No laboratório: Teste de inteligência canina na Universidade Duke, nos EUA

[Xixi no poste não é marcação de território? Pode não ser seeeeempre, mas é sim! Quem escreveu essa insanidade?]

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Ear Care – How to Ensure Your Dog’s Ears are Clean and Healthy

2009-10-02T12:06:00.002-05:00

A dog’s ears are one of the most inaccessible places on his body. You may notice if you have two or more dogs that they’ll take it in turns to clean each other’s ears [aqui em casa só um limpa a orelha do outro, sem reciprocidade]. Nature has taught dogs that cooperation on this issue is a good thing, as infections that start in the ear and impede hearing and balance can lead to more severe problems, so the wild pack of dogs will find itself diminished and weakened if ears are left to collect dirt and grime.

All manner of foreign bodies can make their way into your dog’s ear – from dirt and dust to seeds, gravel, pollen and even the odd small twig. Irritation to your dog’s ear, as you’ve no doubt witnessed first hand, can drive a dog to distraction. And as we all know, the vision of a dog attempting to clean out his own ear or relieve an ear based itch is not the picture of care and delicate dexterity. Quite often, this lack of a gentle touch can lead to cuts, muscle damage and infections – but what would you do if you had an irritated ear?

This is why is the role of the conscientious dog owner to ensure that their dog’s ears are clean and free from any potential source of irritation.

The first thing you need to do is to make sure that your dog is happy for you to touch his ears. This can be achieved most easily by starting off at a young age simply touching the ears and rewarding the dog’s calmness with a treat or reward. This process, if repeated often enough, will teach the dog that allowing his ears to be touched is a good thing.

As the dog becomes more comfortable having his ears touched – and remember, they are sensitive – you should move on to small cleaning sessions. By lifting up the outer ear, you can gain access to the inner ear, which should be light pink in colour.

Using a dry tissue, simply wipe away any dirt or muck that you see. Visually inspect the ear, even using a torch to get a view of what lies further inside. If the dog winces or flinches, stop the process and reassure him.

Whilst it may be tempting, blowing into the ear in order to give a final clean, as we might do when cleaning a watch or CD player, don’t’ – this will alarm the dog and isn’t healthy for the ear.

There are ear cleaning products available, as well as tools to perform a good ear clean. Most are unscented, but some do contain moisturisers. You should look for an ear cleaner that is PH balanced – but the best way to judge whether it is a suitable product is to monitor the results inside the ear. If there is visible irritation or an unpleasant smell, discontinue use. Quite often, a dry tissue is all that is needed to remove any dirt from the ear, but your vet will be able to advise.

Spotting Problems

Signs that your Dog may have an ear problem include:

* Excessive head shaking

* Constant Scratching of the Ear

* Difficulty Getting Comfortable

* Visible irritation inside the ear such as inflammation or blood (usually the result of scratching)

* Unpleasant smell

Ear problems in dogs are usually of the vicious cycle variety. A little dirt or dust finds its way in, causes irritation which leads to scratching, which leads to inflammation and possible infection, which leads to further infection.

Keeping the inner ear clean and healthy is one of the best ways of warding off any ear discomfort or irritation. Excessive hair inside the ear can sometimes be a trap for dust and dirt, and in some cases it is necessary to remove any excess.

Fonte

Let’s Take a Look at... The English Bull Terrier

2009-10-02T11:52:00.004-05:00

It is unfortunate that the only attention these dogs get is negative, many of the public only taking notice when the media takes great delight in showing Bull Terriers as ‘dangerous’. Furthermore, the unique look of these wonderful animals seems to cause some to ask “is it a sheep, goat or pig?”. However, it is the irresistible character that sets the Bull Terrier apart from other Breeds, along with its devotion to its owners and love of children and the elderly. Once you get to know one, I can almost guarantee you will never be without one.

The Bull Terrier was first developed in the early 1800’s by crossing the Bulldog and English Terrier to create the Bull-and-Terrier designed for fighting, protection, ratting and bull and bear-baiting. Once these activities were forbidden by the government, fanciers of the breed concentrated on producing a dog that was more pleasing to the eye.

“The clown of the Terrier world”

In the early 1850’s James Hinx crossed the Bull-and-Terrier with the White English Terrier and, many say, the Dalmatian, to produce the ancestors of today’s Bull Terriers. Another person of great significance is Raymond Oppenheimer, of the famous Ormandy affix, whose breeding programme resulted in the distinctive egg-shaped head and proud Roman nose distinctive of the Breed.

Despite their ancestry, and contrary to popular belief, Bull Terriers do not possess an aggressive personality. Obviously, as with any other Breed, there are individuals who do not get on with other dogs [bem típico da raça, pelo menos no plantel brasileiro], and it is the job of the owner to deal with this matter in a responsible way. However, most owners will tell you that Bull Terriers avoid contact and would rather walk away, if faced with an aggressive individual. Having said that, if unnecessarily provoked a Bull Terrier will stand his ground.

Bull Terriers make excellent family pets, although prospective owners need to make certain this is the Breed for them. Due to their muscular build they are very strong and need confident handling and training. This, added to their wilful and often stubborn nature, means you should be persistent and not allow a Bull Terrier to get the better of you. Like any other Breed, exercise is important, but a Bull Terrier will happily take less then an hours ‘walk’ a day if [é importante frisar o IF] he is allowed to ‘free play’ and romp about, and of course, do laps round the coffee table during his daft 5 minutes! Bull Terriers are at their happiest when with their owners and, in fact, crave human companionship. Consequently, they have a tendency to follow you everywhere and never let you out of their sight.

If introduced carefully and with consideration, Bull Terriers will get on with other pets, although I would not advise keeping 2 male dogs under any circumstances [viram, né?]. Other considerations are whether to acquire a dog or bitch, for Show or as a Pet, and if a particular colour is preferred.

If you choose a well bred puppy, or adult, from reputable Breeders and bring him up in the responsible and loving way that he deserves, you will have a loyal and devoted friend for many years to come. He will make you laugh and make you cry, and, ultimately, on that inevitable day, he will break your heart. Although, irreplaceable, the next one, if there is a next one, will be a Bull Terrier.

English Bull Terrier Health

All puppies should be checked for deafness, as this sometimes occurs (most commonly in pure white dogs) and is difficult to notice, especially in a relatively young puppy. Many Bull Terriers have a tendency to develop skin allergies.

Their lifespan is somewhere between 10 and 14 years, although they can live longer – a male bull terrier house pet in South Wales, UK by the name of “Buller” lived to the age of 18 years. The oldest female Bull Terrier on record is an Australian house pet dubbed “Puppa Trout” who remained sprightly into her 17th year.

The breed is renowned for being extremely greedy; be sure to maintain a good balance of exercise and food, or the dog can become overweight. Also, be sure to check ears, eyes, nose and mouth every day for signs of infection, they can also suffer from a bad heart.

Common Ailments: Deafness, Umbilical Hernia and Acne. Bull Terriers can also suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder, such as tail chasing, self mutilation, and obsessive licking.

English Bull Terrier Breed Profile

Fonte

Detentos dos EUA adestram cães atrás das grades

2009-10-01T18:28:00.001-05:00

Detentos de prisões de segurança máxima no Estado americano de Nova York estão trabalhando no adestramento de filhotes de cachorro atrás das grades.

Eles treinam os cães para serem farejadores de bombas, guias para cegos e para ajudarem soldados feridos no Afeganistão e no Iraque.

O programa Puppies Behind Bars, ou Cães Atrás das Grades, já garantiu 400 filhotes para o programa de adestramento nas prisões.

A iniciativa também mudou a vida de muitos detentos, fazendo com que os presidiários desenvolvam um sentimento de responsabilidade.

Elogios

Os presos cuidam dos animais desde filhotes e ficam com eles por até dois anos, até que os cães sejam passados adiante.

O projeto foi criado há 12 anos por Gloria Gilbert.

“Eles podem escolher entre cumprir a pena inteira assistindo televisão e sair sem ter adquirido nenhuma habilidade profissional, provavelmente com mais raiva do que tinham quando entraram. Ou podem fazer algo que contribua para a sociedade enquanto estão presos, podendo com isso se sentir mais felizes com eles mesmos”, diz Gloria.

O programa tem recebido elogios de órgãos como o FBI (a Polícia Federal americana) e CIA (Agência de Inteligência dos Estados Unidos).

Todos os prisioneiros com quem a BBC conversou disseram que o programa mudou suas vidas.

“Não quero mais ser o cara mau,” diz o prisioneiro William Purnell. “E o filhote me fez ver que eu não preciso ser, que posso ser uma pessoa normal, que posso me expressar, que posso ajudar as pessoas.”

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Viajar de avião com cachorro ou gato requer MUITO preparo

2009-10-01T17:21:00.016-05:00

Quem tem animal sabe: sempre que o programa é uma viagem, é um imbróglio decidir onde ou com quem o cachorro ou o gato ficará. Levá-los acaba sendo uma opção mais comum quando a viagem é feita de carro e não é tão longa.

E quem vai viajar para longe mas não quer desgrudar do bichinho? Ou porque é muito apegado ou porque não confia em ninguém, esse tipo de dono de animal de estimação existe. E, para eles, há uma saída: embarcá-los em um avião.

Isso mesmo. A Lufthansa, por exemplo, transportou em 2007 quase 56 mil animais - cerca de 35 mil foram na cabine, pertinho do passageiro. Mas essa opção é só para quem tem animais pequenos.

"É muito simples viajar com o seu animal", diz Mariane de Figueiredo [Simples??? Tá louca??? Só se for para quem mora na Holanda!!!]. Ela trouxe da Holanda, em agosto, dois gatos e garante não ter tido problemas [Quero ver quando ela quiser levar os bichanos de volta pra lá...]. Já animais maiores são normalmente transportados no setor de bagagens, em um ambiente climatizado [Semi, tá? Semi-climatizado, eles não garantem manter a temperatura confortável em toda a viagem]. O nervosismo, relatado por alguns donos que já viajaram com seus animais, acaba no fim do voo. Depois, você pode curtir a viagem com o seu animal.

Proibido para humanos

Foram exatamente a dificuldade de viajar com bichos [oi, já é difícil agora?] e a preocupação que os voos no setor de bagagens costumam despertar nos donos os maiores motivos da criação da Pet Airways (www.petairways.com), empresa aérea que transporta vários tipos de animais - menos humanos.

A companhia americana, que começou a voar em julho [de 2009], adaptou aviões Beech 1900, que comportam 19 passageiros, colocando caixas de transporte no lugar dos assentos. Os animais vão na cabine principal, acompanhados por "pet attendants" (atendentes de animais, em inglês).

A companhia garante que os animais terão intervalos regulares para ir ao banheiro, alimentação e atenção especial antes e depois do embarque e desembarque.

Tanto cuidado tem lá suas desvantagens: as viagens da Pet Airways duram mais tempo do que as de outras companhias. A Pet Airways opera apenas voos internos dentro dos EUA.

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Voar com animal de estimação envolve taxas e [muita] burocracia

Levar o animal de estimação pode dar muita alegria à viagem, mas não é lá tão simples [não é NADA simples]. Para embarcá-lo, é preciso prestar atenção ao regulamento de cada companhia aérea [que a própria companhia aérea não sabe informar, diga-se de passagem].

Entre as exigências, está a necessidade de um atestado de vacinação recente [essa é a parte mais fácil!!!].

Tanto o animal menor como o maior deve viajar na gaiola - chamada também de kennel ou contêiner [vamos combinar: caixa de transporte, tá?]. Uma pequena sai por cerca de R$ 90. Mas, dependendo do tamanho do seu bicho, pode custar R$ 300 [nesse preço só se for um bicho pequeno, porque a da minha cocker, que é de porte médio, custou R$ 450,00 com o frete. Para viagens de avião - principalmente as internacionais - não é qualquer caixa de transporte que serve, precisa ser uma homologada para transporte aéreo]. Além disso, é preciso ver se vale a pena, pois a viagem pode sair cara.

O designer Pedro Fontana pagou mais barato por sua passagem do que pela de seu cão pinscher Neguinho num voo de São Paulo a Porto Alegre, em julho deste ano. A passagem de Pedro custou R$ 98 e, a do animal, R$ 120.

"Foi engraçado. Como ele é muito simpático, fez o maior sucesso no check-in", disse.

Apesar de pequeno, Neguinho foi junto com as bagagens, acomodado em um compartimento onde a temperatura é climatizada [semi, semi]. Mas há a opção - mais simples [porém nem sempre possível] - de levar o animal na cabine. Nesse caso, a gaiola deve ser colocada embaixo da poltrona do passageiro [Alguém aqui já viu uma caixa de transporte que cabe embaixo do assento de uma aeronave? Só se for a caixa de um hamster ou o assento da primeira classe. Para nós mortais que viajamos de econômica, a caixa de transporte tem de ser substituída por uma bolsa de transporte apropriada para viagens aéreas, com as laterais flexíveis e o fundo rígido].

Além de não ter de despachar o bicho, a opção é melhor pois o dono fica durante o voo todo perto do animal, ou seja, não passa o nervoso de não saber o que está acontecendo com ele - porque nenhuma informação é dada sobre o animal no avião [eles não dão nem comida e água ao bicho, o que é teoricamente obrigatório para vôos longos, quanto mais informação sobre ele!].

Por isso, a socialite Linda Conde, que tem cinco cachorros, só leva a poodle Beauty nas suas andanças pelo mundo. Os outros quatro são pastores e golden retrievers e não poderiam ir na cabine. "Não teria coragem de mandá-los longe de mim", diz ela, que só leva os maiores em viagens de carro. Azar deles: a pequena Beauty já conheceu, entre outros locais, Itália, França, Espanha e EUA.

Fonte

Conheça as normas das companhias aéreas para transportar pets

Tamanho do animal define se ele poderá ficar na cabine; é importante calcular quanto custará a viagem.

Fonte

Meu cão vai ter um irmão... humano

2009-10-01T14:38:00.008-05:00

Sempre comento neste espaço sobre cães e crianças serem excelentes companheiros, parecendo até feitos um para o outro. Ou, como brinca a cantora e tradutora Deborah Freire, "criança e cachorro deveriam ser vendidos juntos" ("adotados juntos" também seria tudo de bom). Sempre comento também que crianças devem ser orientadas para tratarem cães não como "brinquedos", e os bichos são ótimos para ajudar a desenvolver nos pequenos grandes donos o senso de responsabilidade.

Pois bem, agora é a vez de comentarmos a situação inversa: quando os "filhos" caninos chegaram primeiro e devem ser educados para conviver com um tipo diferente (para eles) de companheiro que está a caminho. Sim, um bebê, novidade das novidades. Imaginem o assombro e potencial ansiedade do cão ao descobrir que existe um ser que não é nem peludo, como ele ou um gato, nem comprido que anda sobre apenas duas pernas, como os adultos e crianças maiores da casa, e que fica dormindo mas começa a chorar e gargalhar quando menos se espera.

A cegonha costuma enviar os primeiros avisos com meses de antecedência, tempo suficiente para preparar não só a casa, mas também seus habitantes. Imagine você dando de mamar ao bebê e de repente um tsunami peludo vem invadir teu colo pedindo a atenção que você sempre deu. Ou, mal o nenê começa a chorar, o cão estranha e zarpa em direção a ele, podendo até derrubar o berço. E isso se o cão não for do tipo feroz, pois aí é bom nem imaginar. Mas não é tão difícil assim prevenir.

Preparando o canino

Primeira coisa: o cão - assim como o gato, o pássaro e outros bichos de estimação da casa - deve estar com a saúde em ordem, bem limpinho e escovado e de unhas cortadas. É aconselhável castrar o cão, não só a bem da saúde dele, mas também para reduzir sua agressividade potencial.

Segunda: treinar um cão para conviver com crianças, especialmente as muito pequenas, é como dirigir automóvel. Não se aprende de uma hora para outra e não se faz "mais ou menos". O bicho deve estar muito bem treinado para obedecer aos comandos básicos de "senta", "vem", "vá", "fica" e "deita", não esquecendo a coleira se o cão for de grande porte [coleira é fundamental para cães de qualquer porte!!!]. A máxima "conhece seu cão como a ti mesmo" (não é muito antiga, criei agora, mas errada também não é) também vale: observe se ele demonstra agressividade com crianças, visitas estranhas e outros cães ou bichos. É aconselhável fazer o teste de Volhard para descobrir e avaliar o temperamento do cão [o teste é ótimo mas só traz resultados concretos se o cão tiver 7 semanas ou pouco mais que isso]; se ele for extremamente dominante e agressivo, nem deverá ser deixado sozinho com crianças, idosos ou outros animais [nenhum cão - independente do temperamento - deve ser deixado sozinho com crianças muito pequenas].

E já falei neste espaço sobre aquele mito de que "não se ensina truques novos a cachorro velho". Na verdade, "nunca é tarde para aprender". Se o ambiente passar por alguma mudança, inclusive a chegada de um bebê, outro adulto ou outro animal, que desperte curiosidade, ansiedade ou até agressividade no canino, este deverá ser reeducado de acordo, independente de sua idade. A propósito, o ideal seria que todo cão tivesse contato com crianças antes de completar 12 semanas de vida, para minimizar o risco de agressividade para com elas.

Sei que motivo para atividade não falta, mas continue sendo um "pai" ou "mãe" presente para seu peludo - porém, já sabendo que você logo estará ainda mais ocupado(a) com a chegada do filho humano, comece a passar menos tempo com o cão, para ele ir se acostumando. Se você vivia grudado(a) no bicho, é hora de desgrudar um pouco.

Preparando a casa

Uma sugestão útil é providenciar gravações de choros e vozes de bebês, para o cão ir se acostumando com a ideia de que logo terá um companheiro que produz estes mesmos sons; pode-se também acionar desde já brinquedos sonoros como aqueles móbiles com caixinhas de música. Canções infantis (de qualidade, é claro) que o pimpolho irá ouvir, como os discos do grupo Palavra Cantada e da turma do Castelo Rá-Tim-Bum ou adaptações como Beatles For Babies, ajudarão a preparar o ambiente para o chegada do bebê. [Usar antecipadamente os produtos para bebês ajuda o peludo a se acostumar com os novos cheiros e andar pela casa com um boneco nos braços ajuda o peludo a se familiarizar com essa nova realidade]

Ao cão pode ser permitida uma [uma não, várias] visita - ou melhor, uma vistoria - ao quarto do futuro morador (mas só enquanto este não chega) [de forma alguma, o cão não só pode como deve fazer visitas regulares ao quarto do bebê com o bebê lá dentro, mas sempre acompanhado pelos donos], de modo que o cão, cuja sensibilidade olfativa é proverbial, vá se preparando para a mudança prestes a acontecer. (E, quando o bebê chegar, ao cão deverá também ser proibido o acesso ao quarto do pai e mãe, mesmo na presença destes; se for o caso, instale cercas e portõezinhos, que impeçam a passagem do peludo, mas não dos adultos.) [Que dica é essa meu Deus??? Isolar o cão do contato com os outros membros da família??? Que mensagem isso vai passar para o peludo??? Que a chegada daquele serzinho rosa é ruim??? De forma alguma, o cão deve ser estimulado a participar da nova rotina da família e deve entender que a presença do bebê traz coisas boas para todos!!! O uso de grades/portões é válido, mas para quando o cão não puder ser supervisionado perto do bebê!!!] Ah, sim: nem pense em deixar a caminha do cão no quarto do bebê. Não se preocupe, pois eles terão muito tempo para se conhecerem e se darem bem.

Se o cão for de temperamento amigável, visitas de amigos com bebês também serão bem-vindas - só não deixem os bichos sozinhos com os bebês; uma dentadinha ou patadinha, mesmo por carinho ou curiosidade, pode assustar ou machucar a criança. Se o cão for daqueles muito amigáveis, não fará mal deixá-lo cheirar ou "auscultar" a barriga da futura mamãe. Ao passear com o cão, faça-o se aproximar (apenas o suficiente, é claro) de bebês e crianças que encontrar.

E logo que teu filho humano chegar ao mundo, traga da maternidade um cobertor, roupinha ou fralda usados pelo pimpolho, para o cão conhecer o aroma do novo companheiro. Mas eduque o cão para não se aproximar destes objetos - e, novamente, não se preocupe, pois ele tem olfato de sobra e "escutará" de longe o cheiro do bebê neles. [OK, entendi a analogia, mas não seria melhor ter usado o verbo "sentirá"?]

Outra boa ideia é encenar arrumação de berço e banheirinha, amamentação e outros afazeres típicos de cuidar de recém-nascido enquanto o cão assiste sentadinho. Há quem use bonecas para familiarizar ainda mais o cão com bebês, mas tem um detalhe: bonecas costumam ser feitas de plástico, o mesmo material de muitos brinquedos do cão, e o olfato do bicho pode levá-lo a concluir que um bebê, sendo de plástico, é igualmente feito sob encomenda para ele arranhar e mordiscar. [Afe, NADA a ver! Desde quando um bebê tem cheiro de plástico? Inclusive uma ótima dica para que o cão não confunda os brinquedos dele com os do bebê é colocar um cheiro característico num ou no outro. Nas coisas do bebê, cheiro de bebê. Nas coisas do cão, cheiro de ração. Assim o peludo não se confunde, mesmo que seja tudo de plástico, pois o cheiro é totalmente diferente]

É aconselhável não montar o quarto do bebê com tanta rapidez e sim tão gradualmente quanto possível; cães são muito sensíveis a mudanças bruscas. Pelo mesmo motivo, o cão deve ser acostumado aos poucos com a iminente chegada de um novo (em todos os sentidos) companheiro de moradia. O ideal é que mudanças no dia-a-dia do cão, como horários de passeio ou troca de local da caminha, sejam feitas logo no início da gravidez da mãe, para que o canino não associe a tensão das mudanças à chegada do bebê.

E como a mãe vai estar ocupada com o novo filho, é aconselhável ter alguém (por exemplo, uma avó ou filho mais velho) para dar atenção suplementar ao cão, de preferência apresentado a ele durante o período de preparo para a chegada da criança.

A chegada

Pois bem, chegou a hora, o bebê está entrando em casa no colo de mamãe. O cão pode e deve assistir à chegada do novo amigo, mas vai ter de conter os carinhos, lambeção ou ciumeira [cães não sentem ciúmes, quantas vezes tenho de repetir isso?] e ficar sentado bonitinho, à distância. E, obviamente, só o deixarão se aproximar do pimpolho se ele (o cão) mantiver a calma. Se ele for de porte grande, só o solte da coleira alguns dias após a chegada do pimpolho; afinal, qualquer coisa fora do comum põe o instinto de defesa do cão para funcionar, inclusive os movimentos e choradeira de um bebê. [Entre um enorme Golden Retriever e um minúsculo Pinscher, qual dos dois tem a maior probabilidade de colocar para fora o instinto de defesa? O tamanho não importa, é preciso levar em consideração o temperamento do animal]

Um recado para a querida mamãe. Continue sendo uma "mãe presente" para o peludo, especialmente se você o enchia de carinho quando ele era a única "criança" na casa. Separe uns dez minutos para conversar a sós com o cão; ele pode não entender uma palavra, mas captará a mensagem - de que você ainda gosta muito dele, mesmo tendo de dividir seu tempo e atenção com outro alguém; não deverá demorar muito para o cão entender ao modo dele que, como dizia a Mafalda do Quino, o carinho da mãe abriu uma sucursal. Ele também acabará entendendo que à noite, quando o bebê tiver ido dormir, você poderá ficar um tempo com ele.

Não tardará o primeiro instante em que vocês três estarão juntos; permita ao cão fazer um carinho no bebê e deixe bem claro que você e seu filho estão felizes e a companhia do cão os deixa mais felizes ainda. Incentive o canino a se comportar direitinho perante a criança e recompense-o com carinho - em resumo, deixe claro ao cão que seu filho é uma coisa positiva, associando o bebê a coisas positivas. Obviamente, isto resultará em um círculo nada vicioso para o cão e a criança, cada um se sentindo melhor ao ver o outro contente e feliz.

Ah, sim: não é aconselhável que mamãe limpe cocô de cães ou areia de gatos. É verdade que é bem menor a probabilidade de um ser humano pegar alguma doença de animais domésticos que de outros seres humanos, mas nunca é demais precaver-se - e ao bebê - contra problemas como bicho geográfico e toxoplasmose.

Convivência

Falamos sobre dentadinhas ou patadinhas capazes de assustar ou machucar bebês. Mas os cães também podem ser vítimas, ou quase, de tapas ou pisões acidentais, como lembra o designer Roberto Cabado, "pai" da vira-lata Polly, que tinha cinco anos na ocasião da chegada de Alice. "Polly não tinha ciúmes", lembra Roberto, "mas tinha consciência de que podia levar uma bordoada de Alice enquanto esta não aprendia a coordenar seus movimentos".

Este é mais um motivo pelo qual não se deve deixar o cão e o bebê totalmente sozinhos nem por meio segundo. "Hoje a Polly tenta se aproximar de Alice, e é ela quem está mais estabanada", lembra a radialista Alcione Sanna, esposa de Roberto.

Nem todo cão é tão tranquilo como o de que se lembra a webmaster Maria Adela Basualdo: "Quando minha irmã nasceu eu já tinha cachorro, uma vira-lata, que era muito tranqüila e montava guarda onde minha irmã estivesse." Se o cão tem instinto protetor, pode ser bom por um lado; há casos de cães de guarda que vêem seus pequenos donos levando tombinhos ao brincar com outras crianças e não têm dúvida em voarem para atacar quem ele imagina serem "agressores" - obviamente estes cães não estavam devidamente socializados ou restringidos na ocasião.

O ideal é que o cão se torne companheiro e membro da família. Crianças um pouco maiores logo estarão brincando à vontade com os cães, e também ajudando, ainda que pouco, a cuidar deles. Apenas tenha cuidado para não forçar nada. Se de repente o cão se cansar e quiser ir para um canto descansar, respeite-o, não faça (nem deixe) a criança ir atrás dele pedindo para brincar mais.

E outro detalhe sobre o qual sempre comento são os cães terem inteligência que na prática equivalente a crianças de cerca de dois anos e meio (apesar das óbvias diferenças entre as espécies) [não concordo com comparações de inteligências entre espécies], o que constitui mais um motivo para as crianças e esses eternos "crianções" se darem tão bem.

Cães e crianças juntos são coisa boa não só para quem gosta de ambos, mas também para eles mesmos. E, mesmo que não seja possível encontrar cães e crianças "vendidos (ou adotáveis) juntos", é bom saber que a providência e o destino costumam se encarregar de que amantes de cães e crianças recebam, de uma forma ou outra, suas devidas cotas.

(No próximo artigo há mais uma missão para cuidar de cães da qual crianças já não tão bebês podem participar!)

Fonte

UPDATE: Que tal ensinar ao cachorro algumas tarefas úteis para o dia-a-dia, que fazem ele entender que não só tem um trabalho a cumprir, mas que também é responsável pelo bem-estar do bebê? SuperFetch é o mais novo programa do Animal Planet!

