Too Kool Doggies: May 2011

Monday, May 30, 2011

Unbelieveable! Shot and Buried Alive Yet She Still Survives

Star with animal welfare coordinator Janice Chetcuti. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

In Malta just like many European countries, it's common to see strays roaming freely. Someone obviously didn't like a cute black and white dog named Star. Not only did that person shoot her 40 times in the head with a pellet gun, but also buried her alive in the sand. People discovered her nose poking through the sand.

Many people in Malta are incensed about this. In addition to stiffening the penalty for animal cruelty, a Facebook page has been created to find the individual responsible for the pain this dog as suffered.

As for Star? Luckily, a Maltese family will be adopting her but will not be able her to get her right away, since she needs extra time to recover from the trauma. At least she will have a happy ending.

Let's Discuss!

Share your thoughts here.

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Little Lost Pup Podcast

It's been quite some time since my last podcast. School and side projects had been demanding so with the holiday weekend now here, I was able to bring you the latest. Please click on the podcast link below for the latest one.

Little Lost Pup

Words From A Lost Pup

Thursday, May 26, 2011

The Dog Who Helped Find Osama

Photo of Cairo: From K-9 Storm

About a month ago, one of the most wanted men —Osama Bin Laden— after eluding the United States for almost 10 years. Justice prevailed because of the teamwork of the U.S Navy Seals. One of those Navy Seals was a dog named Cairo.

Cairo was a Belgian Malinois who was trained as a Navy Seal. While regular military dogs are trained to sniff bombs, that is only part of what these dogs do.

How Navy Seal Dogs Are Different

In addition to bomb detection, they parachute out of airplanes with their handlers. Most of the time, it will be tandem but occasionally, the dog will jump solo. Since dogs are unable to perceive the height difference, jumping out of a plane isn't as nearly terrifying to them as it would be the average human.

They also rapell down the sides of mountains, finding enemies, swim through water, and sniff out roadside bombs (like their military counterparts) and drugs. While the dog didn't shoot Osama, he served as a distraction. With that extra time, the Seals were able to succeed. Over 600 dogs have been sent to Afghanistan and Iraq. It has been proven, that even with all the modern-day technology, a dog's sense of smell always is the most accurate method of detection.

Tools Of The Trade

The dogs are outfitted for this type of work too. K-9 Storm is a company that creates special vests for them. Part of this includes a night-vision camera which can transmit images from 1,000 yards (914 meters). Or one can say it's the length of 10 football fields. The vest also has special harness for rapelling down mountains or crawling through swamps. The Navy bought four of these vests for $86,000 USD. It's proven to be a worthy investment.

Photo: K-9 Storm

Post-War Life

It used to be that dogs were euthanized after their tour. In 2000, President Bill Clinton passed a law for military dogs to be adopted. Now, they are more popular than ever.

Usually, there is a six-month wait. The cost is roughly $1000 to $2000 USD because dogs fly back from the country commercially. However, it's a small price to pay considering most of these dogs have had training upwards of $40,000 USD.

Normally, 300 dogs are put up for adoption. Because of the Bin Laden raid, there has been a surge of 400 applications for adoption. Since Cairo has done his job, he will be retiring from the Navy Seals. It will be interesting to see where he winds up.

Let's Discuss!

Have you ever met one of these incredible dogs?

George Washington and General Howe's Dog
Family Adopts The Dog Of A Fallen Soldier
Coming Home
Nubs, The True Story Of A Mutt, A Marine And A Miracle

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Cookie Update

Today, I took Cookie to the vet to check her weight. As I'm still not able to have surgery, I've taken some steps to conservatively treat Cookie until surgery is possible. As it turned out, Cookie has lost about 1.4 pounds. While she still has a way to go, it's a step in the right direction.

Keeping Quality Of Life A Priority

In addition to working at getting Cookie to lose weight, I've been taking her along in the car while I do dogwalking. Since she can't walk big distances, she loves her car ride and with the weather still being cool, she doesn't mind waiting while I do my work.

She is walking better too. We've been giving her fish oil and Dasuquin (a joint supplement) every morning to help keep arthritis at bay. I've had the best luck with the salmon oil I picked up at Pet Supplies Plus. At night, she gets 200IUs of Vitamin E along with her regular food.

Looking Forward

Her walking is now more secure, and she still tries to jump up on furniture. I am hoping to be able to do surgery at the end of the summer, but right now, everything is tentative.

Thanks for all of you who've stopped in. Hope you are enjoying the week.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

What Happens When You Get A Dog Bite

Today is the last day of Dog Bite Prevention Week. There are over 5 million dog bites in America with over half of the happening to children. Children between 5 and 9 years old are most frequently affected.

Tale Of An Unforeseen Dog Bite

This past Friday, I went to walk a new dog. It was a new dog that I misread the warning signs and got bitten pretty badly on the hand. The pain was so sharp it affected the joints. I wound up going to the hospital to stop the bleeding and make sure there were no chipped bones. Luckily, no stitches were needed and no bones were broken.

