Scratchings-and-Sniffings

A Sort-of Happy Ending for Sled Dogs

While the following stories are appalling, they do come with a happy ending, of sorts. In each story, almost 100 sled dogs were rescued from certain death, and are now recovering in warm, happy surroundings. The reports say they will be available for adoption soon.

I first saw this story on my local news, here in CO. The dogs our news reported on were from Colorado Springs, at a sled-dog racing track that was now closed. While the owners of these dogs face felony charges of neglect and cruelty, I have my doubts that justice will be served.

The dogs were all friendly and eager to connect with the rescuers, and the video was heart-warming as well as heart-wrenching. I do not know how any human being can allow such living conditions to exist, or how they can't just admit they can no longer take care of the dogs, and give them up for adoption.

I just don't get it. <sigh>

101 Dalmatians Musical: Tanner

In our on-going series of posts about the Purina sponsored musical, 101 Dalmatians, here's another bio of one of the shelter dogs in the show. Tanner is 5 years old. He's from a Rescue site SW of Virginia. Our thanks go out to them. And to all shelters, especially at this time of the year.

Don't you love this picture of Tanner? He looks playful and affectionate. Makes one want to run out and adopt him!

The bio tells us that Tanner is one of the biggest and strongest Dalmatians in the show. He loves to take the trainers for a walk! LOL Sure reminds me of my Carmie - she's strong in my mind these days.

Dominance Theory VS Leadership in Dog Training

There is an increasingly noisy debate going on between two schools on the subject of learning and training in dogs. In one corner we have veterinary behavior specialists and humane organizations and in the other we have a very popular TV personality and his devotees. Sounds kind of like a classic David and Goliath story to me.

The TV personality advocates the notion of Dominance and establishing yourself as the alpha dog in your household. The veterinary behaviorists advocate reinforcement of desirable behavior coupled with avoiding inadvertently reinforcing undesirable behavior. If you've read my stuff on behavior you know I'm in the vet's camp on this one.

 

Here's why.

Miles is Coming for the Holidays... And beyond!

Back in February last year I had an idea this day might come. My daughter Claire had announced that she was getting a dog. A big dog. Since we had just recovered from taking care of her last dog and dealing with Darcie's long good bye, I had a sense of deja vu mixed with some trepidation.

Claire has moved into a better living situation for her last semester in law school. Unfortunately, the new place does not accept dogs so Miles will be moving in with us starting next week, until Claire graduates in May. 

SuperDog: New "Holiday" Pet Pic Puzzle of the Week

Hey, Halloween is a holiday, right?

We just couldn't resist this adorable picture that Kevin Burke shared on our Facebook page. Kevin is a great friend and founder of Lucid Marketing and Moms Who Blog.

So get us your pet's best holiday look. Just go to the S&S Facebook wall, tell us a little about your pet pic, attach the photo, and click "Share"!

But first ...

Have fun solving this week's Pet Pic Puzzle and let us know you like the picture we chose:

Pet Pic Puzzle - Super Dog sliding puzzle game » sliding puzzle creator

Scratchings & Sniffings Out Loud: Senior Cats - Diet and Pain Management

Concluding our Scratchings & Sniffings Out Loud podcast with Dr. Grace and Dr. Larry on Senior Cats, today we're talking about diet and pain management. We discussed the overview of what makes a cat a 'senior' in Part 1 of this podcast, hop over and listen to that, too.

We also have a terrific brochure in the sidebar (on the right), "Friends for Life" that discusses Senior cat care. Download a copy for yourself, today by clicking the picture here, or clicking the icon in the sidebar.

Back to our podcast. I was fascinated by the way we cat people tend to think our cats can take care of themselves - they're just so darned independent! But, they need us to pay attention to their eating habits, their daily behavior, and how the get around. Because...guess what...cats get arthritis, too! Listen to Dr. Larry explain and heed his caution (do not give cats tylenol or aspirin!):

I saw a Bald Eagle

Yesterday when Tom and I were out shopping, I noticed a very big bird flying low in the sky to my left and I bent down in my seat to see what it was. It wasn't a crow...or anything else easily identifiable. My first thought was, "Is that a Bald Eagle?" My second thought was, "Naw...that would be too kewl!"

Well, it flew right over the car, and not that far above us and I could plainly see that it was a Bald Eagle. It was beautiful. Glorious. Spectacular. I watched it in awe for a few seconds until it was out of sight.

The last time I saw one of these majestic birds was on a field trip with one of my children - and that was many, many years ago, in NY. It may seem strange to write about a bird on a petblog mostly about dogs and cats, but sometimes one has to share experiences. This experience was the highlight not only of my day (far beyond the 'shopping' expedition), it is, so far, the highlight of our moving to Colorado, after being nearer family,  of course.

Still Looking for Zulu

As of this morning the search for Zulu is still on. In fact, there has been so much support in the search that the rescue team is asking people to back off a bit. Seems like folks are coming out of the woodwork and tramping all over private property in the process. 

There's a story in the paper about the effort and the response. 

 

Apparently Zulu is a little on the skittish side and the team leading the effort from Animal Rescue of El Paso is worried that all the commotion will make her nervous and less likely to be found. They are using some interesting tools and techniques in the rescue attempt.

 

A recording of the owners voice is being played on a loudspeaker in a continuous loop. They also have a live trap baited with roasted chicken. For a dog that has been out there for almost ten days that sounds very tempting.

Scratchings & Sniffings Out Loud: Senior Cats - Part I

This is a Scratchings & Sniffings Out Loud with Dr. Larry and Dr. Grace. It's a continuing conversation covering cats. Today we're talking about senior cats and how to care for them. As most of you know, the Wabby Wibby, Queen kitty at this house, is a 'senior' cat. (Part II will be posted early next week)

Interestingly, as you'll learn in the podcast, senior can mean something different to you and me, than it does to our vet. (oh, not that much different - but, our vet's are trained to watch for changes we aren't necessarily aware of, and sometimes our cats hide illness so well, we miss a lot; especially as they age)

We know that our pets age faster - the common expectation is 7 years for every one of ours - but is that true, and if so, what does it mean? Dr. Larry and Dr. Grace get into the nitty-gritty, because they know we all want our kitties to live long and healthy lives. I expect my Wabby, who is 17, to be around for at least 5 more years. Well, one does have high hopes, you know.

The Saga of Zulu, One Heroic Dog

When I tell people I live in Southern New Mexico, most conjure up visions of desert landscapes and warm weather. They are partially correct, but up here at six thousand feet and higher, winter is only one storm away.

I just returned from a camping trip with some friends from Texas. Some of you may be wondering why anyone would go camping in December. We usually have pretty decent weather. It gets down in the teens at night in the high country, but it can get up to fifty or so during the day. Not so last week.

 

Our first night out in the wilderness was downright cold. It hit 8 below zero in my tent and everything we had was frozen solid the next morning, even the beer in the cooler. We survived because we were prepared for the cold. Another man was not so lucky, or maybe he was lucky.