Fonte

Cesar Millan foi chamado para ajudar o FBI

2009-09-30T18:02:00.004-05:00

Tá podendo o moço, hein??? Parabéns a Cesar!!! Ele desenvolve um trabalho é muito bonito e eficaz, e merece todo o reconhecimento do mundo!!!

Para ver o vídeo, em inglês, clique no link a seguir:
FBI Recruits Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan

Dicas de como se comportar no consultório veterinário

2009-09-29T16:57:00.004-05:00

Em janeiro de 2007, bem no começo do blog, fiz um post com algumas dicas que considero fundamentais para não entrar em roubada e cair na mão de algum veterinário mequetrefe [gente, fazia séculos que não escutava essa expressão, adorei!]. Dia desses ainda, conversei em diferentes ocasiões com duas veterinárias sobre a postura de vários colegas da profissão que não têm a menor consciência social e elas acham a mesma coisa. Não estamos falando em desvalorizar a profissão e sim do papel que os profissionais da saúde veterinária têm para contribuir com uma realidade muito melhor para os animais a quem juraram defender em sua formatura. Várias amigas minhas que moram em apartamento, e que por conta disso frequentam praças e outros locais cheios de outras pessoas passeando com seus cães, contam um caso pior do que o outro, é de arrepiar.

Gente, tem clínica aqui em Floripa cobrando R$400,00 pra castrar yorkshire. Nada justifica um preço desses e só demonstra a falta de responsabilidade social de muitos veterinários. Se um yorkie, que é geralmente um cão com menos de 5kg custa tudo isso pra castrar, vocês podem imaginar a dificuldade de alguém que retirou um cão das ruas, ou que comprou e que quer castrá-lo.

Sobre o mesmo tema, confiram as dicas da Revista Época.

I. Esteja presente
Nada de preguiça! O proprietário do cão tem que ir às consultas. Só assim você pode conferir de pertinho o resultado dos exames e compreender como medicar seu bicho. No caso de internação, é importante consultar o veterinário para saber se o cachorro pode receber visitas. “Dependendo da doença, não é recomendável”, diz o Dr. Mário Marcondes dos Santos, diretor clínico do Hospital Veterinário Sena Madureira. “Mas há casos em que a presença é importante para o emocional do animal.”

II. Não tema o veterinário
O diálogo é fundamental para melhorar a qualidade da consulta, mas muitos donos de animais ficam acanhados ao conversar com um veterinário. “O jaleco branco é uma questão de higiene, não de autoridade”, diz o Dr. Santos. Procure um profissional de confiança para sentir-se confortável. Mas nem tanto: lembre-se de desligar o celular antes da consulta. Quem conversa ao telefone não consegue prestar atenção nas instruções e informações fornecidas pelo médico.

III. Tire todas as suas dúvidas. Mesmo!
Não entendeu alguma coisa? Pergunte! O dono de um cão não deve ter nenhuma dúvida a respeito de seu animal, seja sobre uma doença ou o resultado de um exame. E, se a dúvida bater depois da consulta, não hesite em pegar o telefone para conversar com o veterinário. Muitas vezes, o tratamento do seu bicho pode ficar comprometido se você não entender direito a dosagem da medicação ou uma dieta específica.

IV. Forneça o máximo de informações
Seu cachorro não fala. Por isso, você deve observar atentamente qualquer mudança de comportamento nele para notificar o veterinário. “Podemos descobrir várias coisas no exame clínico, mas a maneira que o animal age nos ajuda a identificar patologias logo no início”, afirma a Dra. Daionety Aparecida Pereira, diretora da Associação Nacional de Clínicos Veterinários de Pequenos Animais (Anclivepa). Quanto mais pistas para um diagnóstico, melhor. O proprietário também deve trazer a medicação atual, informação de dietas e o histórico de exames do seu animal.

V. Avise se o animal é agressivo
O comportamento do animal em uma clínica é imprevisível, em razão do instinto de proteção, do medo ou de lembranças de experiências ruins. Até um cão manso pode morder nessa situação. Se ele tiver temperamento agressivo, certamentente a equipe precisa ser avisada antes. “Veterinário não é adestrador nem domador de fera. O proprietário deve ter o controle” [o que infelizmente não acontece sempre, já que muitos donos levam o cão ao veterinário diariamente para que ele dê os remédios, porque os próprios donos têm medo do animal], diz a Dra. Daionety. Ela afirma já ter visto um cão morder o próprio dono antes de uma consulta [Ela já viu UM caso? Só UM?]. O problema pode ser solucionado por meio de sedação ou de equipamentos de proteção [e que tal TREINAMENTO???].

VI. Confesse tudo!
Seu cachorro come a pizza que sobrou? Bem, uma consulta não tem espaço para constrangimento. Você tem que admitir se dá comida da mesa ou compartilha alguma receita médica com seu pet. “Já fiz exames hormonais e receitei dieta para um poodle obeso. Mas ele só emagreceu depois que a dona faleceu. Foi quando descobri que a proprietária comprava caixas de chocolate para o cachorro”, conta a diretora da Anclivepa [chocolate é tóxico para os cães!!!].

VII. Exponha qualquer limitação financeira
O dinheiro pode ser um fator essencial para uma decisão médica, principalmente no caso de internação e cirurgias. O dono do cachorro precisa discutir suas limitações financeiras com o veterinário para evitar surpresas desagradáveis. Assim, ambos podem encontrar uma solução viável. “Muitas pessoas têm poder aquisitivo alto, mas não querem gastar; outras são pobres e dão um jeito de arrumar dinheiro para um tratamento”, afirma a Dra. Daionety Aparecida Pereira.

VIII. Trate bem o veterinário
Ele está ali para ajudar. Portanto, confiança, respeito e educação devem ser as bases do relacionamento entre você e o veterinário durante um tratamento. As chances de sucesso aumentam quando a comunicação é harmoniosa. Isso melhora o entendimento de uma doença e seus sintomas e da frequência dos medicamentos que o bichinho deve tomar.

IX. Tenha um plano
O dono e o veterinário devem bolar uma linha de ação para o acompanhamento médico de um animal. Vocês podem programar a periodicidade dos exames e vacinas, facilitando a agenda sem deixar de lado a necessidade do bicho. Em geral, um cachorro idoso precisa de mais atenção do que um cão com 2 anos de idade.

X. Não esqueça a coleira
Não dê chance ao azar: o cachorro deve usar a guia numa clínica veterinária [assim como em qualquer lúgar público]. A coleira reduz a chance de ele ter contato com outros animais doentes e evita muitos problemas. “A guia é imprescindível em lugares fechados, com animais que estão assustados e sentindo dor”, diz a veterinária. “Um cachorro já escapou da minha clínica e foi atropelado do outro lado da rua por negligência do dono.”

Fonte 1 e Fonte 2

Veterinários são seres humanos, logo, falíveis e passíveis de cometer erros. Como o seguro morreu de velho, não custa:

* SEMPRE pedir o número do CRMV do profissional escolhido e checar junto ao Conselho Regional de Medicina Veterinária do seu Estado;
* Pedir indicações de conhecidos antes de escolher;
* Ter SENSO CRÍTICO... Faça perguntas, anote as respostas. Nem tudo que os médicos nos dizem é verdade absoluta. Deixe sempre a pulguinha ali bem atrás da orelha e verifique as informações recebidas com outros donos de cães, na internet ou simplesmente levando a outros profissionais, de preferência por indicação de quem já passou por problemas parecidos;
* Pedir um prazo para que os resultados do tratamento comecem a aparecer e ficar atenta a eles;
* Exigir um diagnóstico claro, bem como seu prognóstico (tratamento);
* Solicitar os resultados de exames e radiografias até mesmo para mostrar a outros profissionais;
* Pedir o nome do princípio ativo dos remédios prescritos. Um exemplo: Baytril, Flotril e Zelotril são todos iguais (princípio ativo: enrofloxacina), só muda o nome e o laboratório. Sabendo disso você escolher qual comprar pelo laboratório (Bayer, Schering-Plough, Agener União, respectivamente) e/ou preço de cada um. Esta é uma boa dica para a compra de vermífugos!

Fonte

A ilusão do abrigo

2009-09-28T18:43:00.002-05:00

Inúmeras vezes ouvimos pessoas que acabaram de recolher um animal da rua dizerem: "Ah! Se eu tivesse dinheiro para montar um abrigo!". Fica bem claro, com este sonho, que elas nunca visitaram um, para saber a realidade.

Um abrigo começa sempre com as melhores intenções. Se quem o abre tem uma certa dose de "pé no chão", imagina um número limite de animais a serem abrigados.

Mas o objetivo nunca é atingido. Seja porque se condói dos animais abandonados que encontra; ou dos casos tristes que donos contam para deixar a responsabilidade na mão do outros; ou ainda, daqueles que abandonam na porta, ou jogam animais lá dentro.
Em pouco tempo o limite anteriormente fixado é expandido.

E quem pensava ter 50 animais se vê com 100, 200 para alimentar, vacinar, manter limpos, higienizar as instalações, etc. Já ouvi histórias de fortunas perdidas em sonhos de abrigo. Recentemente a de uma senhora que estava sendo obrigada a sacrificar os animais mais idosos e doentes por não poder mantê-los, mesmo em precaríssimas condições.

Depois de seu patrimônio ter se acabado, passado pela fase de pedir ajuda aos amigos, depois parentes, depois aos desconhecidos, por fim a veterinários e a Proteção Animal para sacrificar os animais aos quais ela sonhou dar uma vida melhor ou salvar da morte nas ruas.

Abrigo não é solução, é problema gerado pelo descaso social. Do lado oposto de quem sonha montar um, existe a crença das pessoas em geral de que basta pegar um animal na rua e metê-lo num abrigo para resolver o problema.

Quantas vezes ouvimos "leva pra Sociedade Protetora dos Animais..." Se visitassem algum abrigo dos muitos existentes por aí, veriam a triste realidade: dezenas, até centenas de animais se digladiando por comida, muitos doentes, e até casos de canibalismo gerados pela fome.

Mas ninguém pensa em como a "Sociedade Protetora" vai conseguir recursos.

O que a sociedade não vê, está muito claro para nós que lidamos com o problema 24 horas por dia: em vez de abrigo, dar lar transitório, uma casa de apoio. O animal é tratado, vacinado, esterilizado e doado.

E isso, por vezes, demora meses. Como doar tantos animais e os resultantes dos naturais cruzamentos, que nascem aos montes todos os dias? Como achar donos suficientes (e responsáveis) que os adotem?

Informando e educando as pessoas sobre posse responsável e fazê-las compreender que esterilizar cães e gatos (fêmeas e machos) é a única solução possível para o abandono de animais em massa com que convivemos.

Mas o que é desesperante é ver ainda veterinários aconselharem donos a deixar seus animais ter a primeira cria para só depois esterilizá-los; donos darem a desculpa de que "esterilizar faz o animal engordar" (é só continuar dando a mesma quantidade de alimento que isso não acontece); desculpa da "falta de dinheiro" (quando a Prefeitura e os grupos da Proteção oferecem cirurgias a baixo custo ou mesmo gratuitas); e da anti-social indústria dos criadores.

E estas mesmas pessoas ainda têm coragem de dizer que gostam de animais, deixando nascer aqueles que serão doados para qualquer um. Ou se alimentar de lixo. Ou morrer atropelados. Talvez sarnentos, famintos, num abrigo irremediavelmente sem recursos, sem ao menos o carinho de um dono.

Fonte 1 e Fonte 2

Success true story

2009-09-25T14:25:00.002-05:00

Hey Cesar!

I just want you to know that working with animals, dogs specifically, has always been a dear dream of mine. When I was young, I wanted to be a vet, and that still may be in my future! Last year I started volunteering at the Pet Adoption League (PAL), and it confirmed my dreams. It started with an aggressive Collie/Heeler mix puppy who, unfortunately, people thought was aggressive. They wouldn't go in his kennel, because they were terrified he would attack.

For a month, he never left the kennel. I started working with him. At the end of day one, he wasn't cowering in the corner growling. He was following me outside and learning to trust me! By the end of the week, I had him walking nicely on a leash, and he was confident to be around other humans and acting like a puppy should. A week later, he had a home and was doing great!

Right now, that's my goal: to help shelter dogs become happy and adoptable. I really just want to thank you. I'm continuing working with dogs, and it fills my heart with joy when the hard work the canines and I put in pays off. You've greatly inspired me.

Again, thanks Cesar!

Patty

Fonte

A Eva dos cães e gatos

2009-09-21T17:22:00.007-05:00

A reconstrução da história do DNA dos dois animais prediletos do homem mostra que cada espécie descende de uma única linhagem, o equivalente da mãe primordial do ser humano.

Em busca de um dono. Os fofos: seus antepassados se aproximaram dos humanos ao longo dos milênios e a amizade lhes rendeu enormes vantagens evolutivas

Há tempos se sabe que os laços afetivos entre o homem e seus dois bichos de estimação favoritos, o cão e o gato, se estabeleceram faz pelo menos 10 000 anos. Agora, os cientistas tentam descobrir mais detalhes sobre as origens desses dois casos de amor – em que lugar do mundo e de que maneira as duas espécies foram domesticadas. Uma das principais aliadas das pesquisas tem sido a genética, sobretudo o DNA mitocondrial, aquele que passa quase intacto das mães para os filhos (veja o quadro). Com ele, os biólogos conseguem construir as árvores genealógicas das espécies. A maior análise genética da história evolutiva dos cães foi publicada há duas semanas na revista científica Molecular Biology and Evolution. O estudo traz duas novidades. A primeira é que os 250 milhões de cães que atualmente vivem no planeta descendem de uma única linhagem, proveniente de lobos que foram domesticados entre 14 000 e 11 000 anos atrás no sul da China. A segunda novidade é que, a princípio, os cães eram criados não para ajudar o ser humano, mas para lhe servir de jantar. Só mais tarde foram incumbidos de tarefas mais nobres, como a caça e a guarda. Essa teoria é reforçada pelo fato de que até hoje os chineses consideram os cães uma iguaria.

Para chegarem à conclusão de que os cães eram criados para o abate, os pesquisadores do Instituto Real de Tecnologia, da Suécia, se basearam em achados arqueológicos, ocorridos na China, de ossos caninos entre restos de comida. Para reconstituírem a árvore genealógica canina, os cientistas compararam o DNA mitocondrial de 1 712 cães da Ásia, da África e da Europa. Todos os animais tinham informações genéticas muito parecidas, uma pista de que os lobos se domesticaram de uma só vez. "Se os cães tivessem surgido em várias épocas, provenientes de lobos de diversos continentes, seu DNA seria provavelmente muito mais distinto", disse a VEJA o biólogo Peter Savolainen, que coordenou o estudo. Os pesquisadores acreditam que o sul da China tenha sido o berço dos primeiros cães porque a diversidade genética entre os animais dessa região é muito maior do que a existente entre os cachorros dos outros locais. "A diversidade genética precisa de tempo para acontecer", afirma Savolainen.

Uma pesquisa muito parecida, realizada pela Universidade de Oxford, na Inglaterra, constatou que o primeiro gato a fazer parte dos povoados humanos viveu há cerca de 10.000 anos no Crescente Fértil, região entre Israel e o Iraque que abrigou os primeiros povoados humanos fixos. O estudo comparou o DNA mitocondrial de 979 gatos domésticos e selvagens, além de fazer a análise de cromossomos dos gatos – a mesma que é efetuada em testes de paternidade e na identificação de cadáveres pela polícia. Os pesquisadores concluíram que o gato caseiro surgiu de uma só subespécie do gato selvagem, a Felis silvestris lybica. Nenhuma outra espécie tem o DNA tão parecido com o dos gatos domésticos. Assim como no caso dos cães, a domesticação aconteceu apenas uma vez. Quando o gato doméstico viajou para lugares distantes, a bordo de barcos mercantes ou carroças, surgiram raças mais antigas, como siamesa e korat, da Tailândia. As raças apareceram naturalmente. Em pequenos grupos isolados da população principal, mutações genéticas se tornam traços predominantes com facilidade. O mesmo fenômeno explica as diferentes cores dos olhos, da pele e dos cabelos entre os homens.

A domesticação do gato foi consequência da evolução de outras duas espécies: o camundongo e, no reino vegetal, o trigo. Há 12 000 anos, os caçadores-coletores do Oriente Médio deixaram de ser nômades para se fixar nas terras e se dedicar à agricultura. Os estoques de cereais acumulados após a colheita eram chamariz para os ratos. Apareceu assim o camundongo doméstico – uma espécie menor que os roedores selvagens. Atraídos pelos ratos pequenos e pelos restos de comida, os felinos começaram a entrar nos povoados. "Os gatos selvagens que conseguiam conviver melhor com o homem logo proliferaram", diz Eduardo Eizirik, especialista em biologia molecular de felinos, da PUC do Rio Grande do Sul. Como os gatos não atrapalhavam os homens, e colaboravam para eliminar roedores e pequenas cobras, a convivência prosseguiu sem conflitos. Posteriormente, o homem se afeiçoou aos felinos. Gravuras e cerâmicas de 10 000 anos atrás mostram que eles já faziam parte do cotidiano das aldeias. Em 2004, arqueólogos franceses descobriram na Ilha de Chipre uma ossada humana sepultada ao lado de um pequeno gato. O achado, de 9 500 anos, leva a crer que já havia gatos nos primeiros barcos que povoaram as ilhas do Mediterrâneo. Milênios depois, eles encantaram os egípcios, que há 4 000 anos os mumificavam e representavam deuses em forma de felinos. Com a construção da árvore genética dos cães e dos gatos, a ciência reconstitui de maneira cada vez mais precisa o início da amizade entre essas espécies e o homem.

Juntos para sempre. Ossadas de um ser humano e de um gato que foram sepultados juntos há 9 500 anos, encontradas na Ilha de Chipre: prova da antiguidade da domesticação dos felinos

A chave do tamanho

Há cães pequeninos, como o chihuahua, e enormes, como o dinamarquês (ambos na foto acima). Essa diferença de tamanho não ocorre entre os gatos, cujas raças têm dimensões semelhantes [quêêêêêêêê??? nunca ouviu falar de raças como a Maine Coon não?] e se distinguem principalmente pelo comprimento da pelagem [os gatos têm muitas outras variações, como pelo encaracolado, formato das orelhas, comprimento do rabo, etc.]. A explicação para isso é que, desde a pré-história, o homem realizou seleções artificiais dos cães na tentativa de aumentar habilidades como o faro, a velocidade ao correr atrás da caça ou a sociabilidade. Os gatos, por não serem tão úteis, passaram por menos seleções que os cães. Isso também explica por que os gatos são mais independentes do que os cães e sobrevivem mesmo sem a ajuda do dono.

Clique na foto para ampliar

[Você quer dizer que existem cerca de 160 raças de cães que são atualmente reconhecidas pela AKC, né? Porque na verdade já existem mais de 400 raças de cães, a grande maioria ainda não reconhecida oficialmente, como o pit bull. Sobre os gatos, não tenho informações suficientes para comentar]

Fonte

Pet Travel – Everything You Need To Know From Sickness To Safety

2009-09-21T17:09:00.002-05:00

We all know that our dogs love to join us wherever we go, be it walks, holidays or days spent in the countryside. However, travelling with a dog tends to fall into one of two categories for many owners, it’s either one of the most pleasurable aspects of dog ownership, an experience filled with joy and excitement for all involved – or – it’s a living nightmare, punctuated with bouts of stress, worry and discomfort for both dog(s) and owner(s). K9 Magazine is here to help...

Dog Travel Advice: Carsickness

Some dogs and puppies get carsick just the same as many adults and children do. If you depend on a car for most of your transportation, you will want to help your dog overcome carsickness as quickly and easily as possible. You can do a number of things to help your dog avoid or overcome carsickness.

From the start, help your puppy form a positive association with the car. Without starting the engine, sit in the car with your puppy on your lap for a few minutes every day. Praise and pet your pup. After a week of this, start the motor. Place your pup on the seat next to you. Pet and praise him, making the experience agreeable. After a week of repeating this once a day, get a friend or relative to go in the car with you for a daily ride. Be sure that your puppy has an empty stomach and has had the chance to toilet before getting into the car. Have your helper sit the dog on his or her lap. The helper must not allow the pup to squirm and wiggle around.

Take a short ride around in your car. Each week increase slightly the distance that you travel. (One-week intervals for each of these steps are not cast in stone. Shorten or lengthen the time depending on your pup’s reaction.) Be sure that when you ride with your puppy, you have someone in the car to help control him. If that’s not possible, put the puppy in a crate in the car.

Do not let your dog ride on the driver’s lap or crawl under his or her legs. This can become a bad habit and is very dangerous. Once your dog begins obedience training and understands to lie down and stay, employ this exercise in the car when travelling. Associate trips in the car with fun. Every car ride should not end up at the veterinarian, groomer, or boarding kennel. Use the car to take your dog to the beach, park, or woods.

Most puppies, like most children, outgrow carsickness. In the interim, doing the right things can minimise messes, limit nervousness, and shorten the time it takes for your dog to learn that car rides can be a lot of fun. If none of the above steps seems to help, contact your veterinarian. He or she can provide medical solutions, such as mild tranquilizers, that will help avert sickness when the dog must travel in the car.

Dog Travel Advice: Car Safety

We need to ensure that when our dogs join us in the car, or any moving vehicle, that certain safety measures are put into place, for our safety and theirs. If we crash or have an accident, more often your dog will come off worse if they are unrestrained. They can also cause crashes if they decide to suddenly leap onto your lap if frightened or startled. Your pet needs to be safely secured in a pet carrier, a dog cage, seatbelt harness or behind a dog guard. The most suitable restraint will depend on the needs of your pet, the size of your vehicle and also the size of your dog. Always make sure your dog is walked to and from the car on a lead, just in case of traffic or if your dog was to make any sudden movements.

For small dogs, or other small pets, a pet carrier is a good transportation method. Dogs should be placed in the carrier before reaching the car. It needs to be a comfortable size for your dog and should be held in place with the seat belt or by wedging it firmly in the gap at your feet. Never put a carrier in the boot of your car as your pet could suffocate or be knocked around if the carrier becomes loose.

A travel cage is suitable for most dogs and is often the most popular method of dog transportation. You need to leave plenty of space around the crate to allow for ventilation and movement, and ensure it is secured with the seat belt. These crates can often be securely fitted in the boot of an estate car. You should always make sure your dog is not placed where an air bag may cause any damage and suffocate your dog.

For most dogs – a safety harness can be attached to a car’s seatbelt to ensure that they do not move from their seat, very similar to how ours work. It should be securely fastened before the car moves to ensure the dog is comfortable and won’t get tangled in the straps.

You can also get dog guards fitted in the back of estate cars and larger vehicles with a large, open boot area. The guards restrict your dog from accessing any other part of the car but will not protect them in an accident.

You can also buy safety harnesses that will stop your dog from moving around in the back of the car. If you are unfortunate enough to have a crash whilst your dog is in the car, quickly try and calm your dog down by taking the carrier to a quiet place. Make sure you have them on lead so that they do not run off or into traffic. If you think that your dog is hurt or in pain then call a vet right away. Check that your dog is covered by his insurance for car accidents. If you feel that your dog doesn’t cope too well in vehicles, consider having travel training for your dog from a qualified dog trainer.

Dog Travel Advice: Long Journeys

If you know your journey is going to be a long one then you need to take a few extra steps to plan accordingly and ensure that you and your dog get to your destination safe and happy. Travelling with your puppy or dog can be a lot of fun. It’s a great way to bond with your pet while experiencing new surroundings and places along the way.

Although it is obvious that you do not plan on ever losing sight of your dog during your travels, you should still make sure that his collar is secured tightly and that he has updated identification tags. If for some reason you’re making a temporary stay for more than a day at a location until you arrive at your final destination, add an additional identification tag that has the address and phone number of that temporary location.

When you make a stop along the way, always leash your dog before he gets out of the car and keep a tight grip on him. Because he is in unfamiliar territory and may scare easily, the instinct to dart and run off may be strong. Keeping him tightly leashed will prevent this nightmare from happening.

Every time you stop for a break during the trip, make sure you give your dog a few moments to exercise. Take your dog for a short walk or run him around. This will help get his blood flowing so that he can relax better for the next few hours of the ride.

The last thing you want to do is have to clean up the nasty mess of diarrhea inside your car. And your puppy or dog can easily give you this headache when you do not stick to his regular feeding times and with his normal food. It is very easy to feed your dog inconsistently when you are making a long trip by car. However, it will be best for both of you if you bring along bags of his normal food and only feed him at the same time you would at home.

Try to avoid traveling by car during weather periods of extreme heat and high levels of humidity. Dogs do not do well in this type of climate and if you must travel when it’s hot then be sure your vehicle is equipped with a dependable air-conditioning system.

Last but not least, as much as it is common sense, do not keep your dog in your car with the doors locked and windows rolled up. This is just basic safety advice that every person should know already, but unfortunately there are many accidents where dog’s die from heat stroke while sitting in a car during boiling hot weather.

Fonte

Matéria original comentada no Mãe de Cachorro

2009-09-21T13:44:00.009-05:00

O meu post anterior faz referência a uma matéria publicada no Yahoo Notícias sobre a qual fiz alguns comentários, a pedido da querida Ana Corina do Mãe de Cachorro. A matéria comentada tanto por mim quanto por ela segue abaixo, os meus pitacos estão [em negrito] e os dela [em vermelho].

Achei o artigo abaixo ontem e salvei pra postar pra gente. Fiz alguns comentários [em vermelho], mas, na verdade, vou pedir pra Sandrinha, super adestradora, também dar seus pitacos e nos mandar porque achei as dicas de adestramento [do artigo do Yahoo] meio duvidosas. E ela deu os pitacos... Extensos, úteis e deliciosos pitacos. Vou botar [em negrito] pra gente e atualizar o post, ok?

Mas a moral da história é: trate seu peludo como cão ou gato que ele é! Cuidar bem, SEMPRE, estragar mimando a ponto de botar a saúde deles em risco: NÃO!!

Fonte: Yahoo! Brasil
Por Ayrton Mugnaini Jr. / Especial para o Yahoo! Brasil

"Cachorro é um ser humano como outro qualquer." Foi com esta frase que determinado político entrou para a História do Brasil ao utilizar um carro oficial para levar sua cadela ao veterinário. Realmente, como político, ele foi excelente dono de bicho. E não é preciso ser político para se amar um animal como se fosse "um de nós", o filho ou irmão que não temos, ou o companheiro sempre bem-vindo, mesmo se for encontrado na rua, ou, talvez melhor dizendo, se ele nos encontrar.

