Wednesday, June 30, 2010

How Much WAS that Doggie in the Window?

How Much Was That Doggie In The Window


By Luan Egan June 2010



How much is that doggie in the window, the one with the waggedy tail

How much is that doggie in the window I do hope that doggie's for sale



But where did that doggie really come from, before the shop had it for sale?

Was it shipped from a Mill, are the parents there still, worn out breeding pups, till they're killed.



And what if that doggie isn't healthy, the parents defective or sick?

Does the shop really care about the dogs they sell there, or is their "health guarantee" just slick shtick?



How much was that doggie in the window, after you named it and carried it home?

When the Vet lets you know that his bad teeth or elbows are genetics he got from his Mom



How much was that doggie in the window, that cute pup you impulsively bought

When you factor in shoes and other things that he's chewed, and now he's too strong to be walked.



How much was that doggie in the window, the one you just left at the Pound

Cause trainers aren't cheap, and you could not sleep, while your dog howled outside all night long



How much was that doggie in the window, the pup that you loved for a while

He's now just a Mutt, who didn't make the cut, who'll die when the shelter gets full



How many such doggies can we Rescue, we try but boy it is tough

The money, the time, the adopters to find, it seems that it's never enough



How much is that doggie in the window, would you buy it if you really knew?

Would you still get that pup, if you took time to smarten up, on what it ALL costs when you do?

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Guess The Breed #18


Now for the LONG AWAITED post ... Guess The Breed #18.



Here is today's GUESS THE BREED! What do you think this one is?? Here's hoping this one makes you think!



Ready? Set? GO!



Remember the rules for these posts ...

1. No bashing other peoples' opinions.

2. Post your opinion. Don't be shy.

3. Have fun!



First prize is always bragging rights and LINK LOVE.



The winner from the last GTB post (#17) was GoLightly, author of GoLightlyFacts + Fictions and GoLightly Fiction, BeginningToEnd, with the guess "Beauceron".

Monday, June 28, 2010

News Reel - Killing Our Pets with Kindness

Finally the papers are publishing articles about pet health that's more than just an advertisement from the highest bidder! In the article, Killing our pets with kindness, published in the Toronto Star on Friday, columnist Barbara Turnbull investigates the problem with obesity in our pets. It's true, we are killing them with kindness - and food!



Current estimates suggest that 40-50% of canines in North America are overweight! Obesity is a common problem. Many people relate food to love without even realizing it. Many things will spurn the average pet owner to add a few more calories to their dog's daily ration - guilt, remorse, pity, desire, lonliness, boredom and unfilled needs in the human are many common causes.



Apparently there is a "Woof Watchers" program being run out of Toronto’s Canine Wellness Centre. I looked around the web page and one thing kept popping out in my mind ... money. In order to participate in this "Woof Watchers", you must pay a $45 consult fee, then commit to two swim sessions per week minimum (to the tune of $30). There are other things that they would like you to do, but that's the minimum. Not to mention all the money you're forking out for extra food since you're overfeeding. Then there's the added cost of treats and toys (which they give you "points" towards your purchase for participating in Woof Watchers)!



Good grief. Some people ask me how can I afford four dogs? "They are so expensive." You know, I turn around and look at their overweight dogs and think about the extra food they feed and the cookies they feed. I explaing this to them: I don't use cookies to train (this saves about $100 per month) and I don't over-feed (not sure exactly how much this saves but assume it is 1/4 of my food prices - a savings of at least $25 per month). The dogs don't wear collars daily (only when we go out) so I don't have to replace them. I probably spend the same amount on mine that you do on your one. Usually it sinks in when they start looking at all the costs.



Take a few minutes to check out the article, though. It talks about the health concerns that accompany canine obesity, etc.

Friday, June 25, 2010

News Reel - Take Your Dog to Work Day

Happy Take Your Dog to Work Day!

 

Take Your Dog to Work Day was first celebrated in 1999. It was created to promote pet adoption from shelters, humane societies and rescues. Pet Sitters International has this to say about Take Your Dog to Work Day:



On Friday June 25, 2010, businesses, animal shelters and pet-care professionals from around the world will work together to better the lives of shelter dogs everywhere. Thousands of businesses will GO FURRY to promote pet adoption by opening their doors to employees’ furry, four-legged friends on this day in celebration of the great companions dogs make.



Did you bring your dog to work today?

