News Stories, Articles and Tid Bits for the Family Dog, Pet Lovers & Dog Owners
PETWORTHY NEWS -PETS IN THE NEWS
Reader Flea And Tick Treatment Hints: We found some interesting tips from pet owners regarding flea medication and application in multi pet households. Pet care is of course of extreme importance to any pet owner. We hope that you will consult with a vet if you have a real concern. These tips found in this article, may also be helpful: "Separate dogs in the same household after applying so they don't groom one another. Use only one product, and never put one on top of another. Read the label to see what animals the product is to be used on don't use dogs' on cats, etc." Do Cats Really Like Catnip?: We have wondered about this question ourselves. In several years of cat ownership which included several cats, none of them have shown any particular interest in catnip. We have put it in cushions, used catnip sprays, catnip blossoms, added it to treats, scattered it on scratchers.....but nothing. However many cat owners swear by it and claim that it can even put their cats in a little frenzy. We have never heard of a cat harmed by catnip, but does it really work or what? According to this article in which Dr. Bernhard Pukay responds to a customer question on this matter, "It is not surprising that one of your cats does not respond tocatnip. In fact, it is estimated that about one-third of all cats donot respond to it. No one has yet determined precisely how catnip worksor what its effects are on the brain. Since catnip is biochemicallyrelated to marijuana and other psychedelic drugs, one theory suggeststhat the pleasure response in cats is similar to that experienced byhumans when they are under the influence of these drugs. Theability to respond to catnip is an inherited predisposition. While mostdomestic cats respond pleasurably to catnip, so will lions, bobcats,lynx, leopards, jaguars, pumas, ocelots and several of the lesser cats.Catnip does not appear to have any effect in other species of animal(with the possible exception of man). Age is also a factor. Forexample, catnip usually has no effect on kittens under three months ofage and some are even repulsed by it." Dachshund Dog Lover Uses Pets for Fundraising: A number of our customers own multiple pets. Some go as far as to dress them all in identical outfits, but we have yet to find one who has as many pets as this dachshund lover who puts her love of dachshunds to use to raise money for the Arthritis Foundation. Julie Skipworth owns 12 dachshund dogs which have brought her much joy despite her crippling arthritis that she has had since she was 23. According to this article, "It was Skipworths love of animals, and her struggle with arthritisthat led her friend, Ronda Ivy, to a great idea for a fundraiser. Ivy, who is an art teacher at Rider High School and a photographer,had organized a benefit in October for Operation Smile, an organizationthat provides free reconstructive facial surgery to indigent childrenand adults." She has helped to raise hundreds of dollars and enjoys the love that people show their pets. Raise Money For Your Favorite Cat or Dog Shelter: An online pet resource for dog owners, cat lovers and shelter operators has a terrific animal love contest going on to award an animal shelter a makeover worth $1million. Imagine what that mean to a dog shelter or cat shelter needing to provide extra homes for needy dogs and other pets. According to this article, "Animal fans can earn points for their favorite shelter by registeringon the site and posting reviews and photos. The first-place winner willbe chosen from the Top 20 point-earners after Zootoo.coms advisoryboard visits each site and evaluates which shelter is most deserving ofthe makeover." Animal shelters are competing all over the nation for the prize. Sled Racing Downunder: . An unusual racing club for pet lovers is taking off in Australia and appears to be alot of fun. The races take place in the cool summer months and it's fun for pet owners and their dogs. According to this article, "THERE'S no snow or heavy coats, only a couple of heavyweight dogs, harnesses and a three-wheeled chariot. Doglovers will get a taste of the sport on Sunday -- minus the white stuff-- when the Northern Exposure Gig Racing Club gathers at Kalinga,Brisbane, for its annual Picnic in the Park. Alaskan malamuteowner Nicole Hammond, of Mermaid Waters, said the dogs were known as'Mack trucks' because of their 40kg bulk and pulling power." It's called Gig racing and is the Australian equivalent of the classic northern sport sled dog sport. Not quite on the level of the Alaska Dog Mushers Association state