Não há nada errado em dar ao cão nome de gente [Comentário da Sandra: Essa frase é um depende bem grande. Tem gente que se sente muito ofendida quando encontra um cão que tem seu mesmo nome, então, para evitar problemas, é bom evitar os nomes de parentes e amigos. Outra dica é não usar um nome muito curto, de uma sílaba só, nem um nome muito longo, com mais do que 3 sílabas. Vale lembrar que os cães não entendem português, eles entendem o som que cada palavra faz. Para facilitar a sonoridade, o ideal é escolher um nome com 2 ou 3 sílabas. E para finalizar esse assunto, dois mitos sobre nomes de cães. Primeiro mito: um cão depois de adulto não acostuma mais com outro nome. Isso é falso, pode mudar o nome sim, principalmente se o nome anterior está associado a sofrimento numa família que o maltratava. Segundo mito: o cão não entende apelidos. Isso também é falso, é possível escolher um nome e vários apelidos para o cão. Se todos forem usados com frequencia, o cão aprende a atender a todos eles. Só não vale exagerar e usar 20 apelidos, hehe! Mas um nome e uns 3 apelidos dá bem demais.] , vesti-lo com uma roupinha de gente (ainda mais se ele tiver pelo curto e o clima estiver frio) [Comentário da Sandra: Eu particularmente não gosto de roupa como acessório para cães. Acho que roupa só é válido como uma proteção, como roupas de frio e capas de chuva.] ou conversar com ele como se fosse gente [Comentário da Sandra: A gente até pode conversar hooooooras com os peludos, eu mesma não paro de falar com os meus, mas daí a eles entenderem, é uma diferença muuuuuuuito grande. Eles não entendem conversas, eles entendem os sons de palavras específicas, já conhecidas do vocabulário deles, e, principalmente, a forma como as palavras estão sendo ditas. Eles entendem facilmente a diferença entre sons de felicidade, de medo, de dor, de bronca, etc. Por isso não importa tanto o que a gente diz, mas é fundamental usar o tom certo de voz para cada ocasião. Não adianta querer ensinar o cachorro a fazer xixi dizendo aos berros: "É AQUI, É AQUI, JÁ FALEI MIL VEZES!!!!!" porque o cachorro só vai entender que o dono está fulo da vida por um motivo absolutamente desconhecido. Outro exemplo é quando a gente forma uma frase assim: "Rex, que tal se a gente fosse passear?". O cachorro entende assim: "Rex blá-blá-blá passear". E é só isso que ele precisa para captar o sentido da frase!]. Afinal, o cão também é um ser vivo, também gosta de ser bem tratado e acarinhado, também tem prazeres e sentimentos, e está provado que sua inteligência equivale a uma criança humana de dois anos e meio de idade [Comentário da Sandra: Sinceramente? Acho que comparar inteligências entre espécies distintas é sempre um grande furo. Não dá para tentar igualar a inteligência de um cachorro com a de uma criança. Afinal, uma criança consegue encaixar os blocos certos nos buracos certos de um quebra-cabeças, mas um cachorro consegue atravessar a rua sozinho, olhando para os dois lados. Cada qual com a sua inteligência específica, não faz sentido comparar quem é mais inteligente do que quem.]. Agora, devemos ter sempre em mente o outro lado da moeda: assim como crianças humanas não devem ser mimadas, excesso de paparico pode ser prejudicial ao cão [Pode ser?? É prejudicional e ponto final!!]. Se cuidar de menos é ruim, cuidar demais também é. Ou, como resume o verso de Erasmo Carlos: "proteção desprotege e carinho demais faz arrepender" [Comentário da Sandra: Cuidados e carinho nunca são demais. É fun-da-men-tal impor limites, treinar o cachorro e fazê-lo obedecer à palavra "não". O dono determina as regras e ponto final, não se discute. Mas para isso não é preciso reduzir a quantidade de carinhos e cuidados!].

Muita gente traz o filhotinho para casa e adora quando ele sobe na cama para dar bom dia. Adora até perceber que... um ano depois o filhotinho já virou adulto e se transformou num "homenzarrão" ou "mulherona" de quase vinte quilos que se recusa a não subir e mais ainda a descer da cama, afinal, sigamos o raciocínio canino: sempre o deixaram, por que proibir agora? Tem também as festas de aniversário quando, de repente, lá vem o "pidão" com aquele olhar de quem não come há meses, e ganha um pedaço de bolo aqui, um brigadeiro acolá, e, possivelmente, um problema digestivo ou circulatório que pode ser até fatal. Surge então a queixa inevitável a respeito do que poderia ter sido evitado: "Ah, o cachorro pediu tanto que eu não resisti, eu nem sabia que estava fazendo mal para ele..."

Há vários motivos pelos quais os cães devem comer ração especial para eles. Nossa comida pode lhes causar mau hálito [e a ração também, porque fica fermentando nos dentes...] e, por sujar mais facilmente os dentes, maior dificuldade na higiene bucal (cães são menos sujeitos a cáries, mas não a tártaro e infecção nas gengivas), sem falar que vinagre, sal, açúcar e outros temperos podem lhes fazer mal à saúde (cães também estão sujeitos a males como diabetes e colesterol) [não se comerem uma dieta carnívora crua]. Além disso, as rações têm antioxidantes que beneficiam algo que os cães têm em quantidade bem maior que os humanos: o pelo. E os dejetos resultantes são mais consistentes, menos fétidos e mais fáceis de limpar [na boa... vai dar uma ração com muito milho, soja e pouca proteína pra ver o que é tamanho, consistência e cheiro terríveis]. "Rações para cães têm fibras, proteínas, aminoácidos, tudo o que o cão precisa na quantidade balanceada", explica o veterinário Alex Luciano Fernandes. "Quem dá comida caseira para o cão, por exemplo, arroz, carne, cenoura, torna mais difícil balancear os nutrientes de que o bicho precisa. O excesso de proteínas, por exemplo, resseca as fezes."[Cães não digerem nem precisam de grãos, muito menos de vegetais, mas estes últimos podem ser dados como fonte de fibra porque mal não fazem. Ossos em excesso ressecam as fezes, mas é só dar fígado de frango que já solta rapidinho. E outra, na alimentação natural as quantidades são balanceadas, e a ideia é imitar a mãe natureza. Um bicho que eles caçassem teria mais carne pura, pele, órgãos e por último, ossos. Quem me diz o que quer comer na verdade são meus pequenos carnívoros e suas fezes. Se amolecerem, mais ossos, se endurecerem, mais carne pura, vísceras e peles. Hoje, jantaram sobrecoxa da asa de frango, amanhã vão comer coração de boi no café da manhã e por aí seguimos...] Comer ração implica em outros benefícios: "O cachorro come menos porque a ração atende melhor às suas necessidades alimentares, e por isso ele faz também menos cocô." [Bom, aqui sou obrigada a discordar e tenho lido e estudado horrores sobre o assunto. O que faz o volume das fezes aumentar são os grãos, como arroz, soja e milho, presentes também na ração. E cães não precisam de grãos. Voltei para a alimentação natural com os filhos e o cocô deles além de diminuir horrores, não tem cheiro algum...]

Obviamente, educar o cão implica em recompensá-lo quando ele se comportar bem, e isso inclui dar-lhe petiscos, mas aqueles especiais, não dos nossos. (Por sinal, os seres humanos fariam bem em observar melhor os próprios alimentos, temperos e petiscos.) Chocolate, nem pensar: o cacau contém teobromina, que a partir de certa quantidade é fatal a cães e vários mamíferos (lembramos por exemplo a atriz Elizabeth Taylor, cujo esquilo de estimação simplesmente morreu após devorar meio ovo de Páscoa sozinho. "Quando eu o vi morto, eu mesma quase morri", lembrou Liz anos mais tarde. "Chocolate é perigoso não só para cachorros, mas para todos os tipos de animais"). Felizmente, hoje existem chocolates especiais para cães. [E eu digo: pra quê???]

Se o cão vier filar bóia durante nosso almoço ou café, nada de lhe dar o que não deve comer [Comentário da Sandra: Na hora da refeição dos humanos, o cachorro não pode comer n-a-d-a. O peludo deve comer depois dos humanos, principalmente aqueles peludos com problemas de dominância. Na matilha quem come primeiro é o líder, o que tem mais prestígio. Quem divide comida, divide poder!], por coração mole ou para que ele nos deixe em paz, muito menos castigá-lo, afinal, pedir comida não é crime, pelo contrário, faz parte do instinto de conservação, e pedido não é roubado. Devemos conversar com ele [Conversar??? Socorro, Sandra!] [Comentário da Sandra: Conversar coisa nenhuma! O cachorro não entende conversa, não entende diálogo, não entende explicação. O cachorro também não entende frases no condicional: "Se você fizer isso, ganha aquilo". O cachorro entende sim e não, pode e não pode. E quem determina essas regras são os donos. Pedir comida na mesa, não pode! Se o cachorro olhar com cara de morto-de-fome, basta ignorar. Se ele insistir e começar a cutucar as pessoas ou a subir na mesa, basta afastá-lo quantas vezes forem necessárias até ele parar de insistir. Usar um spray de água agiliza o treinamento.] , negando-lhe nossa comida de maneira firme, porém afetuosa, e recompensá-lo por esperar pacientemente que lhe demos um petisco adequado [Comentário da Sandra: Com os humanos na mesa o cachorro não ganha nada, nunca. Se ele for recompensado, nunca vai parar de pedir. Se o dono quiser dar um petisco especial como um pedaciiiiiiiinho (foco no pedacinho pequenininho) de queijo por exemplo, deve reservar e colocar no comedouro do cachorro depois que tiver terminado a sua própria refeição.]. O mesmo vale para ensinarmos onde o cão pode e não pode dormir, brincar, fazer o número um e o número dois e passear.

Em resumo: não queremos o melhor para nossos filhos? Pois façamos o melhor (conscientes de que é o melhor mesmo) também para nossos cães, eternas crianças de dois anos e meio, sempre prontas a retribuir o prazer e alegria que damos para eles. [Excelente!] E o único cachorro que come comida humana (ou melhor, tranqueiras humanas) à vontade e passa muito bem é aquele dogue alemão maluco do desenho animado que passa na TV, o tão conhecido Scooby-Doo.

Fonte 1 e Fonte 2

Matéria no Yahoo com comentários meus

2009-09-21T13:03:00.006-05:00

Eu estou me achando! A Ana Corina querida do Mãe de Cachorro viu o post abaixo publicado no Yahoo Notícias, onde o autor gentilmente inclui comentários meus. Um *muuuito obrigada* para Ana Corina, por ter avisado sobre o post, e outro para Ayrton Mugnaini Jr., o autor da matéria do Yahoo, por ter divulgado meu nome.

Que nome darei a meu cão?

Era uma vez um menino chamado Luís Maurício, que cresceu e se tornou um dos maiores guitarristas de rock do Brasil e até do mundo. Só que se tornou conhecido por um apelido que para uns é "nome de cachorro": ele mesmo, Lulu Santos, que inclusive já marcou presença em outro artigo desta série. Lulu nem se importa muito com as brincadeiras sobre seu apelido/nome artístico ser "nome de cachorro", tendo até dado a um de seus CDs o título Mondo Cane, com um belo canino na capa e tudo. De modo que, para mim, a questão sobre que nome dar ao cão puxa outra: afinal, o que é "nome de cão"?

Sim, em português há os nomes mais comuns e óbvios para cães, como Lulu e Totó. Mas Lulu é também um guitarrista de rock, como já lembramos, além da personagem de quadrinhos amiga do Bolinha e que agora virou adolescente. "Totó" é também nome de um famoso humorista italiano e como os cariocas [e os nordestinos] se referem àquele jogo de futebol de mesa conhecido em São Paulo como "pebolim". E todas as palavras que conhecemos como "nomes de gente" querem originalmente dizer outra coisa: Adriano significa "da região italiana da Ádria", Pedro significa "pedra", Cecília é "cega", Sandra significa "defensora", Ayrton é "da cidade de Ayr" (fica na Escócia) e assim por diante. (Sem falar que tudo é possível depois que Frank Zappa, Caetano Veloso e Baby Consuelo/do Brasil agraciaram suas crias humanas com nomes como Moon Unit, Zeca e Krishna Baby).

Por sinal, desde o fim do século passado, cada vez mais estadunidenses dão aos cães nomes humanos como Sam, Lucy, Max ou Molly, o que serve como prova de que o canino é considerado cada vez mais um membro da família, não apenas uma propriedade, bem de consumo ou acessório vivo. (E Leonard Ashley, professor universitário inglês lecionando nos EUA, diz que uma tendência atual é dar aos cães nomes no idioma de origem da raça; "se for uma raça alemã, as pessoas querem dar um nome alemão, como se o cachorro soubesse falar alemão.")

Para nomear nossos caninos é possível - e até necessário - ser mais criativo e respeitoso que a Jamie Kelly da série de livros Querido Diário Otário, que deu a seu Beagle o nome de Fedido (no original Stinker, o que me fez lembrar do produtor de discos Quincy Jones, que colocou o apelido Smelly, também "fedido", em um de seus clientes, mais conhecido por seu verdadeiro nome, Michael Jackson).

Também já vai longe o Brasil do século 19 examinado pelo historiador Gilberto Freyre em seu livro Sobrados e Mucamas, quando os cães recebiam nomes como Rompe-Ferro, Nero e também Vulcão, Negrão, Gavião, Trovão, Furacão, "como se os nomes em 'ão' lhes aumentassem o prestígio de animais ferozes, capazes de estraçalhar estranhos ou intrusos".

Lembrei-me também de uma nota publicada na revista Claudia nos anos 70, sobre dar aos Pequineses nomes chineses com significados como "menino comportado" ou "minha senhora". Por falar em revistas, escrevi na Cães & Cia. sobre o costume nordestino de se dar aos cães nomes de peixes e assemelhados, numa versão agreste do espírito irônico brasileiro e consolo pela escassez de água na região, lembrado até em um sucesso do grande Luiz Gonzaga, "Samarica Parteira", autoria de Zé Dantas: "Não sei por que cachorro de 'pobe' tem sempre nome de peixe: é 'Cruvina', 'Taíra', Piaba, 'Matrinxã', Baleia [sic], Piranha. Ah! 'Maguinho', mas 'caçadozim' como o diabo! Cachorro de rico é gooordo, 'num' caça nada, rabo grosso! [...] Agora, o nome é bonito: é White, Flike, Rex, Whisky, Jumm..."

Enfim, não é preciso ser historiador, nem saber falar chinês ou alemão, para dar aos caninos nomes que reflitam sua personalidade (e também a do dono) de forma prática, positiva, criativa e respeitosa. Vamos, então, dar nome aos cães - e, por que não, apelidos também.

Nome humano é bom, mas...

Já estamos no século 21 e ainda há pessoas que consideram "cachorro" um xingamento e se ofendem quando são apresentadas a um xará canino, de modo que há quem recomende evitar dar ao cão nomes de parentes ou amigos, para evitar constrangimentos. Um caso real aconteceu com um colega de trabalho do pai de um amigo meu, que tinha um cão de grande porte e lhe deu o sobrenome do patrão, Irdafli (a história é verídica, obviamente mudei o sobrenome). Um belo dia, este colega convidou o patrão para jantar em casa. Quando o chefe chegou, o cão não teve dúvida em recebê-lo amigavelmente, pulando-lhe em cima e encostando-o na parece. Imaginem o esforço do anfitrião para reprimir o comando "Sai, Irdafli!" Pena que o pai de meu amigo já faleceu e este não se lembra de como terminou este encontro histórico dos Irdaflis humano e canino e como o dono do cão se livrou desta mistura de saia justa e coleira apertada.

Nunca é demais lembrar que, mesmo tendo nome humano, o canino não entende nenhum idioma humano. Pessoas podem ter nomes como Hermengarda, Franciely, Austregésilo ou Protógenes sem muito problema, mas para nossos amigos peludos o ideal é não passar de três sílabas - mas uma só é pouco demais, pois soa mais como ordem de comando. Quando muito, um nome de quatro sílabas com a tônica nas primeiras, como Penélope, a Cocker do jornalista e produtor André "Pomba" Cagni, e da qual já falamos aqui em outra ocasião. "O motivo do nome Penélope é que eu queria um nome feminino não muito comum", explica Pomba. E realmente o nome caiu bem; afinal, um ser bonito merece um nome bonito, não é? (Não custa lembrar que as possíveis origens do nome Penélope são "uma espécie de pato" ou "bobina de fio para tecelagem", ambas alusivas à Penélope da mitologia grega que, segundo consta, foi salva da morte em criança por uma revoada de patos e nunca terminava um trabalho de tecelagem, numa tão longa quanto bela história.)

Mudanças e alcunhas

Num artigo anterior comentei que, ao contrário do mito popular, caninos velhos também podem aprender coisas novas. Muitas vezes, estas coisas novas incluem um novo nome. O que faz lembrar um mito correlato, citado por Sandra Régia, da Lord Cão: "Primeiro mito: Um cão depois de adulto não acostuma mais com outro nome'. Isso é falso, pode mudar o nome sim, principalmente se o nome anterior está associado a sofrimento numa família que o maltratava." Tenho em casa um bom exemplo: Mila, uma vira-latinha adotada por pura arte do destino. Num belo dia, um Monza simplesmente passou pelo quarteirão onde moro, parou, abriram a porta, puseram a cadela na rua e tchau. Foi imediatamente adotada pelo quarteirão, uns dando comida e água, outros caixinha e cobertor, e meu filho e a mãe a acabaram adotando. Ambos escolheram instantaneamente o nome Mila para esta minha nova "neta". Nenhum dos dois se lembra qual exatamente teve a ideia de lhe dar tal nome, mas certamente nem seria bom saber o nome anterior dela. Casa nova, nome novo, vida nova - e melhor.

"Segundo mito: o cão não entende apelidos. Isso também é falso, é possível escolher um nome e vários apelidos para o cão", diz Sandra Régia. "Se todos forem usados com frequência, o cão aprende a atender a todos eles. Só não vale exagerar e usar 20 apelidos, hehe! Mas um nome e uns três apelidos dão bem demais." Nossa amiga Mila também atende por Miloca, e seu "irmão" Fredy, belo genérico de Dálmata, gosta de ser chamado de Fredão por mim (nada a ver com as feras de Gilberto Freyre), Frederico pela faxineira e Frederêncio pela "mãe". E eles gostam quando incorporo Ernesto Lecuona e canto para eles aquele bolerão mais ou menos assim: "Sempre no meu coração/Dona Mila e Seu Fredão..."

Arteiros e artistas

É normal crianças humanas normalmente chamadas por apelidos entenderem que a coisa é séria quando de repente alguém as chama pelos verdadeiros nomes, muitas vezes com sobrenome e tudo. Mas evite chamar seu "filho" ou "neto" canino pelo nome com raiva ou rispidez, para que ele não pense que seu nome está sendo usado como xingamento nem o associe a algo desagradável; ele precisa atender prazerosamente ao ser chamado pelo nome.

Se teu cão for de raça pura e portanto tiver linhagem, esta deverá ser registrada no Kennel Club do Estado natal do bicho ou clube especializado na raça (consulte a página da Confederação Brasileira de Cinofilia no www.cbkc.org. Lá, os formulários permitem registrar nomes com até 40 toques, bem mais generosos que o American Kennel Club, associação correspondente dos EUA, cujo limite é 28 toques.

E se, além de ser de raça, seu peludo quiser ser o Tony Ramos da família, demonstrando vocação para artista profissional, e for participar de exposições ("dog shows"), deverá ser registrado na Associação Cinológica Brasileira, além de receber um belo microchip (obrigatório desde 2004). Ele poderá então ter um nome curto para o dia-a-dia e "sobrenome artístico" com o qual será divulgado. Dois exemplos recentes são o casal de Dobermanns premiados de Campos de Goytacazes (no Estado do Rio de Janeiro) Rod Dobe's Dorothy (com apóstrofe e tudo) e seu "marido" Double Dee Fire Bolt.

O nome que um dono dá a seu cão reflete não só o jeito do próprio cão, mas também do dono. Por exemplo, Walt Disney é padrinho de muitos caninos por aí, a julgar por uma pesquisa segundo a qual, nos últimos anos, O Rei Leão inspirou dezessete pequenos grandes donos a batizarem seus cães de Simba só na cidade de São Francisco, na Califórnia [conheço uma adorável rhodesian ridgeback fêmea cujo nome é Simba]. Idem Glória Perez, com tantas cadelas charmosas chamadas Jade devido ao sucesso da telenovela O Clone. (Por sinal, muitos homens demonstram maior tendência a dar aos cães nomes provocativos ou negativos que mulheres). Enfim, na hora de dar nome a nossos amigos peludos, a criatividade, o carinho e o respeito são o limite - e vale a pena o esforço para manter o bom nome do prazer de ter cães.

Fonte 1 e Fonte 2

Can black dogs break the color barrier?

2009-09-18T14:53:00.004-05:00

Black may be beautiful, but when it comes to dogs of a darker hue, potential adopters often overlook them -- especially if they're big.

If you're like me, you probably chose your dog based on something like the melting feeling you got when he held one ear up and one ear down the first time he looked at you, not the color of his coat [a posição das orelhas é tão irrelevante quanto a cor do pelo; é preciso considerar em primeiro plano o temperamento do animal, isso sim um fator de importância máxima]. But when Petfinder.com, an online database of more than 300,000 adoptable pets, declared August 12 national "Adopt-A-Less-Adoptable-Pet Day," they discovered that finding homes for black dogs, particularly larger ones, was a real problem for their 12,681 member shelters and rescue groups.

"In our July 2009 survey, 54.2 percent of our respondents told us that they had experienced 'big black dog syndrome,' where pets were harder to place for that very reason," said Kim Saunders, head of shelter outreach and public relations for Petfinder.com.

The good news is that black dogs have a lot of friends [yay!!!]. Petfinder launched a campaign telling adopters that dark furred pets make it easier to accessorize. "After all," said Saunders, "black goes with everything!" The Black Pearl Dogs Web site offers rescue groups a place to list their available black dogs and tries to educate the public about the problem. And last month, PR and marketing expert Heather Rosenwald launched Start Seeing Black Dogs, which offers free marketing and PR services to help shelters and rescue groups put their available black dogs in the best possible light to potential adopters.

"It's not that people are rejecting black shelter dogs out of hand," said Rosenwald, who owns two adopted big black dogs of her own. "It's that they just don't realize the problem exists. Whenever I do some kind of public education, like appearing on a radio show, and talk about black dogs, there's an immediate increase in the adoption of those dogs from the local shelters and rescue groups."

It's hard to make sense of the difficulty in finding homes for black dogs. After all, black Labs, along with their yellow siblings, are the most popular dog breed in America. And not only is the current Presidential pet -- Bo the Portuguese water dog -- a black-furred dog, but in a show of astonishing bi-partisanship, so was former President Bush's dog Barney, a Scottish Terrier.

This may be a problem not of black dogs in general but of black shelter dogs in particular. "The fact that black Labs are so popular might be part of the problem," Rosenwald said. "There are so many of them that when you get into a shelter setting, they're kind of a dime a dozen."

It also could just be a matter of lighting. "Some shelters aren't very well lit," she continued, "and that makes black dogs literally harder to see. We really encourage shelters and rescue groups to show them off in well-lit areas whenever possible."

Because many people start their search for a new dog on the Web, it's critical that organizations do a careful job of photographing their darker pets. "We've heard from many potential adopters that it's hard to see the faces and get a feeling for the personalities of black dogs in photographs -- we call it 'black blob syndrome.'" The fact that black dogs' facial features, expression and eyes can be very hard to see might give their lighter-colored competition an edge online.

Taking good photos of black pets is easy to learn, however. "We've put together great tips for point and click cameras, which most shelters and rescue groups use," Rosenwald told me. "Our pointers will help them get great photos of black dogs with a simple camera. And in photos or in person, shelters really need to bedazzle adopters with something colorful, like a bandana or vest. Make the dark dogs stand out any way you can."

Unfortunately, it's not all just a trick of the light. "Some people subconsciously see black dogs as menacing," Rosenwald said. "Which is unfortunate and also untrue. Black dogs are just as affectionate and wonderful as dogs of any other color. There is no correlation between personality and behavior and coat color."

Anne Hendrickson, who runs a boarding kennel and dog day care center in Minneapolis, saw "big black dog" syndrome in action a few years ago. "I fostered a litter of homeless puppies for an animal rescue group," she said. "The litter had one black puppy and the rest blonds. Needless to say, the blond puppies were spoken for immediately, but the one black pup wasn't adopted."

Hendrickson, who had adopted two black dogs before learning about "black dog syndrome," decided to add Cobie to her "black pack."

"They say in your life you will have one dog who is 'the one,'" she told me. "Cobie is my 'one.' He's four years old and a certified therapy dog, and we spend our days helping disadvantaged children learn to read at schools, shelters, youth detention centers. Goes to show what a great dog you can be missing out on by passing up a black dog."

Some shelters have turned "big black dog syndrome" into a marketing opportunity instead of an obstacle. "Our animal care workers noticed that we were inundated with wonderful black dogs who weren't finding homes as easily as other dogs," said Hope Hancock, director of the SPCA of Wake County in North Carolina.

The shelter staff came up with what they called the "Black Dog Blue Light Special" campaign.

"This was a real grassroots campaign," said Hancock. "It didn't originate in our marketing department, but from the people who were working hands-on with the adoptable dogs."

The workers strung blue Christmas lights in the adoption area, made up cards describing the dogs' personalities and giving them a little pizzazz, and even ran ads that gave "blue light special" a literal spin: they manipulated the photos to turn the black dogs blue. When some people saw the ads and assumed the dogs had been painted blue, they contacted the shelter with outraged complaints -- giving the SPCA an opportunity to do a little education about "black dog sydndrome."

And the grassroots campaign was a success. "The dogs went flying out of here," Hancock said. The shelter even won a $10,000 award in a marketing competition for promoting adoptions of hard-to-place pets.

I'm not saying that everyone reading this has to run out and adopt a black dog. Choosing a dog is a lot like falling in love: a matter of chemistry more than rational choice [discordo VEEMENTEMENTE, adotar um animal não pode ser por impulso e sim uma atitude MUITO bem pensada e racionalizada]. If the dog who captures your heart [e, mais importante ainda, tem o TEMPERAMENTO adequado ao seu estilo de vida] is red, white, tan, or speckled, there's nothing wrong with that.

But the next time you're checking out available dogs on the Web or walking through the kennels in your local shelter, keep your eye out for the love in the eye of a dog of a darker hue.

"That's all we're really asking," said Rosenwald. "Start seeing black dogs."

Fonte

Who's afraid of big black dogs?

2009-09-18T14:25:00.002-05:00

It ain't easy being a great dark beast in a world of tiny yapping puffballs.

Our big, ink-black, stupendously cool, absolutely extraordinary family Labrador was named Shadow, of course, because it was simple and obvious and when you're seven years old you don't really know from overused dog-naming clichés.

Let me just say that Shadow was probably the perfect family dog of all time, ever. He was calm and mellow and fairly well trained, superbly chill like some sort of fuzzy genius monk, rarely barked and never snapped and, no matter how much childhood torture we put him through, all the tugging and tail-yanking and petting far too hard, riding on his back and forcing him to romp when clearly all he wanted to do was eat and hang out and chase small woodland creatures in his sleep, Shadow always maintained that amazing Zen-like tranquility, a sighing, preternatural ease so oft found in large, happy, slobbery Labs. He was amazing.