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Featured Rescue - Teddy the Chow Chow

All right, well I'm still waiting for my new hard drive to arrive from Purolator so today's post is going to be a Featured Rescue while I "borrow" a computer. Today's feature is Teddy, a Chow Chow located at the Mississauga Humane Society


Teddy is around 10 years old and is 60 lbs. So sad when the seniors need to find new homes! Here's what his foster home says about him:


Teddy is a very handsome dog who is in good shape. He is a very sweet and loving dog who loves staying with his people all the time. We think he is good with kids too. Teddy enjoys his daily long walks; keeping squirrels out of his way or just sitting/lying down and admiring the nature. Teddy is well behaved at home; however, he does not like to be left alone for long hours by himself. He would make an excellent companion


I would think that means he has separation anxiety. I hope they are working through it and not feeding it -- sometimes the foster homes don't realize they are making this sort of thing worse. Here's hoping he finds that new home soon!

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

A Series of Unfortunate Events

I think I'm having the WORST week ever. My husband and I are sick with some chest cold thing that has us up all night - we haven't slept in over a week.



It feels like a "Series of Unfortunate Events" around here. First, I lost my keys and was almost 2 hours late for work. Great. That went over well, let me tell you.



Then, our septic backed up (AGAIN) so we had to have someone come out and fix it (the 3.5 year old nephew came over for a visit and Grandpa thought it a good idea to let him go "pee-pee" alone ... need I say more?)



And now? The final straw is that my computer's hard drive crashed yesterday! Bad sectors. Luckily, it is on warranty but it does mean that I don't have any of my stuff until I have rebuilt the dratted thing! ARGH.



I hear we just had an earthquake. It didn't originate here but we could feel it. My cupboards were doing the "shake, rattle and roll" ... hope nothing is broken.



It can only get better from here, right? The sun will come out tomorrow ... I'm sure of this. It's only Wednesday for goodness' sake!

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

News Reel -- Dog Food Recall: Natural Balance

I don't know how many people out there feed Natural Balance but I'd rather get the information out there and be safe than sorry. There is a voluntary recall that was announced on June 18, 2010.



Apparently there is a possibility that the food has been contaminated with Salmonella. Specifically, it is the Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Chicken Dry Dog Food (5 lb and 28 lb bags) with best before date of June 17, 2011. If you feed your dog this food, please take a few moments to check the bag for the best before date. If you have a bag of food that is affected by this recall, contact the supply store where you bought the food. They should have a policy/procedure for handling this food.



You can find the entire article by clicking the Read More link below.


Monday, June 21, 2010

Low Cost Spay / Neuter Clinics - Arizona

I am posting a list of Low Cost Spay / Neuter Clinics that I have run across in my internet travels. I've never tried these clinics out but if you have, PLEASE post your experience about them!! I'm going to post them by state/province and have a contents page here. I'm impressed at how many clinics there are in Arizona! Very good to see.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Thank you Entrecard Advertisers

Thank you to this week's Entrecard advertisers. I appreciate your support:

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Featured Rescue - Zuggy the Lhasa Apso

When I first read this adoptable on Petfinder, I thought the person who entered the information must have made a typo! This little guy's name is Zuggy. He arrived at the shelter 5/26/09. At 10-years old, Zuggy is considered a "senior". According to the write up: He spent his whole life in a cage, and is ready retire in a warm, loving forever home.



Zuggy is currently in the care of The Humane Society Of Yates County which is in NY. Phone number is (315) 536-6094.



This is the embodiment of crappy photos of adoptable animals. This guy has been around for a year and they still haven't got a better picture than THAT?! Come on people! I bet his adopability would go up if they gave him a trim in the grooming facilities that they profess to have at the shelter and took a better picture! Sometimes it's not only the animals who give up on finding a new home - sometimes the people taking care of them do too.

Friday, June 18, 2010

News Reel - The Animal-Cruelty Syndrome

I know, two news reels in a row ... well, almost. Sorry about that but I can't help when things are published. While this is not new news and studies have been ongoing for years about this topic, I am glad that newspapers are still printing it. The more people who know about the link between Animal Cruelty and "other criminal behaviours" (usually you find articles that point this link to domestic violence). EDUCATION could save millions!



The Animal-Cruelty Syndrome is an article published on June 7, 2010 in the NY Times by CHARLES SIEBERT. In this article, Siebert summarizes the horrible act of animal cruelty "last year in southwest Baltimore, [where] a 2 year old female pit bull terrier" was doused in gasoline and set alight". Siebert also mentions that "Before 1990, only six states had felony provisions in their animal-­cruelty laws; now 46 do" which is a significant increase.



