A Tradition That Needed To End

People love traditions. They love to celebrate a special event. These celebrations can go on for hundreds of years. Such is the case of a longtime festival held in Qianxi.

Known for the origin of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), folklore said that Zhu Yuanzhang and his troops killed the dogs of their opponents so that their barks would not warn them. As part of the victory, they feasted on the meat of the dogs that were slaughtered.

Each year, residents of this area celebrate by eating dog meat. However, after some people questioned if the dog meat was safe to eat, dogs were butchered out in public to show they were safe. Dogs had been killed and then skinned on site.

Online outcry called upon the government to stop this cruelty towards dogs. Many people and After overwhelming pressure, the government gave in and this is the first year dog eating has been banned from the festival. This is a great illustration of how powerful online communication has become.

Read More About It

China Bans Dog-Eating "Carnival" After Uproar - Reuters
Dog Eating Carnival Banned In China - AFP

Let's Discuss

Please share your thoughts about this below. I never could imagine dogs as cuisine and hope this trend ends in Asian countries.

Finding The Right Balance

When you're a dog owner, there are times that you wonder if your dog is getting the right mixture of nutrition in his dog food. Dogs can eat almost anything, and with the increased rate of obesity in our country, it's important to know the nutritional value of what we are feeding them.

Over 69% of Americans have difficulty giving their dog optimal nutrition. It usually isn't balanced enough.Two companies, Hill's Science Diet and PetMD have teamed up to inform dog owners about giving their dogs the right mixture of food. It's called "MyBowl".

What's MyBowl

MyBowl is an interactive educational tool to inform dog owners about the correct combination of nutrients dogs receive. All dogs should have the following as part of their diet:

• Carbohydrates
• Proteins
• Fats and/or oils
• Vitamins and minerals

Carbohydrates help regulate the digestive system by keeping the sugar levels even and giving your dog the burst of energy needed to get through the day. Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that isn't digestible but will help your dog feel full and not want to overeat. Both types of carbohydrates are essential for your dog.

Protein helps maintain muscles and maintains growth. It's the first ingredient in most dog foods because it's a pure form of nutrition. It helps keep their bones strong.When you give an animal a protein like beef or chicken, it will be tasty and nutritious. Protein is a must for any dog food.

Photo: Pet MD

Fats and oils can be intimidating to most dog owners. Too much fat can put extra weight on your dog. However, they also provide energy, give your dog a shiny coat and help promote heart health. We all need a little bit of this to help stay in prime condition.

Vitamins and minerals are important for good health but also are needed in smaller quantities. Examples would be fruits, vegetables, beans and nuts.

Dog Food That Does The Thinking For You

Hill's Science Diet has now created a new dog food called Ideal Balance. It contains just the right mix of the necessary nutrients to keep dogs at their best.

Good nutrition doesn't have to be complicated. With the new programs like the one at Pet MD and making sure that the dog food you buy meets the standards of the AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) it's simpler than you think.

Let's Discuss!

What do you do to keep your pet healthy?

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Laura's Struggle With Hemangiosarcoma

In Memory Of Laura

Photo: Laura's Dad

Some of you may remember Laura. She was fighting an awful disease called hermangiosarcoma. Last week, she lost the battle.

Hemangiosarcoma is a rare cancer that usually isn't caught until it reaches the later stages. It is most commonly found in the spleen and affects the blood vessels. It is treated most often by surgery and a follow-up of chemotherapy. When diagnosed with this disease, if a dog lives longer than a year after the initial diagnosis, it's almost miraculous. Laura's family learned she had the disease on January 20th.

Laura and her family were determined to fight this disease in order to give her the best quality of life possible. They stayed on top of her treatment and even created a special diet to help combat the cancer.

While her time was limited, never did she falter in her courage and always trekked through the fight like a trooper. Laura helped bring awareness to a cancer that wasn't well-known. She handled the situation with grace and fortitude. She showed how life can throw obstacles in one's path but that you can still appreciate and love life wholeheartedly.

It's never easy to say goodbye, and even harder to say goodbye when your dog's condition is terminal. Although I never met Laura, I felt for her situation and cheered when she had her good days.

Her dad kept an awesome blog if you would like to learn more. My thoughts go out to Laura's family during this difficult time. She won't be forgotten.

Learn more

Laura's Blog
Laura's Struggle With Hemangiosarcoma

Happy Labor Day!

Hi Friends!

Since it's a national holiday here in the States, I just wanted to post to wish you all a happy Labor Day. Now that school's started, along with work, it's become a little trickier to post as frequently. However, after next week, things should open up a little more.

In the meantime, you may enjoy a couple of the posts below. I hope you all have a great Labor Day.

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Woman Saves Dog By Punching Bear On The Nose

Photo: Michael Penn/Juneau Empire

It isn't every day that one finds their dog in the clutches of a black bear. Yet that's exactly what happened to 22-year-old Brooke Collins. This woman from Juneau, Alaska had her dogs outside in the yard, when a black bear came in and took her dachshund Fudge by her neck and was carrying her like a piece of salmon.

Without having much time to think, she remembered hearing that if you punch some animals on the nose, it can deter some animals and make them run off. Sure enough, after doing that, the bear became stunned and walked down the driveway.

The dog wasn't seriously injured aside from having some scratches and bite marks. She will be watching the wounds closely to ensure that there's no infection that arises from the incident.

While she wouldn't do something like that again, she felt that she had to act quickly to save her dog. Her other dog, a Pomeranian was unharmed.

Not A Rare Occurrence

It seems that bears are becoming more commonplace and less fearful of humans up in Alaska. To date, there have been at least five bears wandering the neighborhoods scavenging through trash cans for food. It is a growing problem that dog owners have to face.

Collins said the whole experience of a physical encounter shook her up, calling the whole thing an eye-opener. She said she’ll be taking a lot more caution from now on and definitely won’t be approaching neighborhood bears.

Let's Discuss!

Have you ever witnessed such an incident up close?

Read More About It!

Woman Punches Bear To Save Her Dog - Juneau Empire

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