For me and to this very day, Shadow set the bar insanely high for all-time great dogs. Solid as a rock, peaceful, smart, watchful, eternal, completely at ease in the world. That's how I like 'em. I mean, who doesn't?

Apparently, not as many as I imagined. Little did I know what an anomaly I am, just how uncommon Shadow really is in the grand dogosphere, or how difficult he might have had it out there in the rough world of dog shelters and the apparently slightly panicky, superstitious people who patronize them.

Because then I read an entirely odd little story about how difficult it is/was for shelters not only to place large dogs in general, which I can sort of understand simply for their sheer scale and massive poop-ability and also due to the fact that tiny quivery yappy dogs are all the rage among the animals-as-cute-accessories set, but big black dogs in particular.

This is what they say: The darker the coat, the more challenging to place [isso é bem interessante: eu particularmente sou apaixonada por animais preto-piche - gatos pretos inclusive - e gostaria de um dia ter um cão pretíssimo até os ossos; sabendo dessa dificuldade especial em adotá-los, maior é a minha vontade de ter um]. They even have a name for it: Big Black Dog Syndrome (BBDS), referring to both the fear some people seem to have of large inky canines, and also the general difficulty shelters have of getting them seen over the shiny, bulb-white look-at-me dogs that apparently, in the wonky human psyche, taste like dog-flavored vanilla ice cream.

How do we explain this predicament? Is there some sad mythology, some odd fear at play of which I am naively unaware given my happy slobbering childhood bias? It's entirely possible.

Some people think black dogs are gloomy harbingers of doom and apocalypse. Or that inky canines are minions of the devil, Cerberus incarnate, malicious beasts that will pad quietly into your room at night when you can't see them and then calmly consume your face for a snack before you have time to scream or refill the Kong toy with peanut butter. Others equate them with clinical depression, a nasty, spectral black beast that won't leave you alone.

Over in our pets blog, the lovely Amelia Glynn notes that "in British folklore, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sir Walter Scott both depict the black dog as a creepy, spectral figure that haunts cemeteries and is an omen of death." Also, Harry Potter, at some point in his interminable journey to becoming increasingly annoying [blasfêmia!], is apparently stalked by a big black dog called "the Grim," [vale ressaltar que esse cão era super do bem] which for my money would've been far more terrifying had it been a tiny manic spazzball Jack Russell Terrier that never shuts the hell up, refuses to sit still for more than three seconds and tears around Hogwarts biting off everyone's kneecaps. But maybe that's just me [and me as well!!!].

Like most biases, the one against large black dogs is, you can say, a bit childish, uninformed, silly [and weird, since black dogs are simply gorgeous!]. And what about all the positive examples? There's the famous tavern in Martha's Vineyard. Or the down 'n' dirty, let's-do-it-in-the-bathtub Led Zep classic. Or who can forget the mercifully forgotten 1998 Patrick Swayze (RIP) bomb of a cheeseball movie?

See, there are always counterforces. There are always those who know better, who work to deflect the prejudices and the distortions. Hell, we ran a good bit recently right here on the Gate, talking up one of the most misrepresented big (mostly) black breeds of all time, the Doberman, quite possibly one of the sweetest and most trainable breeds of all, though again I admit to a bit of bias, as my former brother-in-law had a giant, incredible Dobie named Caesar, quite possibly one of the most wonderful 150-pound lapdogs in history and entirely shattering the ridiculous myth that Dobies are violent frothing teeth-baring monsters you see in movies. Caesar was huge, gentle, a true wonder. He was also terrified of bugs [ai coitadinho, haha!].

I know, I know, it ain't all misunderstandings and bad marketing. There are plenty of horror stories about large, destructive breeds, countless tales of hostility, attacks and even death, especially among the historically more aggressive breeds like pit bulls and rotties, dogs that were raised for their power and menace and have long histories of not always being mellow chillmonkeys, given how they can fit most of your head in their mouths and essentially eat their weight in roadkill.

Nor am I of the "there are no bad breeds, only bad owners" BS mindset. While this is true in most animal abuse cases, it's also true that many breeds, while not "bad" per se, were specifically designed and prone to be more reactive, defensive, even deadly than others. Not all dogs were created equal. You may own the goofiest, mushiest wouldn't-hurt-a-fly pit bull in the history of dogdom, but the fact remains, the breed was originally designed to clamp down those massive, insanely strong jaws on small wiggly things that move too suddenly and make it nervous. It's in the wiring, because we put it there.

But that's only a few breeds, and overall, unless you have an idiot owner, unchecked aggression in any breed is pretty rare. From Danes to Dobies to mastiffs, Huskies to ridgebacks to big loping wolfhounds, most large breeds are mostly designed to romp and run and swim and hey-let's-lay-around-on-the-couch-for-five-hours-straight-while-you-read-a-book-and-I-take-a-nap.

As for the big black dogs, Amelia also says that BBDS might be a vanishing phenom given how, at many of the better-funded shelters, they will often offset BBD bias by photographing their black beauties with colorful decoration and giving them benign, happy doggie names like Bo or Muffins or Mr. Happy Fluffy I-Promise-I-Won't-Swallow-Your-Baby Snuffington III. Which I suppose is good news indeed. Unless you're the dog.

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Protect Your Pets From Dangerous Wires

2009-09-17T15:39:00.002-05:00

Protecting computer, appliance, home entertainment and other cables and wires around the home from your dog or cat and, in doing so, keeping your four-legged friend out of harm’s way, is critical.

Stop Your Puppy Chewing Cables and Wires

– There are numerous products on the market today for covering household wires to keep your pet – and even small children – from chewing on them. An extremely inexpensive and convenient product to protect your wires is the split wire loom – flexible and durable plastic tubing with a slit down the side allowing for easy insertion of a cable bundle.

– You can also cover any wires that are accessible to your small pet with spiral cable wrap – plastic wrap that keeps wires tightly bundled and also protects them from being chewed on by pets. Spiral cable wrap is also available in many colors to match a room’s decor.

– For hiding excess cord length coming from your phone, computer mouse, or even window blinds, try the Cable Turtle. This nifty gadget protects wires from your cat or dog by letting you tuck the wires away neatly in a shell. The product is available in different sizes and various colors to match your decor.

– If you have no other choice but to run a wire across an open floor, cord covers will allow you to easily hide and protect the cables from your cat, dog and other passers by. These covers will not only keep your pet from chewing on your wires, but will also keep your floors safe and clear from tripping and tangling hazards.

– Keep cables off the floor and out of reach with adhesive-backed cord clips, which attach wires to furniture or wall surfaces. These cord clips are available in different sizes, and are ideal for phone cords, lamp cords, and even some computer cords.

– Hide wires in your home office with a concealed surge protector, which encloses plugs and excess cord length to keep them from becoming a distraction to your pets. These safety-minded surge protectors not only keep your computer and phone wires out of sight, but also provide protection in case of a power surge or lightning strike.

Puppy Safety Tips: K9 Magazine’s Guide to Puppy Proofing Your Home

If you have an adorable little puppy running around the house, the last thing you want to see is an accident where the little guy gets cut, poisoned, or stepped on. However, accidents do happen and you should be prepared. Better yet, it is best if you practice safety prevention rather than waiting for something bad to happen to your puppy.

All it takes is just one little circumstance to go unnoticed which can cause a great deal of pain to your puppy. These little animals have an insatiable appetite when it comes to curiosity. Everything they see and smell looks like a great adventure and from their point of view, it’s all open territory. They see no danger and instead move forward to check things out. This is why you want to take the following safety prevention measures so that you can somewhat “puppy-proof” your house.

1. The first thing you should do is look around every room of your home [don't forget to do it on all fours as well] and try to dispose of small items that your puppy may swallow. Puppies tend to try to swallow anything that they can get a hold of.

Unfortunately, not all small items will safely pass through the dog’s intestines which can prove to be fatal. Other times, your puppy’s system will try to gag and cough up the object which can go on for a long period of time. If your dog does not get the object out then the intestine becomes blocked and can rupture.

2. The second important home safety precaution to take is to hide or elevate your electrical cords and wires. Every home has wires and cords that must be in each room, but if left hanging there, dangling like a treat, your puppy is guaranteed to be tempted to play with [them].

If he chews on these electrical items, your puppy is going to get hurt. The damage caused by gnawing through to the inside wiring of these cords can cause a mild shock or worse, third-degree burns. And in many cases, the electrocution can be so severe that it may cause your puppy to die from the shock. It is best to elevate all of the wiring that you can and use heavy-duty tape to cover up the other cords that have to be on and around the floor area.

3. Last but not least, keep your home free from dangerous poisons and toxins that your puppy can ingest. Remember, our pets use their mouth’s for virtually all investigations and because they are extremely curious, toxic items can be easily ingested with one lick. Such household poisons can include anti-freeze, rat poison, garbage, lead, and even chocolate.

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Senado torna crime a guarda irresponsável de cães perigosos

2009-09-16T23:51:00.004-05:00

O Plenário do Senado aprovou nesta quarta-feira um projeto que classifica como crime a guarda irresponsável de cães perigosos, com pena prevista de um mês a um ano [só???]. As informações são da Agência Senado.

A pena ainda poderá ser maior caso a irresponsabilidade venha a constituir crime mais grave [como por exemplo???]. O projeto, proveniente da Câmara, foi aprovado sob a forma de texto da Comissão de Constituição, Justiça e Cidadania (CCJ), cujo relator foi o senador Marco Maciel (DEM-PE) [de Pernambuco, aêêêêêêêêêê]. A proposição estabelece um conjunto de regras para a propriedade, posse, guarda e transporte responsável desses animais.

Além da responsabilidade penal por quaisquer danos físicos e materiais decorrentes de ataques ou agressões dos animais a pessoas, seres vivos ou bens patrimoniais, o proprietário ou guardador ficará sujeito à responsabilização civil, em caráter objetivo, pelo ocorrido. Pelo texto, caberá ao veterinário, no momento de vacinar o cão, a decisão sobre o grau de periculosidade do animal [hummmm, absolutamente pessoal essa decisão, não???].

No projeto original, o então deputado Cunha Bueno, que apresentou a matéria em 2000, tinha intenção de proibir a criação, no Brasil, das raças rotweiller e pit bull [que idiotice]. Na própria Câmara, porém, o texto aprovado manteve livre a criação e reprodução dos cães de quaisquer raças no País [isso também não está certo, só deveriam cruzar cães comprovadamente saudáveis, estáveis, com bom temperamento e dentro do padrão da raça], definindo, no entanto, regras e disciplinas mais rígidas para a posse e condução desses animais em logradouros públicos, de maneira a conceder segurança aos cidadãos.

Também são estabelecidas normas de contenção, que vão da vacinação e avaliação comportamental do animal [aêêêêêêêêê], por veterinários [a maioria dos veterinários não entende NADA de comportamento/temperamento], até o adestramento [sim, sim, sim] e a utilização de equipamentos, como coleiras com enforcadores [não, não, não], guias curtas, caixas especiais para transporte e até o uso de tranquilizantes, se necessário. Fica definida, inclusive, a implantação subcutânea no animal de microship para sua identificação eletrônica [estão no caminho certo]. Essa identificação servirá para a criação e manutenção do Cadastro Nacional de Cães Perigosos, a ser mantido pelas entidades cinófilas nacionais. [Um chihuahua pode ser muuuuito mais agressivo do que um pit bull... Tá errado limitar a "cães perigosos". Tem de ser crime a posse irresponsável de qualquer animal, cão, gato, pássaro, roedor, réptil... Sendo ser vivo, precisa e merece ser tratado com responsabilidade!!!]

Como a matéria foi alterada no Senado, terá de retornar para nova análise da Câmara. As regras passariam a valer 45 dias após a publicação do texto aprovado pelo Legislativo e sancionado pela Presidência da República.

Fonte

UPDATE: Ótimo complemento escrito no Mãe de Cachorro!

Na boa? Faltou uma coisa fundamental nessa encenação toda: a proibição de venda de animais sem estarem castrados e também a regulamentação e fiscalização sérias e rígidas dos criadores. Não adianta esperar que a ponta final desta cadeia tenha toda a consciência e responsabilidade necessárias. Quem vende e até quem adestra também devem ser co-responsabilizados porque todos estamos carecas de saber que o número de animais com problemas psicológicos e físicos que ainda assim são usados pra procriar e sustentar os vagabundos que os exploram é imenso. Com isso, mais e mais filhotes de péssimo padrão, tanto mental quanto físico, chegam ao mundo e são comprados como feijão. Em cães de pequeno e médio porte, o ibope das mordidas e outros desastres não é grande, mas nos cães de grande porte pra cima, é vendagem de jornal garantida. E de filhotes também, porque há sempre um idiota pra querer comprar a fera da moda pra fazer rinha etc.

Aqui em Floripa mesmo há um centro de adestramento que vende cães comprados de simplesmente qualquer um, totalmente sem qualificação e procedência, que só engrossam as estatísticas. Um conhecido meu comprou deles uma fêmea de pastor alemão que tem displasia coxo-femural, algo inadmissível em criadores decentes já que a doença é hereditária, além de outros problemas de saúde. Um outro, comprou deles um boxer que simplesmente ficou louco e por aí a coisa anda. Então, pessoas queridas, sinceramente, sou super a favor de uma regulamentação da guarda responsável, mas vamos fazer a coisa certa desde o início da cadeia que gera um cão tresloucado na ponta da guia e que começa certamente já na sua gestação!

Work within the limits of the dog, not your expectations

2009-09-16T22:58:00.003-05:00

When training your dog you must work within the limits of the dog and not your expectations.

When teaching the stay, for example, most people expect their dog to stay longer than what the dog is capable of doing.

Teaching the "stay" begins only with a second or two. Once the dog remains sitting on the ground for two seconds, quickly reward him. Achieve a total of four consecutive sit and stays before increasing the time. Once achieved, give the dog a brief break and on your next training session delay the reward until the dog holds the sit and stay for, four seconds, and then six seconds. Once your dog can successfully sit and stay, six seconds (four consecutive times) it's time to vary, or ping pong, the duration. This is common knowledge for good dog trainers, but not for the average pet owner.

Here's an example of how to properly increase your dog's ability to hold a stay after you've achieve four consecutive, six-second stays. Dog sits for 1-second, then 5-seconds, followed by 4-seconds, then 5-seconds, followed by 2-seconds then 3-seconds, then 1-second ending with a 3-second sit and stay.

Because dogs pick up patterns quickly [sim, eles sabem contar] be sure to keep your variable time schedule random. Using a positive reinforcement and systematic training method will have your dog wanting to learn while you achieve your goal of owning a dog who successfully performs the cued stay.

Distractions can quickly turn your well-behaved dog into an embarrassing dog.

Because dogs generalize extremely slowly, you'll need to add distractions in a gradual and systematic order. Begin by asking one family member to be present while you work your dog. Then another and another, finding success each step of the way.

When the dog is successfully holding a stay inside the house with multiple family members, move to the backyard and find success there before moving to the front yard and so on. When you add distractions you'll need to shorten your expectations of time or duration.

Dogs lack the capability of learning duration and distraction simultaneously.

Teaching your dog a behavior is great, but a behavior without duration under distraction will result in a dog failing to meet your expectations when it matters most [fraseamento perfeito].

Tip of the week: Enroll your puppy or dog into a positive reinforcement training class. It's a great way of teaching your dog duration, while adding controlled distractions.

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Do dog-DNA tests really work?

2009-09-16T22:28:00.006-05:00

What kind of dog is that? Parrot, who may be made up of Italian greyhound terrier, Boston terrier, bichon frise, golden retriever, mastiff, West Highland white terrier, Staffordshire terrier and/or bull terrier, according to various dog-DNA tests, plays in a Brooklyn, N.Y., park.

Advances in DNA testing have changed the way we pursue criminals, verify paternity and date medieval manuscripts. Now it's being used to answer one of the greatest riddles mankind has ever faced: What kind of dog is that?

A new pack of genetics companies say they can tell mutt owners which breeds their dogs come from, for a fee of $60 to $125. The results, say the companies, can satisfy simple curiosity, provide clues to a dog's behavioral quirks, and even help identify breed-specific health problems.

But can a few strands of DNA really hold the answer to your dog's inner being?

To find out, we subjected our lovable, squeezable and all too agreeable mutt named Parrot to DNA tests offered by four companies. He happily sat still while we swabbed the inside of his cheek, and he didn't bristle when we took him for a blood draw at the veterinarian for one of the tests. In the end, he learned nothing (except maybe that swabs equal treats), but we learned that the business of dog DNA isn't as simple as it appears starting with the fact that all four labs came back with different results [!!!!!!!!!].

The first lab we tried was DDC Veterinary in Fairfield, Ohio. The parent company has long focused on human DNA testing, mostly performing paternity tests, including, says the company, the one for Anna Nicole Smith's daughter. With that pedigree, we expected DDC to give us solid proof of Parrot's lineage, too.

The online buying process was easy. We paid $68 and received our swab kit in a few days. We sent the swabs back in the self-addressed, stamped envelope provided [adoro a praticidade dos EUA], and in a couple weeks, got our results. An official-looking certificate with a gold seal listed six breeds, grouped by the level of strength of each, on a scale of one to five: Italian greyhound and Boston terrier (level three); bichon frise and golden retriever (level four); mastiff and West Highland white terrier (level five). Also included was a list of each breed's behavioral traits and common health problems, and an explanation of what the levels mean. A level one, for example, indicated that the breed contributed to more than 75% of the dog's DNA, down to less than 10% for a level five.

It all made sense, except for one thing: Parrot looks like none of those breeds. What he looks like is a pit bull, mixed with who-knows-what. At the shelter where we adopted him, he was listed as part pit bull, part weimaraner [Hahaha!!!!!!!! Essa foi e-xa-ta-men-te a mistura que me veio à cabeça quando eu vi a foto do peludo!!!]. Others have said he resembles a pointer or a Labrador retriever. He weighs 65 pounds, and measures more than two feet tall and three-and-a-half feet long. He's a big dude.

Bichon frises look like little white puff balls. Italian greyhounds are small and spindly.

In its material, DDC has the caveat: "DNA is inherited randomly from each parent which makes every dog unique. This is why a dog's appearance may look different than the breeds detected in the DNA test."

This is true, according to animal geneticists we spoke with. But the plot thickened when we got the results from Mars Veterinary's Wisdom Panel DNA test. A division of candy and pet-food giant Mars Inc., Mars Vet goes a step further than its rivals by requiring a blood sample, which meant paying our vet $20 to draw blood. The test was already the most expensive in the bunch, at $124.99. The company says blood has more DNA on it than a cluster of cheek cells [para o pessoal do CSI - se é que uma série de TV é fonte confiável - uma amostra de saliva é tão eficaz quando sangue para testes de DNA].

All the companies we used, including Mars, had easy-to-navigate Web sites. In each case, our kits arrived within days, complete with self-addressed stamped return packages and clear instructions. All sent the results back two to three weeks later. In the case of Mars, our vet offered to pop the return envelope in the mail.

But what differentiates Mars, as we came to learn, is the number of breeds in its database: 157. In contrast, DDC has 63. Among the breeds Mars has that DDC and others don't is the American Staffordshire terrier, also known by some dog experts as the American pit bull terrier, the dog we thought Parrot most resembled. Mars's test showed that at least 25% of Parrot's DNA came from the Staffordshire terrier, meaning one of his grandparents might have been a purebred. At least 12.5% came from the bull terrier, which comes from the same ancestral group, and a trace came from the wire fox terrier. None of the breeds detected by DDC were found.

And therein lies the limits of dog DNA testing. Still a relatively new field, canine genetics is an inexact science [não existe isso de ciência inexata, existe?]. To locate the genetic markers that might differentiate a breed markers that control for size, for example -- companies take samples from purebreds with established pedigrees. Depending on how common the breed, they might sample anywhere from a handful of dogs to hundreds. Mars's chief geneticist, Neale Fretwell, estimates it costs a minimum of $20,000 to get a new breed into the database.

But geneticists say the DNA of dogs even within a given breed can vary widely depending on the country they are from [true]. In addition, breeds within the same group -- such as terrier -- can be very similar genetically. Also, a single dog has billions of bases, building blocks of the genome, and these DNA labs only look at a few hundred. What's more, there are thought to be as many as 400 dog breeds world-wide -- roughly 160 of which are recognized by the American Kennel Club -- and it would be impossible to know for sure that a breed has a unique genetic sequence unless every one of the breeds was analyzed.

Breeds that show up as contributing to a large part of your dog's DNA are likely to "accurately reflect a dog's composition," says Urs Giger, a clinical geneticist at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. But of the breeds that come back in amounts of less than 10%, he says, "you can't be sure" that your dog's makeup actually contains that breed.

Mars's Mr. Fretwell says the company samples dogs from around the world and is constantly updating its database. He says extensive tests were done to find the markers that would most reliably predict a dog's breed: "We haven't yet found a breed that's indistinguishable from another breed."

Randy Smith, account manager at DDC Vet, says the list of breeds it screens for includes the most-common ones, but adds dog owners should check the list before buying the service, in case the breeds they suspect their dog has isn't on it.

DDC doesn't do the tests at its lab. It works with BioPet Vet Lab, of Knoxville, Tenn. We also got a kit directly from BioPet, for $59.95, which came back with virtually the same results, leaving out only mastiff. When we called BioPet to ask about the discrepancy with DDC and the other companies, we spoke with Meg Ratinger, the company's chief administrative officer. Ms. Ratinger said the 63 breeds in its database cover about 92% of the DNA present in mixed-breed dogs in the U.S. "Our objective was to provide good coverage at a reasonable price," she said.

When the lab scanned Parrot's DNA, said Ms. Ratinger, no one breed emerged as dominant, so the software looked for the closest matches. The fact that it came back with Boston terrier was telling, she said, since that breed is in the same family as the American Staffordshire terrier, which is not in the database. She said the lab is working hard to add the Amstaff and is collecting samples from breeders. Customers can request that their dog's DNA be retested free of charge whenever the lab adds a new breed [super cool]. Customers can check the company's Web site for breed updates.

Our final test was conducted by MetaMorphix, a biotech firm that does genetic testing of livestock and parentage testing for the AKC. Its Canine Heritage Breed Test is built on 10,000 samples from 108 breeds. "Waiting for your dog's DNA test results can rival the anticipation of a new baby," according to the Web site, from which we purchased our kit for $99.95.

Here again, our results were different: Staffordshire bull terrier was ranked as "secondary," meaning it has a "strong influence" on our dog, but "makes up less than the majority" of his DNA. The breed is related to the Amstaff, which MetaMorphix doesn't have in its database, so at least we knew it was a likely contributor to Parrot's DNA. What the company does offer, though, is a certificate that comes with a photo of our cutie pie, which we're now proudly displaying on our cubicle wall.

Still, nearly $400 later, when people on the street pass us and ask what kind of dog Parrot is, our answer hasn't changed: "Who knows?"

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O incrível cão que joga sinuca

2009-09-16T12:01:00.001-05:00

Pelos sem nó

2009-09-15T23:49:00.003-05:00

Nada de enrosco! Aprenda a deixar lindos, macios e soltinhos os pelos do seu bicho de estimação.

Ih, deu nó...

Você vive tosando seu cãozinho ou gato para desembaraçar a pelagem dele? O problema é que, com a tosa, vão embora não só os nós, mas também aquele visual fofinho e a proteção deles contra o frio e o calor. Contra o calor? Sim, isso mesmo! Por incrível que pareça, os pelos criam uma camada protetora que refresca o bicho nos dias mais quentes do ano [tenho sérias dúvidas quanto a isso, pois inclusive é recomendado tosar o cão bem baixo na época do verão]. É o que garante Roseli Figueiredo, especialista em estética animal. Veja as lições dela para prevenir o problema sem ganhar um nó na cuca.

O que causa os nós?

Má alimentação, falta de escovação diária, uso de roupinhas ou coleiras peitorais, pelagem dura e ressecada por verminoses, excesso de banhos, e uso de xampus, condicionadores e escovas inadequados.

Como devo pentear o bicho?

Todos os dias, use de maneira delicada uma escova de pinos sem bolinhas na ponta. Finalize com pente de aço.

Dar banho resolve?

Não! Só dê banho quando o pelo estiver desembaraçado. Molhados, os nós não se desfazem mais! Lave o cão ou gato no máximo uma vez por semana, com água morna e xampu de uso veterinário. Ensaboe na direção do crescimento dos fios.

Como desembaraçar?

Use spray específico para amolecer os nós. Caso só a tesoura resolva, vá com cuidado para não pegar a pele presa no meio do emaranhado. [Nada de ficar puxando os pelos com a escova para forçar o nó a se desmanchar!]

Que produto previne nós?

Máscara com queratina, que reidrata os fios e deve ser aplicada durante o banho. Deixe agir por 15 minutos e enxágue. Experimente usar um condicionador específico para dar ou tirar volume, de acordo com a raça. Seque com toalha e, depois, com secador morno. Se o pelo for liso, aplique uma vez por mês um spray termoativo e a chapinha. Ela deixa a pelagem mais brilhante e macia, com menos tendência a ter nós. Ou use silicone - não recomendado para gatos - para manter os pelos bem flexíveis. [A solução mais eficaz, mais simples, mais barata e que ainda por cima não enche seu peludo de produtos químicos e nem faz ele precisar passar hoooooooras na pet shop é simplesmente escová-lo todos os dias. Além de ser um ótimo exercício de dominância, ainda relaxa e acalma o bichinho]

Evite as manchas de lágrimas

- Cães das raças maltês, poodle, yorkshire e lhasa ficam com o pelo manchado ao redor dos olhos [na verdade todo cachorro pequeno e de pelagem clara pode apresentar esse problema].
- Para evitar o problema, limpe a região diariamente com algodão umedecido em água morna ou soro fisiológico [uma ração de boa qualidade também traz muitos benefícios nesse quesito].
- Finalize passando creme específico ou óleo mineral, que faz a lágrima escorregar sem entrar em contato com a pelagem.
- Manter os pelinhos bem aparados diminui a irritação nos olhos e ajuda muito a reduzir o lacrimejamento do seu bicho de estimação [além disso, peça ao veterinário para verificar se seu peludo tem os cílios voltados para dentro do globo ocular, pois esse é um problema em muitas raças e contribui para aumentar o lacrimejamento, além de causar desconforto].

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Excerpt from Cesar's book "How to Raise the Perfect Dog"

2009-09-15T15:52:00.002-05:00

Jumping Up on People

When a puppy comes running up to us and jumps on us, we think, "She loves me, she is so happy to see me!" We feel special and chosen and cherished. And who doesn't thrill to watch puppies jumping and leaping about in play? They are so carefree, so full of the joy of life. These are the reasons we want puppies in our lives, to bring us that enthusiasm, that appreciation of the everyday things we take for granted.