This is a good article (do I ever post any articles that aren't??) that examines studies where they found links between animal abuse and violent crimes. Many names are mentioned to have links between animal cruelty and violent crimes including Jeffrey Dahmer, Theodore Bundy, and David Berkowitz.



As an update to this story, 17-year-old twin brothers named Tremayne and Travers Johnson were charged June 8, 2009 with animal abuse and cruelty in the May 27 burning of the dog. The brothers were indicted by a Baltimore grand jury in November on aggravated animal abuse charges. The two pleaded not guilty in December to burning the dog, named Phoenix by rescuers. Their next day in court is Wednesday, Jun 30, 2010: Trial



Here's to hoping they are tried as adults and go to jail for a very long time. I always hope for some jail-house justice ... Come on court systems ... don't fail us now!

Thursday, June 17, 2010

DogsDeserveFreedom - Blog Updates

Just a quick note to let you all know that I've been working on updating this blog a lot lately. I haven't liked the way it looks for some time and I've finally taken action! Now I can focus on blogging again rather than being distracted by aesthetics.



You may have noticed that the background is totally different. Some other changes include:

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

News Reel - Parents with dogs need to train the kids too

Why don't kids come with an owners manual? I have often wondered that ... I think many parents/dog-owners would do well with a bit more instruction but I suppose the eternal question is whether or not they would accept it and apply it??




Yvette Van Veen answers a parent's question about preventing their new puppy from jumping all over the child in the following article: Owners’ Manual: Parents with dogs need to train the kids, too



It was an interesting publication in the Toronto Star about children and dogs. I love this particular paragraph "Parents need to teach children how to behave around animals. Pet owners are responsible for teaching their animals how to behave around people. Parents with dogs need to accomplish both tasks." Far too many parents forget to teach their children appropriate interaction skills with dogs. Take a few mintutes to read the article. I enjoyed it and am glad that this sort of thing is starting to get out in the papers.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Black Dog Rescue - Dude the Kelpie mix

A lot of the shelters have begun using a colour system to make it easier for potential adopters to identify dogs (and for the shelter workers to put them all into their convenient little boxes). I think it is a good idea because let's face it - most dogs won't show their "true colours" in the viewing area.




Today's Featured rescue is Dude the Kelpie mix (I'm not a fan of the name, but when you see the volume that some of these places do, you use what comes). Dude is listed as 1 year, 8 months old. His profile is written in classic "colour system" style ... GO-GETTER (GREEN): Want to get more exercise? Action is my middle name. My "Let's GO!" lifestyle will keep you motivated to get outside and move. I've got tons of energy, and just like the sun, I'm burning and working 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I'll run for miles, chase a ball for hours, and still want to play at the end of the day.



Dude is currently residing at the Hamilton/Burlington SPCA. I hope he's not going crazy in there ... I was going to pull him but there's another I've committed to first.

Monday, June 14, 2010

RANT - WoofStock 2010 Toronto

I went to Woofstock this weekend. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. My head almost exploded with all the crap I saw. I don't even know where to start! I start thinking about something I saw and I can't even type it out fast enough. After careful deliberation, I believe the best place to start is this ...


I can't begin to tell you how much of this I saw. Do you think that people picked it up?? Not a chance. Granted, there were some good dog owners there this weekend who were picking it up, but sometimes the few ruin it for the many. By the end of Sunday the streets smelled like dog feces and urine. There were dog shit piles every 6 feet or so, making it difficult to walk, look at booths and keep an eye out for land-mines at the same time. It was disgusting. A good way to ensure I NEVER move to the city.


(more pictures in full article)

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Thank You, Entrecard Advertisers for this Week

I want to give a little link-love as a thank you for this week's Entrecard advertisers ... they are:


Tom's Cats

Da Dude's BBQ Thought

elai's haven

Leomar's Den

Sisko's House

First Door on the Left

Denford Magora's Zimbabwe Blog

Drowning In Cats

Maitri's Heart



Entrecard is a free service that allows you to put a widgit on your blog to sell advertising space for "Entrecard Credits" or ECs as they have become known as. If you would like to know more about Entrecard, click the icon below.


Friday, June 11, 2010

Friday Feature - Fads, Social Contagion and Dog Breed Popularity

Do you remember when I wrote a post about how when dogs are in the media, people rush out to buy them? Then within a year or two the shelters/rescues are generally overwhelmed with that breed?? That was last June. One year ago. My blog entry was a Featured Rescue post in response to the Disney movie, Beverly Hills Chihuahua.



