Animal Chatter

The rumors are circulating. Could it be possible that the Six time Super Bowl Champions the Pittsburgh Steelers are even entertaining the thought of signing Michael Vick, dog killer. A man who blatantly killed dogs with his bare hands. What kind of monster does that?

As a long time Steeler fan, I find the rumor to be quite upsetting. Why would such a hard working, moral team like the Steelers even consider this? What could Vick possibly bring to them that they don’t have? Oh ya, controversy. That’s about it. The team’s accomplishments would be so over shadowed by the ill feeling of decent Steeler fans towards Michael Vick that you wouldn’t even remember them for being the best  NFL team in football history.

Why would Tomlin even consider it, not to mention the Rooney’s? Some of the finest, most respected people to ever own a football franchise. Ya ya, forgive and give second chances and all that crap. It doesn’t cut it in the NFL. One strike and you are out. These players are the figureheads that our kids look up to. So, we tell our kids, go out, commit a felony, but that’s ok, cause you can always get a job in the NFL if the local trash company turns you down.

Come on folks, be realistic, not only does Michael Vick NOT belong in the NFL, he for sure does not deserve to be a Steeler. Let some other less fortunate, less talented, less moral team pick him up since the commish decided its ok to reinstate him (with conditions).

If you want your voice heard opposing the Steelers signing Michael Vick, here’s on online petition you can sign.

http://www.petitiononline.com/stlrs09/petition.html

Fourteen years ago I received a phone call about a German shepherd pup that was so abused that you could barely get to it. It hadn’t been abused in the sense that anyone beat it, it’s just had no one bit of human contact or touch since it had been born 3 months prior to my call. Since I had my own grooming business and could take the pup to work with me and socialize it, the person thought I would be a good choice to take him, so I did. I named him Kaiser. We worked through all his anxieties. He vomited or pottied everyday in the car on the way to work for a month. He wouldn’t go near anyone, we would have to pull him from under the end tables at home just to touch him. I would lie on the floor looking at him for hours explaining to him that no one would ever harm him. Eventually, he became one of my best friends. Still shy with others until he got to know them, but a great dog.

Then, two years later, I boarded a Rottweiler at my kennels that wasn’t wanted by its owner anymore. The boy had moved to Florida and taken the sister to the rottie, but couldn’t take them both and dumped him on his parents. His parents not seeing any humor in that boarded him with me. Eventually, they didn’t want to have that bill anymore so they wanted to get rid of him. Over his time of stay he became very close to me and my family, but we just weren’t sure how well this unneutered massive rottie would get along with our German Shepherd who had already been through so much. But, I was talked into taking Zeus home, and the rest is history.

They immediately became the best of friends. Playing together, eating together, getting in trouble together. They were inseparable. They were quite a duo, Zeus and Kaiser, a combined weight of 240 pounds of love and sweetness.

At the age of 7 Zeus had to have disc surgery. He couldn’t walk, and the doctors were not sure if he ever would. Some encouraged us to put him down, others said to give it a try. Putting him down was never an option. As a surgical vet tech, I knew I could get him through this, and with vigorous therapy and exercise for weeks on end, he eventually began to walk, albeit a funny gait and a little hard to get up on the tile floor, but he managed. Through his entire recovery, Kaiser was there. Laying right against him at night, and standing by his said all day.

Then horror struck for Kaiser, he developed prostate cancer. I knew his time was very limited, and he made it only 5 months till we had to put him down. A very sad day for all of us, especially Zeus who had lost his best friend.

Being an animal lover and rescuer, I knew that I had to get Zeus another buddy, and also open up room for the rescue to take in another dog. I told them I wanted one that was a bit older and that had special needs. They had the perfect dog for me. He was rescued from death row in Nashville, you couldn’t really get a hand on him, his face showed the signs of battle with his scars. But, he would come live with me, and never have to battle again. At first Zeus was stand offish with him. He was certainly an odd one. After much prodding from me and my family, they became friends and Thor relished that he had a buddy that didn’t bite him or fight him, but one he could play with, well sort of play with. Zeus limited ability to move made it difficult, but Thor seemed to understand his handicap. After a bit, we came to realize that Thor was probably only about 18 months old. He blew an entire coat becoming a different color, and took on more of an adult look instead of a puppy over the months.

Alas, Zeus was stricken with cancer in his toe, and we had it removed. The report came back showing clean margins, but guarded condition. We were told if he went 6 months clean, it had been taken out with his toe. We counted every month, chest x-rays and daily lymph node checks. No cancer, it was looking good. Five months down the road, still looking good, but a choking and gagging spell one day led to something completely different, and Zeus began to seizure. He never came out of it, and had to be euthanized. Most certainly one of the saddest days of my life, and hardest to accept. Not only for me, but for my family and of Thor, who had lost the only other dog he trusted. With nose to the floor, he constantly went from room to room looking for his buddy. He was no where to be found.