But clearly, 51 percent of our newsletter survey respondents have had more than enough of their puppies' jumping on them. Generally, when jumping up on people is a chronic problem for a puppy, it will continue to be problematic as she grows older and larger. "A German shepherd puppy jumping on you may seem cute," says Thinschmidt German shepherd breeder Diana Foster, "but a 120-pound German shepherd dog can actually knock you down and injure you." Puppyhood is the best time to nip this behavior in the bud.

Since puppies' strongest ability is their sense of smell, and since their primary purpose during the first eight months of life is to investigate and learn about everything in their new world, they will naturally want to check out and smell every human that comes into their environment. As humans, the strongest scents we project comes from our genital areas and from our mouths. We've all had the experience of a less-than-well-mannered dog sniffing our crotch areas - though within the dog world, sniffing genitals is good manners! Puppies need to stand up on their hind legs and put their paws on a person in order to get close to those areas. Since we tend to cover our genital areas with clothes, the next strongest scent for a dog to check out is coming from our mouths. Puppies and small dogs will want to jump up to get closer to our faces and find out what's going on there.

It's a challenge for humans not to see a puppy jumping on them as an "I love you," or a "hug." The truth is, sometimes puppies are just anxious, and they have learned that if they jump up on the human, the human will pick them up and bring them toward them and calm them down. A lot of people say, "Well, as soon as I pick him up, he calms down."

Unfortunately, this is a Band-Aid solution. The behavior you want to remove is not gone. It's only put on pause. When you stop a puppy and scoop her up in the middle of an anxious moment, you are never allowing her to develop the vital life skill of learning to calm herself down, on the ground.

As always, I advocate that prevention is the best medicine. You can avert a jumping-up problem from day one, by practicing the simplicity of the no touch, no talk, no eye contact rule whenever you first greet your puppy. This sends a calming signal and helps a puppy to stay focused on her nose. Her nose will keep her on the ground, and her eyes and ears will react differently. Chris and Johanna Komives took the prevention route with Eliza from day one, and the results have paid off. "We don't give affection if she's jumping on us. We wait until she's seated (or better, goes to her place), before acknowledging her when we return from work."

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Fighting dogs show scars from the ring

2009-09-15T15:11:00.003-05:00

Fay is a 5-year-old pit bull that was rescued during the July 8, multi-state federal dog fighting raid. Because Fay lost her lips and part of her nose from fighting, her teeth are now permanently exposed.

With no lips and layers of fighting scars, Dog 118 lapped her tongue across bare teeth at the Humane Society of Missouri.

She's now called Fay, and she's a heartbreaking first look at the results of a massive dogfighting ring authorities broke up two months ago.

Fay used to live behind a red trailer with an ominous warning — "What you see here, hear here, stays here" — before Humane Society workers and state and federal investigators swooped in on July 8 to rescue the animals.

The 5-year-old American pit bull terrier was just one of 407 dogs — some of which may yet be adopted or euthanized — seized in raids at sites across Missouri and Illinois, the Humane Society says.

About 100 more were seized in raids in six other states — the largest dogfighting raid and rescue in U.S. history. The Humane Society has another 100 puppies born since the raids.

The raids followed an 18-month investigation and resulted in charges against more than two dozen people in Missouri, Illinois and other states. Tim Rickey, director of the Humane Society's Animal Cruelty Task Force, said more may be charged.

Four of those charged pleaded guilty in federal court in St. Louis on Monday to dogfighting-related charges and agreed to forfeit the dogs, training equipment and any weapons found.

Teddy "Teddy Bogart" Kiriakidis, 50, Michael "Missouri Mike" Morgan, 38, Robert Hackman, 56, and Ronald Creach, 34, all pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to violate federal animal fighting laws. They joined Jack Ruppel, 35, who pleaded guilty Sept. 4.

Morgan, Hackman and Ruppel also pleaded guilty to an additional animal fighting charge.

With the guilty pleas, all of those indicted in the eastern half of Missouri have pleaded guilty and await sentencing. The men charged in Illinois, western Missouri and other states have pleaded not guilty and await trial.

KILLED FOR FAILING

Hackman, of Foley, operated Shake Rattle and Roll Kennel; Ruppel, of Eldon, operated Ozark Hillbillys Kennel; Morgan, of Hannibal, operated Cannibal Kennel; and Creach, of Leslie, operated Hard Goodbye Kennel.

Each of the men admitted breeding, training and giving away or selling the dogs. They also admitted attending or participating in dogfights in Missouri and the Metro East area.

In his plea, Ruppel admitted that at an Aug. 11, 2008, practice fight, or "roll," at his home, he said he killed dogs that would not fight or fight hard enough, prosecutors said.

In their pleas, Hackman and Creach said that after a Jan. 3 fight in Leslie, Kiriakidis helped electrocute the losing dog, a female pit bull named Roho.

In his plea, Creach admitted that he said he killed a dog named Shady because she didn't perform well in a practice fight earlier that day.

Hackman boasted of being one of the Midwest's most recognized dogfighting figures, with contacts across the country.

Under federal sentencing guidelines, each man is likely to face from probation to six months in prison, although proof of animal cruelty and other factors could increase that sentence. [Que bela sentençazinha PORCARIA para tanta crueldade! Por que eles não são jogados numa cela fechada com detentos violentos e obrigados a lutar por suas vidas?].

Outside the courtroom, Hackman's attorney, Joel Schwartz, said that notwithstanding the use of the dogs for fighting, Hackman's dogs were "incredibly well taken care of" and most were very healthy when seized. [Parece piada, né? O-D-E-I-O advogados!!!!!]

Schwartz said Hackman began as a breeder and only later became involved in dogfighting. Schwartz declined to allow Hackman to be interviewed. In court, Hackman told U.S. District Judge Carol Jackson that some of his dogs were sold as pets.

Attorneys for Ruppel, Morgan and Creach declined to comment. Kiriakidis' lawyer did not return messages seeking comment.

SECRET LOCATION

The Humane Society would not say where Fay, or Julie, a 2-year-old pit bull with scars on her face and legs, were taken until the court formally seizes them from their owners.

They and the other dogs among the 500 seized are now being held in a secret local facility.

Specialists have evaluated all the dogs. Their report, which will determine which dogs must be euthanized and which can live a life of special care and attention, will be filed in court in coming weeks.

Many of the dogs showed battle scars typical of fighting dogs — missing ears, legs, scars on top of scars, said Debbie Hill, the society's vice president of operations and head of the shelter.

Nellie and Belle, two 8-week-old puppies born to fighting dog parents, competed for a reporter's attention in their first public showing Monday. Hill said even the puppies need special care because they are the product of generations of breeding for aggressive traits [triste, mas é verdade, a genética é 100% responsável pelo temperamento e é bem possível que elas sejam cadelinhas bastante dominantes, que requerem muito treinamento e donos experientes, o que torna a adoção delas ainda mais difícil].

The adult dogs are a danger to virtually any other animal but generally people-friendly [isso é bastante comum, pouca gente sabe que por mais violentos que eles sejam com outros cães, costumam ser gentis com as pessoas, mais ainda assim são cães dominantes e de personalidade forte que precisam do dono certo para serem excelentes pets]. Julie never stopped wagging her tail or trying to leap into Hill's lap during a visit Monday with a reporter. Fay, whose muzzle looks like she could star in a horror movie, "is a licker," Hill said with affection.

Hill and Rickey said that the same men who kill dogs that don't fight hard enough also kill those that are aggressive toward people. The dogs' handlers want to make sure that they are safe in the ring [para serem manipulados seguramente pelos handlers, os cães não podem ser agressivos com pessoas].

- GALLERY: See more images of the rescued dogs
- VIDEO: Footage shows condition of rescued dogs

Fonte

Retraining Manic Alert Barking

2009-09-14T02:52:00.002-05:00

In this post, I'm responding to a person whose service dog sometimes alert barks at people walking by the car, etc, and becomes very focused on continuing the behavior. The owner tried positive punishment by spraying the dog in the mouth with Binaca. It did not stop the behavior.

One listmember then suggested a hands-on approach, where the muzzle of the dog is held gently closed while coercing eye contact and using a verbal punisher to attempt to extinguish the behavior.

I too have tried suppressing behavior in these ways, in times before I came to clicker training, had no success with them on a particular type of dog who displays focused alert or excitement barking. There are some dogs who just get so focused, that anything ADDED is only reinforcing the behavior, and can actually work to strengthen the behavior you're trying to extinguish.

I want to admit here that before I came to operant training, I helped make this behavior stronger and stronger in my feisty, bold Pap. The more punishers I added when he was stressing--and yes, even excitment can be considered a type of stress--the worse he got. I bonked. I sprayed. I citronella collared. I held the mouth shut. I tried every single suppressive technique presented to me, and still--still the behavior got stronger. I'd finally met a dog I couldn't coerce or force to change, and I was at my wits end.

For this type of dog, a positive reinforcement approach can be extremely effective. Instead of focusing on what you don't want, you shape what you DO want and strongly reinforce it.

So the first thing I did was teach an interruption cue that signaled "cease whatever you're doing and run to mom fast, because something really, really good will happen." I chose to teach the word "thank you" as my cue word.

First, I found the strongest motivators for my particular dog. I needed something really high-powered, something he would want more than he wanted to alert or excitment bark. It took Grueyere cheese and nuked garlic turkey.

I shaped the cue word so that each time he heard "thank you" he'd stop what he was doing and run to me for a really good treat, and a chance to play 20 seconds of tug or some other favored interactive game. I taught this first without the distraction, then slowly added distractors (people walking by the house, people ringing the doorbell, etc.).

I shaped it in the house, outside the house, and on the road in many new environments. I wanted the cue to be really generalized, and I continously upped the criterion, so that we kept adding more and more heavy "triggers" to the behavior I was targeting.

I'd be proactive in looking for things I suspected would set him off. Like the other dog, Peek reacted to people getting out of cars, and about a hundred other things at the time. I'd try to catch his attention just before the trigger was tripped, and keep the attention and focus on me, while still allowing the dog to see the object triggering the barking behavior from his peripheral vision.

I took him out a bit hungry, and kept up with really sumptuous, highly coveted treats.

Once I had the word "thank you" on cue, and generalized in new environments, I began to really add triggers more in abundance. I'd established a new response to a cue, and by repetition of set ups, was able to finally keep his focus in most settings. Things like squirrels or cats running by were still problematic, so we still had more to work on.

And, during those times, I would use a physical barrier to help me. I'd move my wheelchair INTO the dogs space, so he'd have to break his focus and give me attention. I kept moving into his space slowly, and rapidly reinforcing, and soon the trigger moment had passed and we could continue on.

At home, I did more set ups. Had people come to the door, ring the bell. Had people run by the window carring animals in their arms. Etc. With set ups, I could be more proactive and actually catch him just before he was set off.

In the car, I had a bigger problem. This was HIS territory and he was protecting it. So I had to get very proactive there, and stop out in the parking lot far away from other cars, where he could SEE things happening from a distance, but not close enough that it would trigger a reaction.

Slowly I built up response to the interruptor cue word, and moved a lane closer to the action. When we finally got in the busy part of the parking lot, I spent at least 15 minutes still inside the car each time, just reinforcing what I DID want. When he barked, I licked my lips, mmmmmmm'd and ate the chicken. The moment he quieted down, looked to me, I clicked and gave him the chicken.

Each time he looked away from the window and looked at me, I clicked and gave him the chicken.

Exiting the car, I spent at least another 15 minutes each time having him remain quiet while people passed, and reinforcing strongly just before they got to his trigger range. I kept reinforcing what I wanted, strongly.

It worked. It was a lot of work, but it worked. The behavior is far from being extinct, and the propensity for it is still there. If I let my guard down, it would start up again, most likely because I cannot extinguish it completely when it is randomly reinforced by my husband who allows it when he walks the dogs.

But, when Peek is on leash, when he's with me, he no longer exhibits the behavior. And that's enough for me. At home, when I'm there, he may begin to alert bark, but a cued "thank you" has him running to me each time, immediatly breaking the chain, something I could never have done when we started.

He was SO focused it was obsessive. He'd shake, quiver all over. Muscles straining, lips tightly pulled back, eyes bulging. It never ceases to amaze me that giving that cue word actually works to break the cycle of that obsessive behavior. It works because I taught it systematically, and diligently taught it in every possible environment, under as many different conditions as possible.

It now even works in parks, when squirrels or cats are running by. I have established the same routine in my other very highly reactive and alert Paps, and it has also worked with them. I no longer need to add punishers to get the behaviors I want, and this has been very liberating for me, since I couldn't always have a punisher handy, anyway. But I always have my voice handy to issue a cue. Not a command, not a verbal correction, but a cue, given as neutrally as possible.

Fonte

DNA testing in Salina, Kansas saves pet

2009-09-14T01:30:00.004-05:00

Angie Cartwright chose to have her dog’s DNA tested to determine heritage after the dog was thought to be a pit bull.

Animal-control officers knew the dog they saw looked like a pit bull.

It didn’t matter that the dog in question, Angie Cartwright’s family pet Lucey, had never bitten anyone. Nor had she ever acted aggressively.

Lucey’s troubles began when Cartwright was pet-sitting her brother’s dog, which got loose. Someone called animal-control officers, who picked up the brother’s dog and collared Lucey in the process.

The officers explained that they were taking Lucey to a veterinarian for a breed check — a professional opinion to determine Lucey’s breed. Since 2005, Salina [Kansas] has had a ban on owning unregistered pit bulls and mixed breeds that are predominantly pit bull.

Today, Lucey is home, and Cartwright credits a genetic test kit that helps pet owners identify the heritage of their mixed-breed dogs.

The test found that a minor amount of Lucey’s DNA came from Staffordshire bull terrier genes — a little more than 12 percent, not close to a predominant percentage.

“Maybe this can save someone’s animal, hopefully,” Cartwright said.

Without the test results, Cartwright and her family would have been faced with finding Lucey a home outside Salina, or leaving her at the animal shelter where she might have to be destroyed [Talk about intolerance!!!].

At least three retail genetic tests are on the market for dogs. One is the Wisdom Panel MX mixed breed analysis, which is offered by a Salina clinic, Town & Country Animal Hospital.

Wisdom Panel is the only one that uses a blood test; two others use cheek swabs for DNA samples.

Cartwright asked the animal control officers who were taking Lucey away if she could check with her own vet, Karen Hale Young, owner of Town & Country, for a second opinion. Cartwright didn’t know then that the clinic had the genetic test available.

Town & Country charges $168 for the service.

“I was actually pretty desperate and I watch a lot of medical shows,” Cartwright said. “I said, ‘Do you guys do DNA testing on dogs?’ It was actually just a grasp (at a solution). We didn’t want her to go, we didn’t want her to be put to sleep. I was angry and upset, and I was just trying to find a different solution.”

The family had acquired Lucey as a puppy just a couple of months earlier from a family in Hutchinson that couldn’t care for her anymore.

Young said she thought that, given the shape of Lucey’s head and ears, particularly, Lucey was predominantly pit bull.

“She said, ‘Prove me wrong — please prove me wrong.’ ” Cartwright said. “I said, ‘I hope I do.’ ”

The test showed that Lucey had no more than 12.5 percent each of bull terrier DNA, boxer, and Staffordshire bull terrier. The largest percentage of DNA, 25 percent, was Bernese mountain dog.

“Berners” are a Swiss breed originally bred as farm dogs and companion animals, used for driving cattle.

The American Kennel Club defines pit bulls as American pit bull terriers, Staffordshire bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers or any mix of those breeds.

All of the genetic testing companies, in their literature, urge that their products not be used to enforce breed bans. None have reached the point of being challenged in court.

Still, Rose Base, director of the Salina Animal Shelter, accepts the test results.

“It’s provided through a veterinary clinic. And if they’re that strongly supporting something like that, we feel it must be a quality product,” Base said.

Salina veterinarian David Atherton offers the Wisdom Panel test to his customers curious about their dog’s characteristics. He said he thinks the test has validity.

“If I was going to have a beloved dog taken away, I would demand it,” he said.

Fonte

How to help a foster depressed dog of a divorced couple

2009-09-13T21:14:00.007-05:00

PERGUNTA:

I'm fostering a purebred Doxie [dachshund] for our local rescue organization. He is 6 years old and has been with his owner since he was a pup. A divorce made it necessary to them to give up the Doxie. He has been here [for 3 days] and he hasn't stopped whining, crying, not eating well, pacing from door to door and window to window. When I let him out in the fenced in yard, he will sit at the fence parts facing the road and just stare! He also trembles and has that 'far away' look in his eyes. I have taken him for a walk to show him that nothing around here looks like his familiar places, but that didn't help. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can help this poor boy?

Escrito por Barb em 14 de fevereiro de 2006 para a lista Petdogs-L do Yahoo Groups

RESPOSTAS:

Have you tried frequent treats? The author of one of my favorite dog books suggests that dogs can quickly adjust to seeing their new home as positive if it involves super high-value treats--I think she uses raw liver as an example.

Also, perhaps, being very routine and making sure he knows where "his" space is in your home?

One of my 3 dogs, who I often think is perhaps not that bright, is a very routine-oriented dog. Once I moved his bed about five feet from where it always had been, and he stood for a couple of hours [!!!] just staring at where the bed should have been. I can imagine that if his whole world was disrupted, that would be a huge adjustment for him.

I don't know if liver (or whatever the dog really loves) would help the transition, but I am guessing it would--I guess the theory of why he is sad is that all the places and people he has positive associations with are gone. So, it makes sense that the sooner he builds up a whole stock of positive experiences in the new environment, the sooner he might feel at home.

Escrito por mperry em 14 de fevereiro de 2006 para a lista Petdogs-L do Yahoo Groups

Lots of physical contact. Have aquired two girls from different owners that had to give them up. First one's mom died. Second one arrived 4 yrs later that had to be given up. 11 and 6. Mega physical contact. Waken up through the night with crying out. Got on floor and just cuddled and reassured them. First one had violent vomit and diahrrhea for 4 months. Was a tough one to deal with. Lots of car rides and doggy parks now with still reassurance during nightmares for the one I have had for almost 6 months. She still cries out sadly at night. Take her to bed with me and she settles. Tis very sad but, I see the look of love in their eyes coming out slowly. The 11 year old doesn't let me out of her sight. Doggie canteen in car for day rides. Show the love.

Escrito por Cyndi em 14 de fevereiro de 2006 para a lista Petdogs-L do Yahoo Groups

I would try an anxiety wrap. You can find them at: www.anxietywrap.com or...a TTouch body wrap. The anxiety wrap is rather pricey and in a pinch you can use a child's t-shirt and pin up the extra material. It's suppose to be snug but NOT tight. I've had really good luck with them.

It's possible that tethering him to you might help him as well. High value treats might help but ime I've found doing a lot of ear slides (ttouch) and having them tethered to me, along with an anxiety wrap, was the most helpful.

Escrito por Cher McCoy em 15 de fevereiro de 2006 para a lista Petdogs-L do Yahoo Groups

UPDATE:

[He] is over his depression!

[The day before yesterday], I took him to a friend who owns an antique/garage sale type store. He was scared to go inside, so I picked him up and carried him in. This told me he wasn't very socialized. So we proceeded to sit in one of the comfortable lounge chairs there and sat and watched all the people go by. Many, many people would pass him and speak to him and even pet him. A lot of kids would come and ask permission to pet him (this surprised me) and I would let them. [The dog] started livening up! After two hours, we left. He felt better and I felt better!

When we got home, I gave him a tasty treat of boiled chicken (he didn't know what Milk Bone biscuits were, or rawhides or dog chewies were....sad, eh?). That perked him up more.

So, all day [yesterday], I would treat him with chicken or roast beef and now he thinks he is in heaven. Or....as they say - a way to a guy's heart is through his stomach! He no longer sits at the fence and cries, he no longer paces in the house and stares out the window when he hears a car or truck go by, he eats his dog food without having to mix it with canned food and best of all, he now interacts with my dogs.

It took 7 days to figure this out, but we got it figured out. Maybe some one can use this solution if they come across the same problem with their dog.

Escrito por Barb em 20 de fevereiro de 2006 para a lista Petdogs-L do Yahoo Groups

Rawhide, Kongs and dog toys

2009-09-13T20:33:00.005-05:00

Kongs: I use a lot of frozen stuffed Kongs. I would caution, though, on the use of peanut butter for the stuffing. I believe it should be in moderation so when I stuff a Kong, I only use PB to 'glue' the contents together. IOW, I fill the Kong with kibble or broken up biscuits and then 'glue' it together with peanut butter or cream cheese. Yes, they get funky and need to be cleaned, but for the most part, I believe it's worth it. If, otoh, a dog can empty the contents in 10 minutes, it might not be worth it.

Rawhide: It's a personal choice like so many things. I don't use it at all. I've seen too many dogs choke on it right in front of the owner. I've had some of mine choke right in front of me. There's only so much supervision one can do. Unless I'm willing to be right there and do nothing but watch my dog (not reading or watching tv in the same room) I won't give a rawhide to any of my dogs. I use bully sticks, nylabones and knuckle bones....and of course, Kongs. I use to use soda bottles b/c dogs usually love them but all my dogs would either cut themselves on it (and I was supervising them) or they would ingest the pieces. So, I don't use them any more. If you have dogs that don't do that, then they are a great CHEAP toy.

Suggestions: There are dogs who are chewers and those that just love to 'trash' stuff. My BC is a trasher and the cheapest, safest toy for him is a box. Let 'em rip them up. I take a box and sometimes I'll put food in it and sometimes I won't. I'll tape it up good and just pitch it up in the air, kick it around a few times so that I get the dog 'in the game' and then let 'em rip it up. It's a mess to pick up but I find it worth it for dogs who prefer ripping up to chewing, which might surprise you that it's quite a few who prefer this. It might be one of the reasons why some people can't seem to find the right toy for their dog to chew. Try the box. Hint: Think of the kid who opens the present and instead of playing with the expensive toy, plays with the box instead!

Escrito por Cher McCoy em 14 de fevereiro de 2006 para a lista Petdogs-L do Yahoo Groups

I use [Kongs] as well, I stuff with whatever is to hand as well as their kibble, cream cheese, pate, chicken, liver and cheese. Then I put a long stick of something across the top by squeezing. It becomes a sort of challenge to make them take longer emptying them!

Escrito por Lynn em 14 de fevereiro de 2006 para a lista Petdogs-L do Yahoo Groups

If your dog can empty the kong that fast [10 minutes], it might help to move to the next smallest size. My mom gave me some kongs her giants were not playing with, and I gave them to my dogs thinking that much more stuffing would occupy them that much longer--no go. It took them longer to get stuff out of the smaller holes of the smaller kongs.

Dogs who like to tear instead of chew--interesting distinction I hadn't thought about before....and I have 2 of those kind of dogs. Shredding paper, stuffed toys, they like better than toys that are just for gnawing. In training classes, I had to use tugging as a treat for [my dog] because she wasn't motivated by food in a multi-dog setting, whereas tugging can never be passed up.

I thought it was breed related (her mom is a pit/akita mix, dad probably a rott) but then we brought home her half brother (dad unknown, looks more akita) and he is not a tugger at all. So, maybe just a personality thing. Or, as my daughter would say, a DOGality thing.

Escrito por mperry em 14 de fevereiro de 2006 para a lista Petdogs-L do Yahoo Groups

Boy, whoever it was who said "It depends on the dog" is so right. We have toys/chewies we can give some of ours and can't let the others near.

The whippets can have nearly anything because they don't bite off hunks or swallow. Believe it or not their very favorite "toy" is bubble wrap. An absolute nightmare for most dogs because they'd swallow it and get a blockage. Our whippets just pop the bubbles. I shudder to think what [our] german shepherd would do with it, but it would involve a vet trip for sure.

The whippets also can have rawhide. They just gnaw the edges. Another favorite is plushies, but they destroy them. So I get them from Goodwill for 50 cents. For some dogs you'd have to worry about them pulling the eyes off and swallowing them, but the whippets just destroy, they don't devour.

Some of the free toys they like are cardboard tubes from toilet paper and paper towels, plastic soda bottles, yogurt cups (any container that had food in it). They are so reliable about not eating any of this that I could just about put the item back together again from the pieces I find. We haven't had any problem with them getting cut on the soda bottles.

[The german shepherd], on the other hand, eats everything he plays with if at all possible. He can't have stuffed toys because he not only tears them up but eats the stuffing. Can't have cardboard tubes for long because after he smushes them he starts eating them... He does fine with soda bottles though. We use a lot of non-dairy coffee creamer and buy the gigantic containers of it from Walmart -- those are his favorites.

[Our] late sheltie/collie (maybe?) could make an oatmeal box last for weeks. He adored them. I never see an oatmeal box without thinking of him and smiling. [The german shepherd] would simply smash it, then eat it.

The favorites around here are big knuckle bones and when the goody is gone, we smear a little peanut butter on them and they have a whole new life.

We did have an -- um -- interesting experience with [one of the whippets] a few years ago, which our vet likes to remind me of sometimes. A knuckle bone had been around for so long that it had been gnawed down to a ring-shaped bone, like a donut. I noticed [her] carrying it outside one day, didn't think much about it. An hour later when I called the dogs in, she was still carrying it. Unusual. I watched her for a minute and then realized it was stuck around her lower jaw! [We] worked on it for awhile, but it was behind her lower canine teeth and wouldn't budge. Off to the vet, who looked at it and said, "So what am *I* going to do about it?" (Our vet has a sense of humor). What we ended up doing was tranquillizing [the dog] and when her jaw relaxed, we were able to just remove the bone gently. Now I'm careful to throw away the bones when they start to develop a hole in the middle!

It really does depend on the dog. Hundreds of thousands of dogs have enjoyed Greenies with no problems whatsoever -- yet to look at the recent publicity, you'd think giving your dog Greenies was about as safe as letting him play in traffic. This is no different from anything else in life. There are risks. Hundreds of children are killed every year in accidents involving bicycles, swimming pools, ponies, and sleds, but that doesn't mean any mother who allows her kids to ride bikes, swim, take riding lessons, or go sledding is a bad mother. It is, however, understandable that a mother who lost a child in a fall from a pony might not ever allow her other children to ride.

You have to know your dog. Watch how he plays with things -- does he chew them up and eat them or just chew ON them? Does he gnaw so hard he is liable to break a tooth? And accept the fact that life holds some risks. We don't want to live in a world where life is so restricted that there are no risks. Do your best for your dogs and don't obsess over it.

Escrito por Sharyn Hutchens em 14 de fevereiro de 2006 para a lista Petdogs-L do Yahoo Groups

Breeder laws in Denmark: the perfect world

2009-09-13T17:42:00.006-05:00

Many breeders over here in Denmark won't place dogs in homes where crating 8 hrs during the day is the plan and there are many who won't place their dog breed because of the activity level and velcro nature into homes where both owners are gone 8+ hours a day, 5-6 days out of the week. The breeder of my standard poodles was adamant about these 2 things and she has people beating down her door to get pups. Heck, a lot of the working dog breeders won't place a pup in a home that just wants a pet with no intention to work the animal.