Since I started actively monitoring the numbers of dogs/breeds in rescue/shelters the numbers have been pretty consistent. Last year, the number of Chihuahua's listed on Petfinder was 7,842 -- pretty well the same from the previous year. This year the number has drastically increased to a staggering 11,430!



Is this enough proof to confirm the theory that when animals are in the media, the number of those animals in rescue increases? If you look at this as well as the recent fad for Dalmatians and other media-sparked breeds, then for me it is. For some it may not be.



It isn't enough for Harold Herzog who wrote a paper on the topic in 2006. His report, called Forty-Two Thousand and One Dalmatians: Fads, Social Contagion and Dog Breed Popularity, looks at possible reasons for breed booms, the causes and factors that influence breed choices.



Thursday, June 10, 2010

News Reel - Rescues are Overwhelmed

This was emailed to me and I thought I would share. Not that it's new news, but the more publicity we can get about pet over-population, spay/neuter necessities, adoptions and euthanasia the better.



MEDIA ADVISORY



Pet Rescues in Southern Ontario are overwhelmed



(Markham, ON - June 8, 2010): Homeless pets urgently need the assistance of

the public to avert a disaster created in part by the current economy and

the closures of the Toronto Humane Society Shelter and the OSPCA Shelter in

Newmarket.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Asshat Award - Congratulations! I hear you're expecting

CraigsList ... I don't even know where to start. I think it is a great idea because it offers people a place where they can have a chance to re-home their pets without them going to the shelters ... you KNOW how much space we don't have in our shelters! The more that are rehomed without walking through that door, the better in my opinion. Unfortunately, CL also opens the door for BYBers, dumping, lab testing pickups, hoarders and asshats. I would like to take a moment to address the OP of the below ad.


Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Adgitize Summer Promotion

Adgitize your web site.


I'm sure you all know that I have advertising space on my blog but for those of you who have only recently joined us, you may not be aware that all the money I earn from advertising (above and beyond my costs) goes towards the animals. I donate this money to a dog related rescue (please remember that readers are always welcome to comment and make a suggestion regarding who this money is donated to!).





I run advertising on a network called Adgitize. I find Adgitize alone brings me a large amount of traffic and is well worth the $14 a month it costs. Most months, the advertising pays for itself and leaves between $5-10 extra that I can donate ... in one year, that could be up to $120 and all it takes is 30 minutes of my time!




There is a summer promotion going on with Adgitize that offers the opportunity to help even more! Click below to read a short excerpt from the Adgitize blog explaining how Adgitize Special Summer Promotion Helps You Earn More Money!



Monday, June 7, 2010

Featured Rescue Followups March, April and May

Today's Featured Rescue Followup will be March, April and May. It will be a relatively long list but LUCKILY, I have figured out how to clip my posts so you can click the "READ MORE" button to see the entire post! Cool, eh? Ok, so I am super-excited about it anyway.


Here goes nothing!

Friday, June 4, 2010

OffTopic ... EntreCard Top Droppers and Advertisers

Sorry to get off topic from dogs ... but I think I should post something about Entrecard here since it brings me so much traffic on a regular basis. It has increased my readership as well as increased the amount of Followers to my blog.




I have gone into Entrecard and written a review as well as rated each of this month's Entrecard Top Droppers from my Blog. I end up visiting each of your sites often thanks to your drops and often will stop to read your latest entry. Thank you to you all:

AsTheCrackerheadCrumbles


Urban Art Blog

Guitarbench.com
Rate T-shirts

Web Design Web

Urban Art by Paul Baines

Art Shout!

T-Shirt Reviews

Selfploitation.com

Cornymans Money-Blog
 
 
Also, thank you for this week's advertisers ... they are:

Essence of woodwork

I Love-Hate America

Drowning In Cats

So far, so good

WendyLee

Travel on the Tide ~

fresh 'n' marine aQuarium Blog

There is Happiness

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

DDF ~ A Rescuers Answering Machine

I can't remember if I've posted this already or not but since I can't find it when I search through my posts, that leads me to believe that I have not. I did not write it but I am crossposting it so we can all enjoy. Please click "Read More" to read the entire post.



A RESCUERS ANSWERING MACHINE




Hello: You have reached ___-____, Tender Hearts Rescue. Due to the

high volume of calls we have been receiving, please listen closely to

the following options and choose the one that best describes you or

your situation:

>

Press 1 if you have a 10-year-old dog and your 15-year-old son has

suddenly become allergic and you need to find the dog a new home

right away.

>

Press 2 if you are moving today and need to immediately place your

150 pound, 8-year-old dog.

>