Aside from getting a tetanus shot and having quite a bit of swelling, I turned out ok. However, many people get even more serious damage from a dog bite. Here are some tips to prevent dog bites:

Never stare a dog directly in the eyes. It can be seen as a form of aggression.
Never disturb a dog who is sleeping, eating or tending to her puppies.
Don't run past a dog. It can bring out their aggressive side.
Never reach through a fence to pet a dog.
Never leave children alone with a dog.
Walk your dog regularly for mental stimulation.

What To Do If A Dog Bites You

Clean the affected area with soap and water.
Go to the hospital if the bite is severe.
Keep the wound covered with bandages and antiseptic ointment.

Dog bites can be preventable if you heed the signs of aggression.

Let's Discuss!

What tip can you offer regarding dog bites?

To Tug Or Not To Tug
Dog Bite Prevention Week

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Walking The Dog

Tonight, I took the girls and Homer for a walk. As I was walking up the street, Homer noticed a rabbit. Since he was only 10 feet away from it, I let him chase it for a bit with the girls following behind. After, the rabbit ran into a neighbor's yard, I stopped and congratulated the dogs on a good job.

I continued on the walk, minding my own business. When I turned the dogs around to go home, I had a neighbor yell at me "You really should do a better job of keeping your dogs off my lawn. This was not because of the rabbit, but because one of the dog's did their business (the type that an owner can't pick up) on their lawn.

This man then told me that I was breaking a rule by having my dogs walk on his lawn. Nevermind, that he didn't have any signs saying to keep dogs off the lawn. Nevermind that I told him that I try to keep my dogs on the parkway (which is city property). Then I said "Friendly Neighbor" in a sarcastic voice and continued on my way. He then yelled that I should use a backyard.

Most people who don't own dogs realize that some dogs require more exercise than staying in the backyard. Homer, has a very high energy level. He spends a huge chunk of the day in the backyard and still needs at least two walks a day.

I find myself stymied for a solution. I try to respect neighbors' wishes but it's very hard to keep the dogs on a certain path, especially when Homer fixates on a rabbit scent. I guess I will just have to rotate the routes I take the dogs on and try to avoid this neighbor's lawn in the future.

Let's Discuss!

How do you deal with difficult neighbors? What do you think is the best solution?

Lawn Lovers vs. Dog Owners

Sunday, May 15, 2011

2 Uncommon Ways For Your Dog To See Chicago

Hi All!

Photo: Mercury Skyline Cruiseline

I know it's been awhile since I've last posted. I am now finished with school for the semester so I can write more posts for the summer.

Seeing Chicago With Your Dog

Many times, the idea of bringing our pets with us on a trip is more appealing than leaving them by themselves. With hotels offering pet-friendly options these days, it's always great to find an activity that includes your dog as well. Recently I discovered two companies that make this possible.

Chicago Horse and CarriageThis company offers carriage rides to sightsee the fun parts of Chicago. They operate in all kinds of weather except for extreme weather (under 15°F or over 90°F. Dogs are allowed as long as their paws are dry. Rides can be as short as 30 minutes or as long as an hour. For more information, you can see more at the Chicago Horse and Carriage Website.
Chicago Canine Cruise from Mercury Skyline Cruiseline Last year, I learned about this cool dog cruise. Every Sunday starting in mid-July through late September, owners and their dogs can take a 90 minute cruise that talks about the best pet-friendly places to stay, eat and dog parks to visit. For more information, please visit Mercury's website.

Let's Discuss!

Kayaking With Your Dog
Wedding Season

What are some unusual ways you spend time with your dogs

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Lost and Found Pets America

There's nothing worse than when you lose a pet. There are many lost and found websites out there. One that has stood out is Lost And Found Pets America. A small group of individuals and businesses band together from a passion to reunite owners with their missing pets. This selflessness is why they're website of the week.

This website provides free found ads to those who have found a pet and low-cost lost ads to those folks who have lost their pet. They work along with other websites to make it possible to bring a pet home.

How It Began

Lost and Found Pets America started out because a little Pomeranian named BearBear went missing one day. Luckily, BearBear was found and has had a happy ending.

Help Bring A Pet Home

Right now, shelters, animal rescue groups and individuals can benefit too. This website is having a special contest to bring lost pets home.

If you are a shelter or animal rescue group and you are the first to post 5 found ads, the group who does that will win a $100 gift card to the online pet supply or vet supply site of their choice.
Also, if you are a bird or parrot rescue group and are the first to post 5 found ads, the bird rescue group who does so will also receive a $100 gift card to the online pet supply or vet supply site of their choice.
If you are an individual that can name their 3 favorite websites, send them an e-mail. They can be animal advocacy or pet-loving websites. Two winners will receive (according to their judges) a $25.00 Amazon gift card.

For more information, check out the contest link. Winners will be announced the first week of June.
Contest Link

*Note: For those animal rescue groups entering, the contest does not start until 5/5/11 at 12PM Eastern Daylight Time.

Let's Discuss!

What lost and found website have you used?

Don't Have A Lost Dog
Reunited And It Feels So Good
Words From A Lost Pup

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Opposites Attract

There's always been a debate about whether big dogs or small dogs are better. I've always liked both which is the topic of today's post. I found these pictures and thought I would share them with you...