The few shelters that exist here (as overpopulation is not an issue here) have even more stringent rules - live in an apartment no dog, have young kids no dog, no fence no dog, no experience with the breed no dog, etc. The reason is one and simple - the dog has already been failed once, it will *not* be failed again. Dogs fly out of the shelters - one could almost say its easier to get a dog from a breeder than it is from a shelter in terms of simple availability (rules of adoptions aside).

So... why not demand more of the dog owning population rather than testing placements on the off chance that a permanent home *may* be found or the dog injured in some way (including emotional/mental distress) with less stringent requirements?

In Denmark there are laws (not merely rules) such as, one cannot sell dogs or cats from pet stores. Breeders are designated as kennels after "x" breedings per year which follows with kennel inspections. Breeders are required to take back any animal they produce. This is why the shelters we do have are not filled with dogs, because yes dogs are sometimes returned. One can't register a dog with the DKK merely because the parents are DKK registered dogs. The parents have to have a minumum placement in FCI sanctioned shows before their pups can earn a DKK tattoo and paperwork for example. This makes that tattoo a little more desireable and special.

That's not to say that there isn't the odd breeder out there who tries mass breeding. But most danes are savvy enough to steer clear of such breeders and the country is just not large enough for such people to not feel the disapproval of the other hard working breeders. But it's more than that. Breeding is the meat of the issue, but the blood of it is a populace that is, by and large, aware of breeding issues, health issues and training issues. There's an extensive network of support readily available to pet owners whose presence is supported and promoted by breeders, vets, the DKK, the police etc.

Neutering has *never* been a scheme promoted as a means to control unwanted behaviour or unwanted dogs over here. Education regarding animal husbandry has been the tool for that - coupled with some handy laws regarding keeping an intact bitch properly contained when in heat etc. (Again I speak only about Denmark here.)

The breeding rules are developed and monitored by the breed club and usually include requirements of hip scoring, eye, heart, whatever disease is a common affliction to the breed being recorded by the breed club. Particularily if one wishes to list a stud dog in a stud directory. Minimum showing requirements before breeding etc. Then there's the rules within the DKK for breeding which are similar for gaining the DKK registration. All the government is concerned about is that the animals are treated humanely as per the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals (altho this isnt without its own contentious issues).

Escrito por Tracy em 16 de fevereiro de 2006 para a lista Petdogs-L do Yahoo Groups

Agility é sinônimo de lazer e disciplina para cães

2009-09-13T14:33:00.002-05:00

Um jogo que mistura descontração e disciplina. Esta é a combinação utilizada para definir o agility, um esporte canino criado por John Varey, no fim da década de 70, na Inglaterra. Oficializado como esporte pela Société Centrale Canine, em 1987, a modalidade possui cada vez mais adeptos no Brasil e no mundo.

Segundo o adestrador Cleber Alves, de Uberlândia, o agility consiste em fazer o cão passar por vários obstáculos reunidos em um percurso, sem guia e sem coleira. “O esporte pode ser praticado por qualquer cão, independente da idade ou da raça. O agility representa, antes de tudo, uma atividade de lazer e descontração.”, afirmou Alves.

De acordo com o adestrador, o treinamento é aprovado pelos proprietários de cães, já que é feito por meio de reforços positivos com brinquedos, petiscos e carinho. “Para que o animal execute os obstáculos com sucesso, ele recebe uma educação apoiada unicamente na brincadeira e na confiança. A alegria do cão precisa estar em evidência, e isso faz do agility uma disciplina muito atrativa, envolvendo não só o cão, mas também seu dono”, disse.

O médico veterinário Talles Couto concorda. A Pérola, sua cadela border collie de dois anos, começou a praticar o esporte de uma forma descompromissada, em janeiro de 2008. Ao perceber a evolução dela, Couto passou a treiná-la diariamente. “Hoje, quando não levo a Pérola para treinar ela fica agitada e late muito, é a forma que ela encontrou de me cobrar para fazermos o treino”, afirmou o veterinário.

A disciplina de Couto e de Pérola já rendeu bons resultados para a carreira esportiva da cadela. No último dia 22, em Belo Horizonte, ela participou pela primeira vez de uma competição de agility e conquistou o terceiro lugar na categoria avançado.

A popularização do esporte canino incentiva a realização de vários campeonatos em todo Brasil durante o ano, mas nem todos que fazem agility querem competir. O adestrador Cleber Alves garante que a prática da atividade é importante para manter o cão em boa forma física, além de prevenir doenças cardíacas e outros problemas causados pelo sedentarismo. “Isso sem falar que qualquer pessoa fica maravilhada ao assistir um cão fazendo o percurso de treinamento”, disse Alves.

Saiba mais

- Agility é um esporte que teve origem na década de 70, na Inglaterra.
- É praticado por um cão e seu condutor.
- Os campeonatos de Agility foram baseados no hipismo. Vence o cão que completar a prova sem cometer infrações e no menor tempo possível.
- A competição é dividida em categorias de acordo com o tamanho do cão: mini, midi e standard.
- O condutor deve conduzir seu cão apenas usando gestos e comandos verbais.

Fonte

Cuide do coração com seu amigo de estimação

2009-09-11T17:32:00.002-05:00

Programa de exercícios com cães deve atender necessidades do dono e do animal

Quem tem um cão de estimação tem um grande aliado no combate ao sedentarismo e à obesidade. Portanto, uma ótima chance de cuidar da saúde do coração de forma bem prazerosa.

Tanto os cães quanto os seus donos precisam de atividade física, e há uma série de exercícios que podem ser feitos juntos com seu animal de estimação.

Segundo a veterinária e professora da Universidade Estadual do Kansas, Susan Nelson, a obesidade é um problema que atinge também os animais de estimação. Os cães precisam se exercitar, mas cada raça requer um tipo e uma intensidade de exercício diferente. Portanto, o ideal é procurar um programa de exercícios que atenda tanto as necessidades do dono quanto do animal.

Embora as necessidades possam variar conforme a idade, estado de saúde etc. do cão, Susan Nelson diz que existem diretrizes gerais para encontrar a atividade adequada ao seu animal de estimação – ou, se você ainda não tem um, encontrar o cão melhor adaptado às suas necessidades de atividade física. As dicas da veterinária:

. Em geral, cães grandes têm maior necessidade de gasto de energia do que os pequenos.

. Idealmente, os cães devem sair para se exercitar duas vezes por dia, por um período que varia de 15 a 60 minutos [dependendo da raça].

. É preciso que o cão e o dono realizem exercícios aeróbicos por um período contínuo, com poucas pausas.

. Cães de tamanho médio e grande são melhores parceiros para corridas de longa distância. Os pequenos acompanham melhor as caminhadas ou corridas curtas.

. Os cães de porte médio são os que se dão melhor em atividades que envolvam agilidade.

. Nadar também é um bom exercício para cães. Os da raça retriever são os melhores na água.

CUIDADOS

A especialista da Universidade do Kansas também aponta alguns cuidados que devem ser tomados quando você vai se exercitar com seu cão:

. O animal também precisa ganhar condicionamento físico. Se você pretende correr com ele longas distâncias, faça um programa para aumentar gradualmente o tempo e os quilômetros corridos.

. Se o cão está acostumado a correr na grama, precisa se adaptar aos poucos a superfícies mais duras, como asfalto ou cimento.

. Todos os cães correm o risco de superaquecimento, mas certas raças estão mais propensas a isso, como os que têm nariz pequeno (buldogues, por exemplo) ou os que têm pelos muito longos e escuros.

. Para evitar desidratação, ofereça água ao seu cão com freqüência e procure fazer os exercícios no início da manhã ou no final da tarde.

. Os cães só devem fazer corridas longas após 12 a 15 meses de idade. Antes disso, os seus ossos ainda estão crescendo.

. Não alimente o seu cão logo após um exercício intenso. O ideal é que ele não coma uma hora antes ou uma depois do exercício.

Fonte

Adote um cãozinho você também!

2009-09-11T14:13:00.004-05:00

Toda vez que minhas filhas veem um cachorro abandonado na rua, elas trazem pra casa. Reluto, mas logo amoleço, porque sei que elas aprenderam isso comigo.

Ao longo da minha vida, já adotei mais de dez cachorros. Não resisto àqueles olhinhos carentes! Mas o que mais me parte o coração é saber que, por mais que eu faça, não posso resolver o problema do abandono sozinha. E o número de animais na rua aumenta a cada dia!

Existem algumas medidas simples que podem melhorar essa situação. A castração é a mais importante delas.

Os animais nos escolhem

Na minha infância, tive uma cadelinha chamada Boneca. Um belo dia, ela correu portão afora e saiu pela vida, sem rumo. Sumiu! Naquele tempo, cachorros soltos na rua tinham destino certo: a carrocinha. E foi o que aconteceu. Minha mãe, por falta de condições, tempo e, principalmente, informação, não a trouxe de volta. Nunca mais vimos a Boneca.

Hoje eu aceito o que aconteceu, mas na época foi um trauma bem forte! Depois de crescida, já casada e com condições melhores, tive vários animais. A poodle Wendy foi o único bichinho comprado, os outros dez nos escolheram.

Todos recebem carinho e atenção

Nem todos os que chegaram até mim ainda estão aqui em casa. Mas cada caso sempre foi tratado de maneira particular, com muita preocupação, amor e carinho. Afinal de contas, é assim que tem que ser, né?!

Alguns exigiram cuidados especiais, como o Fred, que apareceu em nossa garagem com uns seis dias [de vida] e recebeu tratamento de bebê. A veterinária me instruiu a fazer uma misturinha, que substituiria o leite materno sem que faltassem as substâncias importantes para o desenvolvimento do cãozinho. E é muito simples! Basta bater 1 litro de leite com 1 gema e 3 colheres de mel, e servir em uma mamadeira! Também reencontramos os lares dos que estavam perdidos e assustados, e procuramos bons donos para aqueles que não conviviam bem com os animais que tínhamos. Isso sem falar daqueles que já morreram, como a Wendy, e deixaram muitas saudades.

O mais importante é que todos sempre receberam amor, atenção e alimento. Foram acolhidos, bem tratados e tiveram o melhor destino possível! O número de animais abandonados cresce a cada dia. Todos podemos contribuir para mudar esse quadro. Aqui vão minhas dicas:

- Castre seu bichinho para evitar a reprodução.

- Leve-o ao veterinário para ser examinado, vacinado e vermifugado.

- Caso o tenha encontrado na rua e não saiba se já recebeu a vacina, leve-o assim mesmo! É melhor pecar pelo excesso.

O que é a castração? Confira informações sobre o procedimento cirúrgico largamente utilizado em animais domésticos.

É uma cirurgia simples, feita para impedir que o animal se reproduza. Imagine que em seis anos uma cadelinha e os filhotes dela (depois de adultos) podem gerar 64 mil crias! A operação é indolor e pode ser realizada em animais a partir dos dois meses de idade. A recuperação é rápida, demora cerca de uma semana.

Ao contrário do que muitos pensam, a castração não tira do cachorro o instinto de proteger a casa! Muito menos faz o bichinho engordar. Ele só ganha peso porque, como fica mais tranquilo, tende a praticar menos exercícios. Por isso, depois da cirurgia, acostume-se a brincar mais com seu amiguinho! [Somente 10% dos cães castrados tendem a engordar e isso pode ser resolvido facilmente diminuindo em 10% a quantidade de ração e aumentando a quantidade de exercícios]

Falta de dinheiro também não é mais desculpa! Hoje em dia, várias clínicas oferecem preços reduzidos. Verifique os profissionais associados ao programa Veterinários Solidários, no site da Arca Brasil. Além de tudo, castrar faz bem ao organismo e ao bem-estar do seu bichinho por vários motivos. Por exemplo, diminui o risco de doenças uterinas e do câncer de mama, útero, próstata e testículos.

A cirurgia reduz a irritação, o risco de o cão fugir e o péssimo hábito de urinar em paredes e móveis para marcar território. Também elimina a excitação (aquele conhecido embaraço com as visitas), acaba com latidos excessivos [de forma alguma, só os latidos relativos ao ato sexual, como por exemplo quando tem uma fêmea no cio do outro lado da rua] e com a perda de sangue da fêmea durante o cio.

Você também pode adotar um cachorrinho! Confira alguns locais onde você pode resgatar o seu melhor amigo.

Em qualquer lugar do Brasil existem os Centros de Controle de Zoonoses (CCZ). Caso queira adotar um novo amiguinho, procure-o da sua cidade! Outros espaços também fazem um trabalho bem bacana com animais.

Fonte

Your dog does not NEED dog friends

2009-09-10T16:27:00.003-05:00

Repeat this to yourself - your dog does not NEED dog friends. If your dog is terrified of other dogs - which can be caused by a traumatic experience, there is absolutely no reason to force this dog to make friends. Politely ask others not to allow their dogs to approach yours when you are out. The only pack she needs is your family, and dogs can live a long and fulfilled life without interacting with dogs outside of their own pack. You need to take the role of protector for your dog and not allow others to approach her [if she is terrified of other dogs].

If you wanted to get a play group together with another dog, you would need to choose one that was very low-key and one that would allow your dog to approach in her own time. Unless your dog was aggressive with other dogs and you traveled outside your home with her, I would not press this issue. She will be a happier dog not being terrified by other dogs you feel she might like to be friends with.

Escrito por Denise Parsons em 8 de fevereiro de 2006 para a lista Petdogs-L do Yahoo Groups

Many dogs would just prefer not to deal with the constant stress of working out pack relations with other dogs, and [if] your dog has had a traumatic experience with other dogs, she is probably one of them.

One of our dogs is very stressed by situations where there are lots of other dogs, or dogs she does not know. Because I needed her to be cared for when we go out of town, I did have to introduce her to my friend's dogs so that she could stay with them. Here is what I did:

I took three 8-week sessions of basic obedience training with a professional trainer using clicker training, so [my dog] would have the opportunity of working with other dogs in a controlled and positive environment, and learn to associate other dogs with yummy treats.

Then, I chose a friend who had older dogs with a long record of non-aggressive, friendly behavior with other dogs. I introduced [my dog] to [these] dogs one at a time, off leash, in a fenced in yard that did not belong to either my dog or [my friend's].

When [my dog] growled and moved toward the other dog, I told her "No!" in a very firm voice, that was that.

Because the other dog did not respond with either fear or aggression, [my dog] was able to listen to me and settled down.

Of course, she was in the habit of listening to me by then because of all the training. They have been friends ever since.

Other dogs, she is still not happy about. I have decided to accept that and try to just make sure she doesn't have to deal with them in ways that are stressful.

Escrito por magup3g em 8 de fevereiro de 2006 para a lista Petdogs-L do Yahoo Groups

Your puppy's development

2009-09-08T16:14:00.004-05:00

For any successful pack leader, it's important to have a keen understanding of the way your puppy will develop. Puppyhood is a relatively short stage in your dog's life, but it's also one of the most crucial. The majority of responsible breeders will wait until a puppy is two months old [pelo menos!] before allowing you to adopt. These two months allow the puppy to spend time with its littermates and learn basic social skills. For families who are expecting puppies born at home, we've put together a handy reference to guide you through what you can expect from the early stages of development.

Stage 1: Birth - 2 weeks

After an initial gestation period of approximately 2 months, a puppy is born blind and deaf - less developed than a human baby. This first stage of development is often referred to as "neonatal". For most of this stage, the puppy is entirely dependent on its mother. In addition to their sensory handicap after birth, their movement is severely limited, they cannot regulate their own body temperature, and they require special stimulation to remove waste products. They can, however, cry, and the suck reflex is already strong. Smell, touch, and taste are all active and strong. Within the first week after birth, a puppy will normally double its own weight.

The puppy's ear canals will open right around the 2 week mark, allowing it to hear sounds for the first time. The sense of hearing will fully develop over the course of the next few stages. Socialization is important at every stage of a puppy's life, but is perhaps most important during the neonatal period. The puppy will be learning the basics from its mother and littermates; movement, social etiquette, and most important of all: rules, boundaries, and limitations!

Stage 2: 2 - 4 Weeks

The puppy's eyes will open at or around the beginning of this second stage of development. His new sense of sight will be limited and very sensitive, so to avoid eye damage, care must be taken to protect him from bright lights. Despite these limitations, the puppy will now begin to recognize and interact with things in his environment, including (most importantly!) his mother and littermates. Many experts consider this the "toddler" stage of development as the puppy becomes more alert and learns to crawl, stand, and ultimately walk. With this new mobility, he will also begin to attempt to better explore his surroundings.

As the second stage progresses, the puppy's body becomes better at regulating its own temperature. However, he still depends mostly on his mother and the ambient temperature in the environment to maintain a healthy balance. Rapid or extreme temperature changes can be harmful to his system. The first teeth emerge during this stage [e pensar que tem gente que vende filhote sem dente dizendo que o pobrezinho tem 2 meses!], and as the puppy learns to lap he will become more comfortable and better equipped to drink milk from a bottle or dish if necessary rather than relying on his mother as the only source of nourishment. In addition, the puppy's instinct to relieve himself away from the den will kick in, and he should no longer require any external stimulation to urinate or move his bowels.

Near the end of the second stage of development, the puppy's sense of hearing continues to improve, and sight and smell should already be well-developed. The order in which these senses fully mature will continue to inform the way he experiences the world around him: nose, eyes, and then ears. It's important at this stage to encourage the bond between the puppy and human beings by exposing the puppy to gentle handling by human caretakers.

Stage 3: 4 - 12 Weeks

Week 4 to week 12 typically comprise the third stage of puppy development. During this stage, the senses begin to mature and socialization becomes an important part of the puppy's life. It is critical during this key phase that the puppy be able to interact with other dogs and with people.

For the first few weeks of this phase, it's likely that the only other dogs the puppy will have access to are his mother and littermates. His normal body temperature should be approximately 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and his system will begin regulating that temperature naturally. Additionally, the instinct to squat will take over and external stimulation will no longer be required for the puppy to move his bowels.

Early socialization will manifest as a basic kind of play with the puppy's littermates - wrestling and a reserved play-biting known as "inhibited bite". This is the way in which the puppy will begin to learn about social structure and pack ranking. Rules, boundaries, and limitations set by his mother begin to take shape. Physical co-ordination and eyesight are still not fully developed, but the puppy's mobility will have progressed beyond wiggling, rolling, and flopping around.

Weeks 5 through 7 are a good time for the puppy to begin his early socialization with people. His sense of hearing should be well-developed enough to allow the possibility of command conditioning using positive reinforcement, as well as name recognition - the puppy will begin to respond to the name that his human handlers have chosen for him. But remember: he will always be animal first, then species, then breed, and THEN name.

The puppy's fear response to sudden startling sights and sounds will begin to emerge at or around this point in his development, so exposure to any normal household objects and noises and association with positive experiences is very important. Also, the kind of play that puppy is used to with his littermates, including the "inhibited bite", or "mouthing", may begin to appear in his interaction with his human handlers. It is crucial to remember that this kind of behavior can often escalate and lead to dominance or aggression, and should be discouraged.

Even during this late phase, make sure to stay alert about the possibility of infection. The health of the puppy should be carefully monitored, as should any and all interaction with human handlers who may pose a risk of communicable disease. The puppy should receive another worming at this stage, and then regular monthly wormings from this point on. And you should discuss with your vet inoculations that could help to boost the puppy's immunities. Sometime around week 6 or 7, the puppy should begin the weaning process [ou seja, o filhote deve ser desmamado pela mãe em média com 45 dias de vida, e muita gente já tá vendendo o pobrezinho nessa idade!], moving from mother's milk onto formulas and then ultimately solid foods that his human handlers will provide.

Week 8 is where you can expect to come into your new puppy's life if you have chosen to adopt through a reputable breeder [2 meses é a idade mínima para tirar um filhote de perto da mãe!]. Make sure that you coordinate with the breeder and your veterinarian to determine that the puppy has been wormed prior to the adoption and to find out what shots, if any, the puppy may still need.

Because the puppy has spent his early weeks developing in the company of his mother and his brothers and sisters, his mental processes should be mature enough to handle the move from the breeder to your home, and he should be receptive to training. Still, just because your puppy has been socialized [tão vendo que mesmo no criador o filhote precisa de socialização?] doesn't mean he doesn't still need your guidance from day one! Don't forget to get right to work setting your new pack's rules, boundaries, and limitations and consistently enforcing them. Your new puppy is easily influenced by your pack leadership, so keep it balanced and consistent! Housetraining and introduction to the sights and sounds of your puppy's new home should begin right away. Positive experiences associated with the various new elements of your puppy's life will help ensure a smooth transition. And don't forget that your puppy is still a social animal! If you have no other dogs or pets, try to find calm, vaccinated dog pals for him to interact with. This could prevent issues that may arise later on from lack of socialization.

Stage 4: 3 - 6 Months

Stage 4 begins your puppy's introduction to independence, but may also create some possible frustrating situations for you. With her senses more or less fully developed, and her improved physical coordination, the puppy is entering into a phase that is remarkably close to toddlerhood in human beings. Think "terrible twos" on a canine level.

During this stage, the puppy will attempt to determine the social rankings within her new "pack". This may include the same kind of play-fighting that she engaged in with her brothers and sisters, but now directed at you and the rest of her new "littermates". In wild packs, these kinds of dominance games serve a vital function. Puppy is testing her boundaries within her social circle, seeing if she has what it takes to physically challenge her peers and even you, her pack leader. If you don't step in and discourage this kind of dominance-seeking behavior early on - or, worse yet, if you allow your puppy to "win" at dominance games such as wrestling or Tug-of-War - it could set the stage for more serious challenges to your leadership down the road.

Play-biting may also escalate during this stage, and it should be considered vitally important to correct this behavior rather than allow it to continue. Be sure to correct immediately to allow the puppy to connect the behavior with the correction, and be consistent!

Between months 4 and 6, you may find your puppy exhibiting signs of a return to the flight phase that she went through during or around week 8. However, unlike at 8 weeks, when the puppy's flight was fueled by her reaction to the startling new environment, this new phase will be more closely associated with the independent and rebellious stage that she's going through. A collar and leash will provide the crucial physical connection between you that can keep her from bolting when you approach. Do not allow her to roam off leash in any open or highly populated public area until she demonstrates to you that she is willing to accept your commands. And don't forget your most powerful tool: your calm-assertive energy and balanced pack leadership!

Hide your designer shoes! During stage 4, you can expect your puppy to begin teething, which means that unless you provide her with suitable chew toys to occupy herself and relieve her discomfort, she is liable to destroy some of your treasured belongings. Many people take this kind of destructive behavior as a form of "personal" rebellion by the puppy, but think about it. Doesn't it make sense that the puppy would seek out as attractive items that are most saturated with your scent? If your puppy does find and mangle a precious possession of yours, DO NOT react with anger! Remember to maintain balance and provide firm, calm corrections. Once you have corrected your puppy, immediately provide her with an acceptable substitute to make the connection in her mind. Frozen bones may provide pain relief for a dog in great discomfort and also a reward for responding to your corrections with calm-submissive energy.

During this stage, many new owners become concerned by the sight of blood on their new puppy's chew toys. Don't panic. This is a completely natural part of this phase of the puppy's development as she begins to lose her milk teeth. Still, if you have persistent concerns, be sure to discuss the matter with your family veterinarian. Ask about proper dental care - when and how to brush (ideally once a week or more) and which products to use. Certain products such as raw bones may be perfect both for soothing the dog's chewing instincts and for removing plaque and tartar buildup around her teeth and gums.

Finally, this stage will usher in the beginnings of sexual maturation in your puppy, which may lead to some extra frustrations. Marking and scenting can become a problem around the house even if the puppy has been successfully housebroken. The best and safest way to avoid these problems while simultaneously decreasing the chances of many future health risks is to have her sterilized if you haven't already done so. Sterilization is a still debated topic among many dog owners and veterinarians, but most veterinary professionals agree that a safe and optimal time to have the procedure done is when the puppy is about 6 months old.

Fonte 1, Fonte 2, Fonte 3, Fonte 4, Fonte 5 e Fonte 6

Why you should avoid puppy mills

2009-09-08T16:07:00.004-05:00

Puppy mills can be a danger for families that want to adopt a new dog. A puppy mill is a breeding facility with the sole purpose of churning out the most dogs for the least money - and to make the most profit. Substandard breeding conditions and inbreeding can lead to disastrous results:

Genetic Health Problems - Because many puppy mills do not take the proper precautions when breeding dogs, genetic diseases that could be identified during professional medical screenings are often missed and passed down to future generations. Many issues caused by these conditions don't show up until later in life, and can result in costly vertinary bills.

Behavioral Issues - Temperament selection is not taken into account at a puppy mill. Puppies are often separated from their the mother too soon, resulting in development and socialization difficulties and serious behavioral problems later in life.

Contributing to Pet Overpopulation and Euthanasia - When a parent at a puppy mill is no longer able to produce, the dog may be given to the nearest shelter, abandoned, or even destroyed. Also, because the puppies produced in puppy mills do not have safe and healthy homes selected for them ahead of time, if they are not purchased by the time they hit a certain age, they may suffer the same fate.

Since the 1980s, the Humane Society of the United States has been fighting to shut down these facilities. You can do your part by making sure to research before you adopt and by keeping yourself informed!

Here are some tips to avoid adopting from a puppy mill:

Avoid: Pet stores, newspaper or journal ads, and great deals on the internet! Many puppy mills supply local pet stores, and ads in newspapers or on websites can easily falsify information. Remember Bandit from Season 2? His website said that he was from a licensed breeder, but he turned out to be the product of a puppy mill, costing his new family thousands of dollars in vet bills and heartache over his life-threatening health and behavioral problems.

Visit the breeder and ask questions! Ask to see the entire facility where the dogs are bred and kept. Is it clean? Spacious enough? Ask to see the parent dogs as well. Does the breeder show hesitation to let you see the facility or to let you meet the other dogs who are being kept there? Or is the breeder willing to just sell one of his puppies to anyone who walks in off the street, sight unseen? Reputable breeders will want to make sure their puppies are going to good homes. Beware of all these red flags.

Adopt from a shelter or rescue instead! This is the simplest solution. Rescues and shelters most often have the best interest of the animal at heart, and many of them are last chance adoptions. Remember: don't feel sorry! Adopt based on your energy level and compatibility!

For more tips on finding a responsible breeder, check out the HSUS.org guide.

Fonte 1 e Fonte 2

Puppy Farms: The Kennel Club is in No Position to Preach

2009-09-08T13:17:00.002-05:00

Did you know, The Kennel Club have cashed the cheques and endorsed the registrations from high volume breeders (more than 10 litters per year) – the sort of breeders you and I may refer to as puppy farmers? Why does it matter? Well, The Kennel Club, you see, are keen to bring your attention to the plight of puppy farmed dogs and the horrors those pups are subjected to by the commercial dog dealers who produce them. They’re also keen to tell you that the solution lies in the Kennel Club’s very own Accredited Breeder Scheme (convenient, eh?). Tell me, please, in what other walk of life do you get to take (and bank) the money of the very people you are campaigning against and NOT be called a hypocrite for it?Puppy farming in the UK is an horrendous, ugly trade that has been left completely open for the unscrupulous to exploit and profit from for years and years and years. It’s as rife now as it’s ever been.