Our vet had told us he had been the recipient of a 10 month old black German Shepherd that was dumped in his pasture. He couldn’t keep it. With a pregnant wife and three other dogs, they just couldn’t do it, but they couldn’t give it to just anyone. They were working diligently with this dog, which was scared of everything, thin and ragged looking and unneutered temporarily. He begged us to take him saying he thought we would be the perfect home, so, we decided to let the dogs meet and see what happened.

Nothing much happened. They sort of looked at each other, walked around together, got along fine, but not an instant attachment. Of course, Thor, still grieving for Zeus and suspicious of other dogs, is biding his time. It’s just been a couple days but we are hoping that we have the next era of Thor and Jove, like our beloved Zeus and Kaiser era. Maybe that happens just once in a lifetime.

However it turns out, we know that Zeus and Kaiser are once again together in doggie heaven, playing, laughing, and probably making fun of “those obsessive humans” they had.

Kaiser

Zeus

Thor

Jove

After years of being the only baby in the house, your pet is not going to be the only baby anymore. Was your first reaction to perhaps call the local shelter or find another home for your pet? If so, that isn’t necessary. Below is a list of tips for introducing the newest baby in your family to the one you already have, the one that sheds his hair, drinks out of the toilet, and races around the living room looking at you when he wants to go out to potty. The first thing I want to stress is obedience. If you have not already completed an obedience class with your pet, now is the time. It will be good exercise for you both as well as a great prelude to bringing home baby. With obedience training, your dog knows just what you expect of him.

Lets start with before baby is born

Set up the playpen, toys, crib etc. Let your pet get used to these items. That way, you aren’t introducing too much new stuff at one time. Let him smell the items.

Play baby crying noises, or invest in a baby doll that cries. Let him get familiar with that sound (and you, too).

Sprinkle baby powder around; the scent will become familiar also.

Have your friends and neighbors and relatives expose their baby to your pet so he can get used to those little people.

If your pet is a cat, you can purchase a mesh cover for the crib incase you plan on leaving the nursery door open so that the cat cannot jump into the crib on the baby. For that matter, it will keep those small bouncing dogs out of the inside of the crib also. If the nursery is going to be a pet free zone, close the door and whenever you do open it, make sure your pet understands not to enter. That way, he won’t associate not entering the room with the baby.

After the baby is born

Before bringing home baby, take home a blanket from the hospital with baby smells on it so your pet can familiarize himself with those smells and not be so curious.

When mom or dad walks through the door with baby, greet your pet, call his name, and let the introductions begin. Reward Fido for his good behavior with baby.

When singing songs to the baby, incorporate your pets name into the songs also.

Keep your pets routine as close as possible to the way it was before baby.

Play with your pet not only while baby is sleeping, but while baby is awake also. Reward your pet when it plays well with the baby.

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Including your pet in the joy of having a new baby is the key. Do not make him feel like he is an outsider now. Reward, reward, reward.

Following these few simple lessons can make the difference between a smooth transition for your household or an upset one.

Too cute or too ugly, thats the question I’m asking about the winner of the World’s Ugliest Dog Contest that was held friday at the Sonoma Marin Fair in California.

Pabst, a 4 year old mixed breed boxer was the recipient of the award. With his scrunched up face and under bite, he took the top honors beating out last years Chinese Crested, Rascal.

Pabst will receive $1600.00 in prize money, along with a modeling contract from House Of Dog and also pet supplies.

Miss Ellie, another Chinese Crested, took top honors in the pedigree category.

With summer approaching it’s going to be time to pack up the boat with your wake boards and water skis and life jackets, but if you are one of those people that take your pet with you, don’t forget their Life preserver

It’s best not to assume that all dogs can swim, or even if you know your dog swims that they may not get into a situation that they you can’t retrieve them from quickly enough. You would never put yourself or your family at risk, so you should never put your dog at risks either.

These Life preservers are designed especially for the comfort and safety of your dog. Ranging from extra small to extra large, there is a size specifically designed to fit your pet’s weight and length. These high performance jacketsprovide excellent flotation performance for your pet while keeping them comfortable.

Additionally, you should make sure you have plenty of fresh drinking water on board for your dog. Travel bowls are available in no spill bowls. These are also excellent for hiking and camping or just doggie walks to the park.

Also, be sure to have a place out of the sun on your boat for your dog to relax in. Excess sun can no only burn them, but can cause heat stroke and heat cramps. A nice covering for the pads of their feet while on deck is recommended. Boots for dogs come in various sizes and colors and can help protect their feet from getting burnt.

If your dog has not been boating before, let them get acquainted at first before taking off. Dogs normally like stable surfaces, so this could be quite a shock to them. Allow your pet to get off and on the boat quite a few times to get comfortable and assure him that he will be able to leave the boat at some point. Watch for signs of seasickness, it happens to dogs too.

For all your pet boating safety needs, visit PawsUpPetSupply and use code Cindy01 for your 10% off $50.00 savings.