Puppy farmers breed dogs with the sole aim of lining their pockets. They don’t breed dogs with the sole aim of improving their breed and producing healthy, functional dogs – which should be the ONLY reason to EVER breed a single litter of dogs. Period.

Puppy farmers have been registering their dogs with the Kennel Club. The Kennel Club knows this.

Kennel Club registration, you see, adds ‘value’ and can raise the price a breeder may charge for their stock. It also leads the public in to thinking they are buying quality. That’s why they do it, see. The puppy farmer wants Kennel Club paperwork in order to present a credible façade or, believe you me, they would NOT be spending the extra money on doing it – profit margins are crucial to the commercial dog producers and dealers.

The Kennel Club has acknowledged that high volume breeders use its registry. Take a look:

Dr Sampson advised that Bill Lambert, the Accredited Breeder Scheme advisor, does inspect and completes around 50 visits per year. All breeders (mostly who own multiple breeds) who breed more than 10 litters per year have been visited and some removed from the list.

The above comes from a breed council meeting held just last year. Re-read it if you like.

All breeders – mostly who own multiple breeds – who breed more than 10 litters per year.

Let’s give the quote some context. The above response is cited in the minutes from the meeting in relation to the following:

The question was raised concerning checks on breeders premises and whether any Accredited Breeders had been taken off the list for non compliance.

Now, this is a nice hypothetical for you: If you heard about a breeder producing LESS than 10 litters per year, let’s say, oh I don’t know, maybe NINE litters? Who also owned ‘multiple breeds’ – what would you think they might be labelled as? A ‘high volume’ dog breeder?

Let’s move on. I have another hypothetical question for you.

You run a dog breed registry.

You don’t like puppy farmers. Oh no. You do NOT like puppy farmers. Or, for the benefit of clarity, let’s call them ‘high volume dog breeders’.

You don’t want these high volume dog breeders (OK, puppy farmers! Let’s call them what they are shall we?) to sully the name and reputation of your breed registry.

How do you prevent them from doing this?

A) You impose limits on individual breeders, dictating that no more than 5 litters may be registered from the same breeder and/or premises in any given year.

B) You also insist that you will not accept a single registration without a veterinary certificate validating the health and condition of the dam along with appropriate breed health screening paperwork.

or

C) You don’t do any of that, but set up a SEPARATE scheme so you can still continue to take registrations from those high volume breeders who don’t health screen their stock…. but can act like you HAVE made a leap of progress by telling people to use your ‘accredited’ breeders instead?

We have an accredited breeder scheme, we have a breed registry – one contains puppy farmers and plenty of breeders that don’t adhere to basic health screening standards and one contains breeders who might be producing 9 litters or more per year but who fall under the category of being ‘accredited’. Both breeders can register their puppies with the Kennel Club. Both get Kennel Club registration paperwork and their registrations are endorsed with the Kennel Club seal of approval and, ultimately, the Kennel Club banks the cheques from both.

So, a simple question:

If you had that kind of a set up and you REALLY wanted to no longer allow a SINGLE puppy farmer to register their puppies with you and sully your name, cause damage by association to the GOOD breeders on your registry and PROFIT from the suffering of commercially bred dogs – why wouldn’t you make this simple move:

SHUT DOWN the registry and ONLY operate the accredited breeder scheme?

Seriously. Why would you not do that?

Yes, there’s a LOT of money in that breed registry. More money, in fact, than pours in to the accredited breeder scheme. But if YOU were going to stand on a soap box and lecture people about the horrors of puppy farming, wouldn’t YOU try to make DAMN sure you weren’t still cashing the cheques from some of the very people whom you are warning the public about? Wouldn’t you feel a bit ‘funny’ wagging your finger at the public preaching about puppy farmers when you’ve got some seriously high volume breeders using your own registry and sending their cash your way?

The Kennel Club have issued a press release today that states:

The Kennel Club and Thepet.net co-founders, TV vet Marc Abraham and social media guru Andrew Seel, want people to know the truth about where badly-bred puppies come from and help them choose a happy and healthy puppy bred by a reputable breeder, rather than a sick or diseased farmed one.

Kennel Club Veterinary Advisor and TV vet, Marc Abraham, said: “I am treating more and more puppies that have come from puppy farms than ever before.

“Puppy buyers often don’t know how to spot the signs of an irresponsible breeder and so continue to unwittingly line the puppy farmers’ pockets, fueling this cruel trade.

“It is imperative that prospective puppy buyers buy from a Kennel Club Accredited Breeder and that they sign the Kennel Club’s petition to get the principles and standards of this Scheme made mandatory for all breeders. These breeders love and care for their puppies, agree to follow certain standards and agree to allow a Kennel Club inspector access to their premises. Here are my top tips for choosing a puppy:

1. For a pedigree puppy always contact the Kennel Club first for their list of reliable and reputable Kennel Club Accredited Breeders.
2. Ask to see the puppy’s mother, who should always be with the pups.
3. Always see the puppy in its breeding environment and ask to look at the kenneling conditions, particularly if they were not raised within the breeder’s house. If you suspect the conditions are not right, then do not buy the puppy.
4. Be suspicious of any breeder selling more than one or at most two breeds.
5. Be prepared to be put on a waiting list – a healthy puppy is well-worth waiting for.
6. Ask if you can return the puppy if things don’t work out. Responsible breeders will always say yes.
7. Never buy a puppy because you feel like you’re rescuing it. You’ll only be making space available for another poorly pup to fill.
8. Consider alternatives to buying a pedigree puppy like getting a rescue dog or pup, and remember that every breed of dog has its own breed rescue society.”

People can sign the Kennel Club’s petition, which asks the government to enforce a mandatory set of standards for all breeders, based on those already followed by Kennel Club Accredited Breeders and that put the puppies’ health and welfare first and foremost.

OK.

Some sage words there. No doubt.

But let’s dig, shall we?

Be suspicious of any breeder selling more than one or at most two breeds.

Really?

30 seconds.

30 seconds is all it took me to find Kennel Club Accredited breeders who breed more than two breeds. I did a quick search on the Kennel Club website for Accredited Breeders and within just a few clicks I located accredited breeders who bred more than two different breeds.

So, I’m confused.

I should be “suspicious” of these (accredited) breeders yet….

“It is imperative that prospective puppy buyers buy from a Kennel Club Accredited Breeder”

I must reiterate, it took me less than 30 seconds to find Kennel Club accredited breeders who breed more than two breeds.

And here’s the thing, I have absolutely no qualms whatsoever in accepting that a quality breeder can happen to breed more than two different breeds and a horrendous breeder may produce just one litter in their entire lives. The point is that there is confusion, muddied communication/advice and, ultimately, rampant hypocrisy at play.

How can we be expected to listen to a lecture on the horrors of puppy farming when it is coming from an organisation that accepts the cheques of the very people it is seeking to warn us about?

Most right minded people want puppy farming to become a thing of the past. I am absolutely certain that the Kennel Club would like it that way too. But, fact is, the Kennel Club is running a two tiered system which means they ARE enabling puppy farmers to operate under a veil of implied credibility. If you cash the cheque yet have the means to set the standard rather than take a ‘do as we say, not as we do’ approach, then some questions need to be asked.

But let’s remember this. Let’s focus on it. Let’s draw attention to it. Let’s ask it, out loud:

If the Kennel Club believes in its Accredited Breeder Scheme so much. If the Kennel Club believes ALL breeders should comply to the standards of the Accredited Breeder Scheme, then why don’t they simply do away with their flawed registry and ONLY operate the Accredited Breeder Scheme?

Surely if they want to be taken seriously on an issue like puppy farming and their commitment to eradicating sub standard breeding practices, they could take a giant step toward that goal by NOT allowing those very breeders who they publicly condemn to register their puppies with the Kennel Club and tacitly give those breeders the credibility they so clearly crave?

Let’s wind the clock back to February of this year when Caroline Kisko of the Kennel Club informed Dog World newspaper that they (The KC) would not insist on operating the standards of the Accredited Breeder Scheme on a wholesale basis across all of the breeders who register puppies with the Kennel Club unless it applied to ‘all dogs’.

The question was put to Ms Kisko that all breeding dogs be subject to compulsory health screening. Here is her (verbatim) response:

Well, that to us is, is one of those things that if everybody joins something like the Accredited Breeders’ Scheme, and I’m not saying it has to be a Kennel Club’s one, but if everybody follows the requirements of something like the breeders’ scheme, then you would have that in the palm of your hand, but we, the Kennel Club is not going to go down that route for every Kennel Club registered dog as long as it’s not a requirement for other dogs, because all that’ll happen is that you’ll have the bar set at one level for Kennel Club registered dogs and the bar set way down low, in other words probably non existent for all the other dogs, and that’s actually completely unfair on both Kennel Club registered dogs and people buying dogs because… ok, you can say, well, that way we’ll know that those are the crème de la crème. What about all the other dogs? Do we not care about how they’re bred? Of course we do, and because of that, the Kennel Club will hold out against this idea that you can set one set of criteria for Kennel Club registered dogs and a different set for other dogs.

This is bizarre thinking.

Imagine if The Telegraph newspaper informed its readers that it would not insist on strict, high quality editorial standards unless all other newspapers agreed to follow exactly the same, over and above those minimum requirements according to the laws of the land? “We’ll only adhere to the same editorial standards as The Beano unless we’re forced to do otherwise”. No. It doesn’t work that way. Why would an organisation not set its own standards as high as it possibly could rather than simply ask to be judged against the lowest common standards expected of every other Tom, Dick and Harry?

By worrying about ‘every other dog’ the Kennel Club continues to allow sub-par breeders to thrive. I believe they know it, too.

The Kennel Club knowingly operates its very own two tier system:

1) The Accredited Breeder scheme – which it implores you to acknowledge as the best, most foolproof method of buying a quality puppy

2) The Kennel Club registry, which contains puppies registered by commercial/high volume breeders (you know, PUPPY FARMERS!).

What lies at the heart of these obvious double standards?

You decide.

But please, focus on the issue of puppy farming and give your full, unequivocal support to Puppy Farm Awareness Day via these superb groups:

* Puppy Love
* Hope UK
* Puppy Alert

I guarantee this: NONE of those organisations are cashing cheques from puppy farmers. They don’t operate double standards and they are in a position to give you sound, clear advice on how you can help to fight the cruel trade of the commercial dog dealers.

Fonte

Cesar Millan lança revista

2009-09-06T20:09:00.003-05:00

Para se tornar assinante, clique aqui.

Cães miniaturizados são mais frágeis

2009-09-05T22:16:00.002-05:00

O cão Scooter, em foto de arquivo, media apenas 20 cm do nariz até a ponta do rabo, e pesava cerca de 400 gramas

Cão que disputava recorde de menor do mundo morre na Nova Zelândia [morreu cedíssimo exatamente por ser tão pequeno]. O maltês Scooter tinha 8 cm de altura e pesava menos de meio quilo [que coisa doentia!]. Com a perna quebrada, cão teve úlceras ao tomar medicamento. [Ninguém lembra de informar que um cão anormalmente minúsculo corre sérios riscos de ter problemas neurológicos! E ninguém lembra de informar que os veterinários NÃO dispõem de equipamentos em miniatura - agulhas, tubos, talas e pinos por exemplo - para tratar cães pequenos demais!]

O cão Scooter, que estava cotado para entrar no livro Guinness dos Recordes como o menor do mundo [grande porcaria], morreu aos 6 meses de idade na Nova Zelândia [6 meses, gente, 6 meses!]. Scooter, que tinha 8 cm de altura e media 20 cm do nariz até a ponta do rabo, quebrou a perna após pular da mão de um de seus donos [frágil como se fosse de porcelana!], e precisou tomar analgésicos. O medicamento, no entanto, provocou úlceras no pequeno cãozinho, que acabou morrendo [o corpinho miniaturizado desse pobre cão não aguentou um simples analgésico!].

"Ele era pequeno, mas era uma parte grande da minha vida", afirmou a dona de Scooter, Cheryl McKnight, ao jornal neozelandês "The Southland Times". De acordo com Cheryl, os veterinários ofereceram um caixão para enterrar o bicho, mas ela preferiu colocá-lo em uma caixa de sapatos."Ele vivia naquela caixa. Coloquei ele com flores e uma foto de uma pomba", conta Cheryl.

Scooter parou de crescer quando tinha cerca de 3 meses [isso não é normal!]. Segundo sua dona, o cãozinho pesava cerca de 400 g, e não chegava a meio quilo mesmo quando estava usando roupas. O atual recordista no Guinness é o chiuaua Boo Boo, que tem 10 centímetros de altura [chihuahuas são pequenos mesmo, mas não tão pequenos assim!].

Fonte

Road trips with the dog

2009-09-05T22:12:00.004-05:00

The summer months are a great time to hit the road! Here are some tips for bringing along your canine family members.

# Plan ahead. The trip begins when you start loading your luggage, your children, and, of course, your dog into the car. Make this process as calm as you can by preparing in advance. If you get ready at the last minute, your dog will sense your anxiety and tension, and that will make him concerned about what's going on. Instead, let him know you've got everything under control, and share your positive feelings about the journey ahead!

# Book rooms in advance. Many hotels do not allow dogs, so it's important to plan your stops in advance and find a dog-friendly location. When the Dog Whisperer crew is on the road, we often start our search with Best Western. They have over 1,900 pet-friendly properties, so it's easy to find a place to stay no matter where you are traveling. If you travel often, you can also benefit from their free frequent guest program. For details, visit www.bestwestern.com/pets.

# Take a long walk first. Before you climb in the car, make sure your dog receives proper exercise. If he normally receives a 30 minute walk, extend it to 45 minutes. That way, he'll be even more relaxed to sit in the car for an extended period of time.

# Stretch. On a long car ride, stop every four hours during the day for your dogs to take a bathroom break, stretch and experience their new environment. Once the sun goes down, you can travel 8 hours non-stop.

# Bring a safety blanket. A favorite blanket, ball, or stuffed animal can comfort your dog. He'll have a little piece of home with him! Having a familiar item can help him to cope with any new and confusing stimulus ahead.

Fonte

Seu cachorro não deve comer essas coisas

2009-09-04T17:16:00.003-05:00

Eu levei o Chico ao veterinário ontem, porque ele estava com uma diarréia há alguns dias, e o veterinário me deu uma lista de comidas [e bebidas] que não devem ser dadas a cães em hipótese alguma:

Bebidas Alcoólicas

Muitas vezes são adocicadas e podem atrair cães e gatos, mas podem induzir uma intoxicação séria e às vezes fatal. Sinais e efeitos colaterais: descordenação, excitação, depressão, urinar excessivamente, respiração lenta, ataque cardíaco e morte.

Abacate

Folhas, semente e a fruta do abacate contêm uma substância tóxica chamada persina. Pode causar desarranjo gastrointestinal.

Café (todas as formas)

Café contém componentes perigosos que podem causar danos ao sistema nervoso e sistema urinário, além de ser um estimulante cardíaco.

Cascas de batatas

Batatas e tomates contem uma substância chamada solanina e outro alcalóides. Se ingeridos em grande quantidade, podem gerar salivação excessiva, desarranjo do trato gastrointestinal, perda de apetite, depressão do sistema nervoso central e outros sintomas. Evite.

Cebola

Cebolas contém tiosulfato. Cachorros sensíveis à cebola podem desenvolver anemia. Felizmente todos os cachorros se recuperam quando não ingerem mais cebola.

Chocolate (todas as formas)

Chocolate contem teobromina, um composto diurético e estimulante do coração. Sinais: excitação inicial, beber e urinar excessivamente, vômito e diarréia. Chocolate pode causar ritmo cardíaco acelerado, podendo levar a convulsões ou mesmo morte.

Comidas estragadas ou mofadas

Muitos tipos de mofo contem uma toxina chamada aflatoxina. Pode causar vômito/diarréia, tremores musculares, descordenação, febre, salivação excessiva e danos ao fígado.

Comidas gordurosas

O problema principal destes alimentos é um desarranjo gastrointestinal e, em alguns casos pode culminar em uma pancreatite. Pode ser fatal em alguns animais e é quase sempre causado por comidas muito gordurosas como bacon.

Noz macadâmia

A macadâmia contem uma toxina desconhecida que pode afetar os músculos, o sistema digestivo e o sistema nervoso de cachorros. Já foram registrados casos de paralisia.

Uvas e uvas passas

Existem casos registrados de apenas 6 (seis) uvas ou passas causando insuficiência renal aguda. A toxina não foi identificada ainda.

No caso de intoxicação sempre leve ao veterinário mais próximo. Não deixe medicamentos ao alcance de animais.

Desculpe se a tradução dos nomes de algumas substâncias químicas não estiver correta. Eu não sou veterinário, mas achei importante passar essa lista o quanto antes possível.

Fonte

Essa lista está bem resumida e não inclui todos os itens proibidos para os cães, mas contempla alguns dos principais.

A small chihuahua strike fear into the hearts of pit bulls

2009-09-04T13:44:00.004-05:00

Cesar's Co-Stars: Profiles of Pack Members – El Diablo (aka Sammy Davis, Jr.)

The Devil is in De Tails

It began as a routine consultation in Eugene, Oregon. The call came in from the Luv-a-Bull rescue organization: We have an aggressive dog. He is making the other dogs' lives miserable. Please, Cesar, help us. Nestled in amongst the pines and the redwoods, the Luv-a-Bull rescue in Eugene provides a no-kill environment for adoptable pit bulls. So, armed only with that information, Cesar naturally assumed that he would be tasked with rehabilitating a wayward pit. But what he found instead was a shelter full of terrified pit bulls dominated by one very small, very surly Chihuahua in dire need of an exorcism - EL DIABLO!

"I walked in and saw all of these beautiful pit bulls mingling perfectly, just like at my center," says Cesar, "and so I asked, 'how can I help you? All your pit bulls here are amazing!' And the woman says, 'didn't they tell you? It's him!' and she pointed to a Chihuahua in the corner. And when he started moving around, I saw it... all of the pit bulls in the room would move up against the wall whenever he would pass by. All the poor pit bulls were terrified of him. I never in a million years would have thought that such a small, fat, arthritic dog could accomplish such a thing. He was bullying the Bullies!"

Diablo's heft may have kept him from moving swiftly, but the fear he instilled in the pit bulls around him came from his attitude, not his speed. The Luv-a-Bull rescue's free-feeding policy meant that food was kept on the floor for any of the dogs to eat when they pleased. It also meant that any one dog - in this case, an aggressive Chihuahua - could claim it all. And claim it, he did! Diablo's habit of sitting by the food and growling menacingly at passersby cemented his position as top dog in the shelter. And when Cesar removed him from that environment, the pit bulls that emerged from the nooks and crannies of the facility like frightened cats might have thanked him aloud if they'd had the words.

"They all came out like, 'Thank you SO MUCH!' This had been going on for a year, and the woman who runs the center had been trying for that long to rehabilitate [Diablo]. She couldn't get close to this Chihuahua, but she could tell a pit bull what to do anytime."

In addition to providing Cesar with a well-loved story (the enjoyment on his face at the telling of it was obvious during our interview), this particular case had a happy ending for another of Cesar's pack, as well. Rakim, whom you may remember as our resident escape-artist-turned-male-nurse, found a home at the Luv-a-Bull rescue in exchange for El Diablo. And Diablo himself has been taken in by one of Cesar's newest employees, Location Manager Rich Mercer, whose job it was to drive the tiny terror home from Oregon to Los Angeles and who reports that, although it's been a tough road and slow going, the two of them are finally beginning to understand one another.

Re-christened as Sammy Davis, Jr. for the sake of his rehabilitation, the once feral Chihuahua now seems well on his way to casting the devil out for good.

"Diablo learns to trust people who don't immediately force their hand to pet him and invade his space," says Mercer, "with that [in mind] and calm and assertive behavior, winning Diablo over is just a piece of cake... devil's food cake, to be exact."

Fonte

Hehe, chihuahuas rule!!!

Do love your dogs but treat them as dogs

2009-09-04T02:14:00.002-05:00

So many of our problems with dogs would be nonexistent if we all repeated those words to ourselves daily! The animal rights movement has done a lot of damage to society in trying to convince us that our pets are on the same "level" as we are. Leaving aside how anyone feels about the morality of this view, we're talking about the balance of nature here. You can't change it just because you think "all animals are created equal." Whether we like it or not, there IS a food chain and it's when we don't assert our right to be dominant over our pets that we get into trouble.

Different dogs require different levels of dominance. I am guilty often of treating Ivy (ten year old whippet) as my friend rather than my dog. I often give her choices when I probably should *tell* her what to do. However, it hasn't been a problem with her. She's an extremely cooperative, obedient, responsive dog. If I treated our Lab/Chow mix, SinCin, the same way, I'd have a dangerous situation on my hands. She's not at all aggressive towards humans, but she's a dominant girl and would like nothing better than to run the household. (And she would start by drastically reducing the dog population around here!) So with SinCin, it's not, "Want to go out?" but "Okay, SinCin, OUT!"

One of the hardest things to keep in mind, at least for me, is that dogs have no concept of fairness [na verdade foi provado que eles têm sim, pelo menos na situação única da experiência científica, onde o cão esperava receber um petisco quando via o colega canino sendo recompensado pela mesma tarefa executada, mas eles não eram da mesma matilha]. They think in pack order terms, not democratic ones. If one dog is crated and the other is not, the one who is crated is not thinking, "Hey, that's not fair." He's thinking, "I'm crated and he's not." If one gets a treat and the other doesn't, the one left out doesn't think, "No fair!" He thinks, "The other dog is higher than I am in the pack order. Okay, he gets more treats than I do."

It's when you have two dogs believing they are equal that you can run into trouble with fighting. Dogs need a pack order they understand and when there isn't one, they become neurotic and fearful. So even for those of us who are not naturally dominant personalities (I'm not and this has been difficult for me) must be confident enough to understand and BELIEVE that humans are indeed superior.

That doesn't mean you have to constantly be bossing your dog around, but *never* feel guilty for making him get off a chair, wait till after you've eaten for his supper, stay home when he wants to go, etc. A dog who doesn't understand who his pack leader is will not be a happy dog. Like it or not, that's the way the world works.

Escrito por Sharyn Hutchens em 8 de fevereiro de 2006 para a lista Petdogs-L do Yahoo Groups

Fillers to help dogs that are always hungry

2009-09-04T00:19:00.002-05:00

When looking for fillers for weight issues, there are several types of food that can be used. If you want to know if the dog can digest something, just look at the stool. If it comes out whole, like it went it, then the dog didn't get any nutritional value. Green beans is a number one choice (for dogs who like them - I have one that doesn't). They do get broken down so that they not only act as a filler but also has some nutritional value.

I stay away from carrots b/c they don't [get broken down] and since I can use a vegetable that will do both, it doesn't make sense to offer carrots. The number [one] filler that I use is canned pumpkin. I use it for weight loss as well as maintenance. Most dogs love pumpkin. When it's added to their reduced kibble, they don't feel the loss in quantity and feel more satisfied (full). I also feed dogs more times a day if they need to lose weight. It helps to take off the edge of feeling hungry. I add pumpkin and/or green beans. There's other veggies you can use I only use ones that their system can digest. Dog's ability to digest foods isn't the same as humans. We can eat different things every day and not upset our stomachs and some dogs can go from one bag of dog food to another without any problems but most can't which is why so many have loose stools if the new food is not introduced slowly.

Escrito por Cher McCoy em 12 de fevereiro de 2006 para a lista Petdogs-L do Yahoo Groups

Avoiding the Trap of Unrealistic Expectations for Your New Dog

2009-09-03T23:15:00.003-05:00

Liberty, Molly & Squidgy, all rescue dogs, at Padre Island

After reading my last article, a friend of mine working in the rescue world asked that I address another issue she feels important to anyone considering adopting a new dog, what I would call unrealistic expectations of what it means to own a dog. Specifically, she asked me to address this in terms of adult dogs in shelters and rescues.

What do I mean by unrealistic expectations? Simply put, I believe that when adopting a dog most people do not take into account the variances in behavior between a dog at a shelter and a dog in a home environment, between a dog in a home that it has grown familiar and accustomed to and a dog in a new and foreign environment, and of course the behaviors that may have been previously instilled in a dog that may need to be modified. I’ve seen people time and time again return a dog to a shelter because “it just didn’t work out” whether it be because the dog is jumping, chewing, destructive, guarding, “aggressive”, hyper, etc. The reason to me doesn’t matter. What does matter is the unrealistic expectation that a dog should come into your home from what is sometimes a very stressful environment and require little to no work and no adjustment period to become the perfect family member you were looking for.

I’ve had several people write me and argue the point that most people adopt puppies because they do not come with “baggage” per se. And, although I do agree that they are less likely to come with undesirable characteristics that have been instilled by previous owners or experiences due to their relatively short life span, it does not mean that they do not come without behavioral issues needing modification. Case in point: my Labrador retriever. I adopted her as a puppy from Town Lake Animal Shelter when she was only 8-10 weeks old. However, even at her young age she came with a serious case of separation anxiety. It took me quite a long time to work through that issue with her, partially because of bad training advice at the time, but it was an issue needing dealt with nonetheless.

But in all reality, those people are right. Dogs are usually taken to shelters because of behavioral issues, usually resulting from lack of training, improper training, and/or being ignored. So what does that mean to a person looking for a new dog? Be sure to check out your options and really do some soul searching to find out what it is you are really looking for. Let’s cover the main issues:

Where to look for your dog:

BREEDER: A breeder is a good option if you have the time to do the necssary research to find one who is responsible and maintains good lines, if you are (usually) willing to travel and spend sometimes large amounts of money for a dog, AND if you are looking for a specific breed for a specific purpose. Most breeders, however, sell puppies, not dogs, so the information you may have on the particular animal’s temperament will be limited to the few weeks that the breeder has had the puppies and in which they were active. When they do sell dogs, the dogs are generally quite a bit older than what most people look for when they bring in a new companion, but if you are willing to offer a home to one of these dogs a good breeder should have a wealth of knowledge on their animals.

SHELTER: A shelter is a good option if you are not looking for a pure bred dog or are not looking for one specific breed but have a few general breeds in mind that will work. The adoption fees tend to be lower than breeders or rescues, and there is usually a pretty good selection of dogs. You can also bring home most animals immediately. Keep in mind though, that a lot of behaviors you see from dogs at a shelter will be drastically different than those in a home environment. You also need to remember that in most cases shelters are overcrowded and understaffed. They do the best they can, but honestly there are usually too many dogs for the experts at the shelter to get to know on a one on one basis, which means they rely on information from the volunteers. Most volunteers, although well intentioned and big-hearted, do not know enough about dog training and behavior to give an accurate portrayal of what the new owner can expect. Dogs in shelters are also penned for extended periods of time. This leads to a build-up in energy and sometimes bad behaviors that can cause a wonderful dog to be overlooked and others that are frightened by their surroundings to get adopted only to relax and cut loose when they are at their new home which can cause unexpected problems.

RESCUES: Rescues are your third option. They offer a unique combination between a shelter and a breeder in that they usually have both pure and mix breeds, have adoption fees higher than shelters but usually lower than buying from a breeder, and because most rescues involve some sort of fostering, the volunteers can give you an accurate description of the dog’s behavior in a home based environment, even if this behavior is only accurate at their current environment. The downside to rescues? I personally have seen many rescues that appear to never have intentions of adopting out their animals. Their adoption process is so long and stringent that dogs are very rarely placed, and if a dog is adopted I feel sorry for the adopter because it seems more difficult than adopting a child. Don’t misunderstand; I believe there should be standards for adopting dogs, but I also think if there is a two month long adoption process, multiple references required, several home visits and still no guarantee that you will get the dog you originally wanted then the program is doing no good for anyone involved as it is keeping the rescue dogs from being placed and other dogs in other locations from being adopted due to the process involved—not to mention the heart ache of the potential adopters when they find out they can’t have the dog they wanted and another dog they liked at a shelter has already been adopted or euthanized because of the time commitment involved with the rescue adoption. I know I have personally passed on adopting a rescue dog on at least one occasion because of the lengthy and uncertain process of adopting through the particular rescue. So be sure to take a close look at the adoption requirements before you start searching for your new companion to make sure you are willing to jump through any and all hoops before falling in love.

What to expect from your new dog:

BEHAVIOR: You should expect your dog to exhibit any of an array of behaviors when being brought into your new home. There is no way for me to properly predict what will happen between any one dog and one person once a dog is brought home for the first time without intrinsically knowing the person. Stop there. Reread that last statement. I said intrinsically knowing the person, not the dog. This may be confusing to many people out there, but it was a huge revelation in my life as well as many others’ and it can be summed up by the simple statement, “Dogs reflect their owners completely.” That is not to say that a dog will not try things or test you, but it is you as a master that will mold and shape your dog. It is the reaction you have to behaviors from the beginning and on a consistent basis that will determine what kind of dog you will have: they joy you were looking for or the terror you wished you’d never laid eyes on. Dogs require leadership and direction and without this you will never have a dog that was the dog it was meant to be.

UNDERSTAND THE BREED: Do not pick a dog just based on looks. Really dig deep to find out why it is you are looking for [on] a dog and what environment your dog will be in. Do you want a dog to compete with and work on a regular basis? Do you want more of a couch potato kind of dog that you just want to be a well behaved companion to lay around your apartment? Or do you want somewhere in the middle so you can push your dog at times but you know it won’t go nuts if it’s not constantly challenged? There are breeds that fit into all of these categories. Now granted, sometimes the breeds listed for a dog at a shelter are just the best guesses available, but it should still give you some clue along with the shelter’s behavior analysis if the dog will suit your purpose. Picking a dog solely based on looks will more than likely leave you disappointed and may land the dog back in the shelter.

What your dog should expect from you:

TRAINING: I do not care who you are, how much money or time you have, or how much you know about dogs, you should NEVER consider owning a dog without realizing the investment you have to make of yourself when it comes to training. EVERY dog needs training. Plain and simple. If for no other reason than to help build your bond with your new dog, every dog you own should be involved in some sort of training. I’m not saying you need to spend thousands of dollars or that if you are capable of training your own dog you should have to seek out a professional. What I am saying is that there is a major time investment and commitment you are making when you bring a dog home. If you are not willing to invest at least your time in some sort of structured training with your dog and not just in play time or exercise, do not get a dog for the dog’s sake. The training doesn’t have to last forever, but it does need to happen. Without it I can almost certainly guarantee you that your dog will end up being more of a frustration than a joy. And if you are just going to end up putting the dog in the back yard to be ignored anyway, why even bring him home?

UNDERSTANDING: Dogs are dogs. They are not people. They must be treated like dogs in order to be happy, healthy, and stable. I am not saying that you need a PhD in dog behavior or psychology. In fact, I think the people that understand dogs the best are the farthest from a PhD you will ever see [Nunca vi uma afirmação tão correta como essa]. What I am saying is that you need to realize when you bring a dog home that it will exhibit dog behaviors. A dog will also test you. You need to understand that. You need to be ready for it, and you need to properly modify the behavior to either encourage it or extinguish it based on what you want from your dog. If you do not know how to properly do this on your own, find someone who does. There are a few simple principles that will make a world of difference in strengthening your bond but it is up to you to understand your dog and apply them.

FAIRNESS: You must realize that a dog is coming from an environment that creates instability when you bring it home, and there will be an adjustment period. I require all of my training students to have had their dogs in their home for a minimum of two weeks before ever enrolling them in an obedience class to insure that the dog has had at least a small adjustment period and at least a little time to begin bonding with their new owner. The actual adjustment period can be as little as a day or as long as several months depending on the dog, it’s history, and the conditions it has come from. So be fair to the dog in this. It is learning. But do not coddle or feel sorry for the dog. The past is in the past. Just move forward from here and realize that there may be a few small disappointments along the way to major milestones.

So, in summary, decide what you need from your dog and what lengths, both monetarily and mentally, you are willing to go through to in order to get the dog you want before setting out on your search. Then, once you find the dog, realize that a bond is something that takes time and work, patience and consistency, fairness and understanding. If you keep this in mind and seek out help when needed, you will never see your dog returned to a shelter.

Fonte

Algumas razões que me fazem gostar tanto da lista Petdogs-L

2009-09-03T22:24:00.004-05:00

Welcome to Yahoo's top general dog discussion list (and thanks for helping put us there!). We hope you'll both find and offer answers here. This is not a teacher-student list. We are all teachers and all students. Some of our best suggestions come from brand new dog owners who have a fresh perspective, so never feel that you're not qualified to offer help to someone else. I've been seriously "involved in dogs" for 30 years and I learn something new from this list nearly every week.

ADMIN HAT ON

Here are a few pointers and "rules refresher". I know most or all of this is in your welcome message, but I also know most people don't read those (G). Please do read this, even if you think you know all about lists. You might not know about this one.

I. PETDOGS-L IS MODERATED. That means we read each post before it goes to the list and if we think it is inappropriate, it doesn't show up. Sometimes we'll write and tell you why. Sometimes we don't have time but if you look at the list below, you'll figure it out. There are a number of reasons for a post being rejected:

1) It's rude or defensive or would be perceived as rude or defensive by most people (even if you didn't mean it that way).

2) It's not appropriate subject matter for the list (more on that later).

3) It's a "crusader" post, whether about types of food, vaccinations, chew toys, spay/neuter, puppy mills or whatever. Yes, maybe you devote every waking minute to being sure no bird feathers are in your dog food, but take it somewhere else. This is a mainstream list for the general population of dog owners and not an appropriate forum for arcane dog topics.

4) It's forwarded from another list. If you found it on another list, don't send it here. We've already seen it.

5) It's personal (to one person) and the whole list doesn't need to read it. Example: "I live in Caterwaul too! Are you on the downwind side of the processing plant?" And if someone else has already welcomed a person to the list, offered condolences or congratulations, send yours personally. Even though we all DO care, it's frustrating to page through post after post of "I'm so sorry to hear about Bozo".

6) It's commercial. You won't have to worry about this. Try spamming the list and you'll be gone. We have zero tolerance for that. That also goes for selling your own dog products. You can put a website in your sig file, but no advertising. And it goes double for address harvesting and spamming people off-list.

7) It's condescending. Lecturing is NOT tolerated. Yes, there's a fine line between teaching and preaching, but we try to tread it.

8) You have religious or political messages in your post. This is the wrong place for those signature files or comments.

II. TRIM AND FORMAT YOUR POSTS That means do not quote the entire post you are responding to. Delete all but a short portion to remind others of the subject. For instance, to respond to this one, you hit REPLY. Your mailer probably would open a new window with an email addressed to PETDOGS-L. In it would be this entire post. Now, much as I'm sure everyone will want to read it over and over (G), you should highlight and delete all of it except a sentence or two. Also be sure to delete the "Yahoo junk" at the bottom. Example: Sharyn wrote: "Here are a few pointers and "rules refresher". I know most or all of this is in your welcome message, but I also know most people don't read those".

Some mailers will insert the <<< to indicate quoted material. If yours doesn't, either mark it or separate it from your answer with a line or something so we know what you said and what the other person said. Different colors and styles of fonts do not show up on this list, so that won't work.

Now write your answer and hit send.

III. NO RESCUE, DOGS LOST, DOGS FOUND, TRANSPORTATION ETC posts. There are plenty (like, thousands?) or lists devoted to those things. This is a discussion list.

IV. INDICATE HUMOR WHEN YOU MEAN IT. Use the accepted internet abbreviations such as:
(G) - GRIN
(LOL) - LAUGHING OUT LOUD
(VBG) - VERY BIG GRIN
There's a whole list of those, plus the ones that don't indicate humor but are commonly seen in posts, such as IMO (in my opinion), OTOH (on the other hand), and YMMV (your mileage may vary) at http://www.pb.org/emoticon.html

V. THE QUICKEST WAY TO GET THROWN OFF ANY LIST IS TO PICK A FIGHT WITH THE MODERATORS.

VI. REMEMBER THAT THE ADVICE YOU GET ON AN EMAIL LIST IS OPINION. Raising a dog is not yet a science and there are many different ways to approach problems. We'll explore lots of them here. If one suggestion doesn't work for you, try another. If something doesn't seem as though it would work, it seems unkind or just uneducated to you, don't try it. We don't moderate for stupid. (G)

VII. IF SOMEONE HARASSES YOU OFF-LIST or sends you a nastygram because of something you posted here, forward it to the moderators. We might decide to remove the other person from the list or we might let it ride this time and "keep an eye" on that person.

VIII. IF IT'S A VETERINARY PROBLEM, CALL YOUR VET. No email list is a substitute for veterinary attention. It's fine to ask about the problem on the list -- "Have any of you ever had this problem?" or "Where can I find more information about..." But if your dog is ill, he needs a vet, not an email list.

IX. PLAY NICE. Petdogs-L was started because we couldn't find anywhere on the internet we could send people for advice without subjecting them to (the possibility of) rudeness, lectures, or snobbery. We believe in all positive training FOR PEOPLE. If someone asks for help and gets slapped down, how likely is that person to ask for help again? So no matter how "dumb" you think the question or how "irresponsible" you think the owner, either answer politely or not at all.

Most of our rules are simple list 'netiquette which should be followed on all email lists but often are not. We enforce them because we want this list to remain easy to read and helpful.

ADMIN HAT OFF.

Escrito por Sharyn Hutchens em 7 de fevereiro de 2006 para a lista Petdogs-L do Yahoo Groups

Help with food choice

2009-09-03T21:49:00.004-05:00

Any good food without wheat, corn, soy, by-products or BHA/BHT and ethoxyquin would be a good choice, and there are alot of them out there. Buy one and don't switch around...your dog won't starve, but by continually switching foods you could be creating a picky dog. A healthy dog won't starve to death and will eventually learn to eat what's put in front of him.

Escrito por Marianne em 7 de fevereiro de 2006 para a lista Petdogs-L do Yahoo Groups

Go to the local pet store, choose a food that has meat as the first ingredient, doesn't have corn, and then buy it and stick to it. Do not add things to the dog's food, because you simply will create a picky eater. Put the food down for him, let it sit for 20 mins and then pick it back up. Your dog WILL NOT starve himself, when he gets hungry enough he will eat.

Buy what you can afford - it all has what your dog needs - some just have more of what he doesn't need. You may find that you can feed less of a more expensive food making it a better bargain in the long run. However, not all high-priced foods are necessarily better food. FYI - my first Weim lived to 13 1/2 active years on Pedigree. Yes, her stools were larger than they would have been on a better quality food, but 99% of dogs will do just as well of "ole' red generic" as they do on the top of the line designer food. Read your ingredient list, stay away from foods with fancy shape and dies designed to catch the owner (not needed by the dog). Stay away from BHA/BHT - as this is carcinogenic in humans and banned for use in human foods. If you can find an affordable food that is meat first, and as few grains as possible - that's great, but otherwise, your dog will just poo out what it doesn't digest and that filler won't do him any harm. Don't be bullied into the idea that only high dollar foods will get your dog the nutrition that it needs or that you are doing your dog some injustice by feeding him "junk" food. Pick a decent quality brand (read the label - you'll know), and stick to it, and you'll be fine.

And being an owner of a very picky cat - the last thing I would do is offer variety to a picky dog - since variety only seems to make them more picky - they basically just think - well, I don't like this that much, I wait until something better comes along. Where as, if not given a choice, they will eat their meals without complaint. Cats are different than dogs unfortunately, a cat CAN and WILL starve themselves to death - it only takes a cat a couple of days without food to go into organ failure - dogs can go meal less for days without a problem unless they are very small toy breeds. So I must suffer my cat's finicky nature - but she's 16, and not doing well, so I'll suffer it in good form for the time she has left. When my old dog started declining in health, it was at that time I ended up having to offer other foods - and yes, it seemed that the more I offered, the more I needed to offer to satisfy her.

Escrito por Denise Parsons entre 7 e 8 de fevereiro de 2006 para a lista Petdogs-L do Yahoo Groups

You do not have to spend a lot of money to feed your dogs well. Although many people object to corn, by-products, etc, in dog food, remember that these companies (especially Purina) spend millions of dollars on testing their products. They are complete and balanced. Purina would be one big fat lawsuit with a target on its chest if anyone could prove that a dog had lived one week short of its projected lifespan because of something left out or put in the dog food.

I have no problem with corn filler in the dog food. My dogs like to eat. They need something to fill them up after they've had enough nutrients. That's also why we give them carrots and broccoli, which are largely undigested. Filler is simply filler. It is not a terrible thing.

Dog food without preservatives doesn't last very long. If you buy food that states it has no preservatives, be VERY careful about shelf life. I tried some of it once and within two or three weeks, it was rancid.

There has never been any scientific proof that any of the ingredients that people worry so much about is harmful to dogs. Some dogs do require special diets. MOST dogs will do fine on any dog food from an established company. I know people who have fed the cheapest grocery store brands and their dogs lived to 17 and 18 in perfect health. Others have fed those brands and had health problems throughout the dogs' lives. I also know those who have fed the most expensive foods and the dogs died of cancer at age five. Others swear by expensive foods because their dogs ate them and lived well past their projected lifespans. Mostly these things are the luck of the draw and have nothing to do with the dog food. Genetics usually trumps nutrition once you get past basic levels of nutrients. (Poor nutrition will certainly make a dog sick, but any dog food that claims to be complete and balanced will provide the basics.)

Feed what you feel comfortable feeding. We use Purina ONE for the adults and Eukanuba Puppy for puppies. We cook for our two dogs with kidney failure. All of them get carrots and broccoli for teeth cleaning and weight loss. Sometimes they get bones. They get table scraps when we have them, but with ten dogs and just two people, nobody gets much of that!

Bottom line is: If there were ANY scientific proof that any particular kibble was best or that a particular type of raw feeding was best, it would be headline news and all the dog food companies would go out of business except for the one producing The Best Food.

Feed what works for your dog, whether that's $50/20 lbs kibble, $20/50 lbs kibble, a raw diet, homecooked meals, or whatever. Please do not refer to any dog food as junk food on this list. Remember that the food you think is so awful may be all another list member can afford.

Escrito por Sharyn Hutchens em 7 de fevereiro de 2006 para a lista Petdogs-L do Yahoo Groups

Previoulsy starved dog that won't eat

2009-09-03T17:18:00.003-05:00

PERGUNTA

I have a 8 month old Tiny Toy Poodle. I recued him from a breeder that was mistreating him and not feeding him, so right now he's undernurished and only weights 4 lbs. My problem is getting him to eat. You can here his tummy growling and he won't go eat. I have to lead him to his bowl and hand feed him everytime. I even have to lead him to his bowl to get a drink. It's like he doesn't know to eat when he's hungry.

Escrito por Edward Brunck em 6 de fevereiro de 2006 para a lista Petdogs-L do Yahoo Groups

RESPOSTA

Males are particularly hard to get to eat it seems. When you take him to his food, is he distracted or just not interested? If distracted, I would feed him in his crate.

Next - pick a good quality food, and stick to it, don't change foods around trying to find something he'll eat - don't add things to it, you'll simply create a picky eater. Put the food down, wait 20 mins and then pick it up. Wait a couple hours and then try again. He will eat when he's actually hungry. Dogs, in general, won't starve, but see my next paragraph as a toy dog can be an exception.

Now - if this dog really is dangerously undernourished, you may want to get some Nutracal. It's a high calorie diet supplement. Often times, if an animal has been starved (or a person for that matter) they get to a point where they don't feel hungry. Nutracal is something you can basically force feed if necessary - squirt it right into his mouth, and this may kick-start his digestive processes and get him eating again. With him being a toy, hypo-glycemia is a real threat, so I would recommend going out and picking some up from the local vet or PetSmart and get him started on that to boost his appetite, and then get him on a regular feeding schedule.

Escrito por Denise Parsons em 6 de fevereiro de 2006 para a lista Petdogs-L do Yahoo Groups

Pet Travel: What Dog Owners Need to Know!

2009-09-02T15:20:00.004-05:00

“Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog’s face, he gets mad at you [os meus não se incomodam e até gostam, treinei com eles desde novinhos] but when you take him on a car ride, he sticks his head out of the window?” ~ Peter Kay (C)

Why DO dogs stick their head out of car windows? And, more to the point, why do owners let them? [Eu não deixo de forma alguma! Pode vir uma impureza no vento e ferir a córnea deles!]

Travelling with a dog tends to fall in to one of two different categories for many owners, it’s either one of the most pleasurable aspects of dog ownership, an experience filled with joy and excitement for all involved – or – it’s a living nightmare, punctuated with bouts of stress, worry and discomfort for both dog(s) and owner(s). K9 Magazine is here to help... K9 Magazine offers regular pet travel advice along with the latest breaking dog news, dog training tips and money saving pet ownership information via our exclusive, FREE dog lovers newsletter. You can get free pet travel tips, free reports and more!!

We all know that our dogs love to join us wherever we go, be it walks, holidays or even just a run to the supermarket. We need to ensure that when our dogs join us in the car, or any moving vehicle, that certain safety measures are put into place, for our safety and theirs. If we crash or have an accident, more often your dog will come off worse if they are unrestrained.

They can also cause crashes if they decide to suddenly leap onto your lap if frightened or startled. Your pet needs to be safely secured in a pet carrier, a dog cage, seatbelt harness or behind a dog guard. The most suitable restraint will depend on the needs of your pet, the size of your vehicle and also the size of your dog. Always make sure your dog is walked to and from the car on a lead, just in case of traffic or if your dog was to make any sudden movements. For small dogs, or other small pets, a pet carrier is a good transportation method.

Dogs should be placed in the carrier before reaching the car. It needs to be a comfortable size for your dog and should be held in place with the seat belt or by wedging it firmly in the gap at your feet. Never put a carrier in the boot [trunk] of your car as your pet could suffocate or be knocked around if the carrier becomes loose. A travel cage is suitable for most dogs and is often the most popular method of dog transportation. You need to leave plenty of space around the crate to allow for ventilation and movement, and ensure it is secured with the seat belt. These crates can often be securely fitted in the boot of an estate car.

You should always make sure your dog is not placed where an air bag may cause any damage and suffocate your dog. For most dogs – a safety harness can be attached to a car’s seatbelt to ensure that they do not move from their seat, very similar to how ours work. It should be securely fastened before the car moves to ensure the dog is comfortable and won’t get tangled in the straps. You can also get dog guards fitted in the back of estate cars and larger vehicles with a large, open boot area. The guards restrict your dog from accessing any other part of the car but will not protect them in an accident.

You can also buy safety harnesses that will stop your dog from moving around in the back of the car. If you are unfortunate enough to have a crash whilst your dog is in the car, quickly try and calm your dog down by taking the carrier to a quiet place. Make sure you have them on lead so that they do not run off or into traffic. If you think that your dog is hurt or in pain then call a vet right away. Check that your dog is covered by his insurance for car accidents. If you feel that your dog doesn’t cope too well in vehicles, consider having travel training for your dog from a qualified dog trainer.

Holiday Horror

What to do when taking your pet on a foreign holiday: It’s probably happened to all of us once. You notice the back gate flapping suspiciously in the wind and your heart rate doubles. You check under the beds, behind the settee, even in between the car and the garage wall, and just as you are about to panic you then spot him bounding bashfully back with ‘that’ look on his face.

He couldn’t have been gone for more than five minutes. A lucky escape you may think, and you promise yourself you will fix the latch on the gate, but your curious friend doesn’t have a clue about the highway code, or the perils of big, sheers drops, he was just having a nosey about the neighbourhood. More often than not these incidents, although undesirable, have a happy ending.

This is often due to helpful neighbours mucking in with the search, familiar locations for dogs to navigate with and ease of communication. Take all of these factors away and it could all turn out very differently. With the popularity of the Pet Passport Scheme, more and more people are able to holiday abroad with their dog for company, so by definition, it is a possibility that our dogs could do the dreaded disappearing act as a far away as Italy or Spain. The most popular places for people to holiday with their pets are often rural and are often within the UK.

If you holiday in Wales for example, and you have the misfortune of losing your dog, you will not necessarily be at as much of a loss as you would be if you were in rural Italy or France. For a start you would have a common language and you would be familiar [with] the law. The initial panic that would set in would be lessened slightly by your ability to communicate your problem to someone, in a country with a language that you don’t speak; your predicament will only be intensified by your inability to communicate your problem. If you are travelling on holiday, the best ways to ensure that if you lose your pet you can get them back are as follows: have your pet fitted with a microchip.

This is compulsory if travelling under the Pet Travel Scheme abroad; whilst travelling abroad your pet should wear a collar containing details of: a United Kingdom address; and a United Kingdom telephone number; and a contact point within the country in which you are travelling. If your pet is lost whilst travelling you should notify the local police and make enquiries with local vets.

Rule 1. Make sure you are taking your dog on a holiday that is suited to him. Ensure it is a holiday that allows you to keep an eye on your dog, and one that allows you to keep him from boredom, the main reason that dogs go walkabouts by themselves.

Prevention is the key here, once your dog is out of your sight, you cannot control his fate, nor can you control his actions. Ensure that when out in public, the dog is always on leash (this is demanded by law in many popular holiday resorts) and when he is alone it is imperative that he is secure. This does not just mean locking the hotel door behind you as you leave to play beach volleyball, a careless cleaner or porter could make it all too easy for your dog to escape. If you do leave your dog on the premises, give instructions to all who may have contact with the dog to ensure he is secure before they leave.

Rule 2. Take all practical steps to ensure that it is not made easy or tempting for the dog to wander off. If you provide the dog with the option of going off alone for a stroll, he may well just do that. If it is not a viable option, the thought won’t enter his head. Not many dogs ‘escape’ in the sense that they have tried to get out of a property or garden, more often it is an opportunity offered to them on a plate, such as an open door or slack lead loosely tied to a lamp post (opposite a butcher’s perhaps). No matter how careful a dog owner is, there is always an element of misfortune involved in a missing dog holiday saga. If fate and destiny conspire together and you still find yourself on holiday minus your dog, there are a few things that you should have done before you left home just in case.

Tim Hall of pet exports, (www.petexports.co.uk) offered these pieces of advice.

1.Take a recent photo with you. Descriptive words in a foreign language are often hard to come by in times of panic, and not everybody knows what a Dandy Dinmont Terrier looks like.

2.Change the ID tag on the collar before you leave. Even if someone does find your dog wandering the Costa Brava, they won’t know where to start if the only information available is ‘If lost please return to 34 Bloom Street, South Shields or phone 821 445’. Put the address and phone number of the hotel at which you are staying, and remember to put any instructions in the right language. You should always leave the UK address on there as well, in case you have to leave the country without your dog.

3.Be aware that different countries have different attitudes towards dogs roaming freely. The Spanish have a particular dislike for stray dogs, your dog will look like just another stray, so for a busy Spaniard to make the journey across Marbella with your beloved Deerhound is expecting an awful lot.

4.Know who to contact. The local police station is a good start. Perhaps straight after that you should contact the council and any kennels near by. Do not contact the British Embassy or the consulate; to be frank they have bigger fish to fry than your lost dog, such as terrorism and international relations.

5.Tim’s strongest recommendation is this. Don’t take him off his lead or let him out of sight.

Pet Travel Phrasebook:

You may know how to ask for a cappuccino in Milan and a baguette in Paris but do you know how to ask for a Doberman in Dortmund or a Rottweiler in Rotterdam? We have taken the languages spoken in the most popular holiday resorts in Europe and provided useful translations of helpful ‘lost dog in Europe’ phrases.

Français:

- Excuse me, have you seen this dog roaming freely?
- M’excusez-vous, avez-vous vu ce chien errer librement?

- Do you know the way to the nearest kennels?
- Vous savez le chemin vers les établissements les plus proches?

- I wish to report my dog missing.
- Je voulais rapporter mes disparus de chien.

- He[/She] is a big/small/medium dog with long/short hair of dark/light colour. His/her name is Dotty.
- Il/elle est un grand/petit/moyen chien avec de cheveux longs/courts de couleur légère/foncée. Il/elle s’appelle Dotty.

- Thank you so much. Where can I pick him up? I owe you big style pal.
- Merci tellement. Où peux-je le prendre? Je vous dois le grand modèle mon amis.

Italiano:

- Excuse me, have you seen this dog roaming freely?
- Lo scusate, avete visto questo cane vagare liberamente?

- Do you know the way to the nearest kennels?
- Conoscete il senso al canile più vicino?

- I wish to report my dog missing.
- Desidero segnalare i miei missing del cane.

- He[/She] is a big/small/medium dog with long/short hair of dark/light colour. His/her name is Dotty.
- È un cane piccolo/medio/grande con capelli corti/lunghi di colore chiaro/scuro. Suo il suo nome è dotty.

- Thank you so much. Where can I pick him up? I owe you big style pal.
- Grazie così tanto. Dove posso prenderlo? Vi devo lo stile grande mia compagno.

Español:

- Excuse me, have you seen this dog roaming freely?
- ¿Me excusa, usted ha visto este perro el vagar libremente?

- Do you know the way to the nearest kennels?
- ¿Usted sabe la manera a las perreras más cercanas?

- I wish to report my dog missing.
- Deseo divulgar a mis desaparecidos del perro.

- He[/She] is a big/small/medium dog with long/short hair of dark/light colour. His/her name is Dotty.
- Él es un perro grande/pequeño/medio grande con el pelo corto/largo del color ligero/oscuro. El suyo su nombre es dotty.

- Thank you so much. Where can I pick him up? I owe you big style pal.
- Muchas Gracias. ¿Dónde puedo tomarlo? Le debo estilo grande mi amigo.

Fonte