sport of mushing, but it works! (By the way, a "musher" is a traveler who drives or travels with a dog team and mushing means loosely sledding with dogs on snow. We recently learned though, that mushing also refers to that kneading action of cats before they take a nap or start purring. If you think it means something else, please let us know!). Taking care of your Pet on Vacation: . Probably the most conventional way of taking care of your pet while on vacation was to drop him off at a dog kennel or better still, leave him or her with a petsitter or have a neighbor check in with Fido from time to time. Taking pets on the family vacation has become more common as hotels and other accommodations make more availability for the family dog or cat. Preparing your pet for that pet vacation is important according to this article. Getting a health checkup with the vet should be the first step and another is to consider the mode of travel. "If you do choose to fly, Kim Salerno, president and founder ofTrips With Pets, has some tips. It is recommended that you book anonpeak flight," she said, which means typically less passengers andmore cabin room. Less people means less stress on you and your pet. Shealso noted that "owners should have a travel label on the pet carrierand travel ID tags on the pet with the details of your finaldestination." One of the things that we have always recommended at HandsNpaws is that you get your pet familiar with a new pet carrier in the house before travel. This was also recommended in the article. "Once you arrive at your vacation home, take the same time and care toacclimate the pet to its surroundings. Bringing a few comfort items,like its bed or favorite toys, will ease the transition. It is justlike bringing kids," Dr. Walter said. You bring something thatsfamiliar from home. Making Clothes From Pet Hair . Somepeople are happy with a lovely pet portrait, but a retired coupledecided to play homage to their beloved dog by collecting the dog hairto make woolly sweaters (called woolly jumpers in the UK). According tothis article,Beth and Brian Willis used their dog's hair to knit a sweater from thecouple's white Samoyed, a Russian breed.Although their beloved pet died12 years ago, Mrs. Willis said: "It is not actually a hair but a wool,which is why it is so good for clothes. It would just fall off the dogsand I would run a wet hand over the carpet and pick it up. We found outfrom the breeders we got the pups from that it was possible to usetheir coat for clothes. Apparently it is quite popular with lots of thepeople who breed long-haired dogs." We were curious how these dogoutfits might look and we have to say, they don't look bad. How doesthe couple describe them? According to this article, Mrs Willis says that "It is the most amazing stuff. It's like mohair but more lightweightand more soft, and the more you wash it, the more soft and fluffy itgets." Her husband says: "They are extremely warm and pretty muchwaterproof. I've always got a sweat on by the time I get from the busto the shops." Man Gets Jail Time For Shooting Family Pet . A man who apparently shot a dog for "no apparent reason" may face jail time for shooting the family dog. According to this article, "A jury in Circuit Court on Tuesday recommended 90 days in jailfor Mathias Acholi. The 41-year-old was convicted of shooting aseven-year-old boxer named "Socks" at an apartment complex inOctober 2006." Outraged residents contacted the police and demanded an investigation when they learned of the shooting. Most Popular Dogs in New York . Seems like everyone in NY has a dog nowadays. Our research turned up that more dogs are registered on the Upper East Side than any other part of the city. And the most popular type of dog? It's still the mixed breed dog. Go figure. With the proliferation of dog magazines such as New York Dog and Modern Dog, one would imagine that the pure breed Yorkie might make the top of the list or some other popular dog breed. Well the Yorkie is still not at the top of the list. Following the mixed breed it's actually the Labrador retriever and then the German shepherd. Shih Tzus are more popular than the Maltese and the pit bull is slightly more popular than theChihuahua which is then followed by the Yorkshire terrier and Maltese breed in turn. Labradors and Golden Retrievers are actually among the most popular breeds still in the country. Dogs Still Getting Shocked on NYC Sidewalks . Dogs are still suffering on NY city sidewalks. We wrote about this a while ago. It was just last year that a woman walking her dogs was electrocuted on a city street. At the beginning of the month, a few more dogs were shocked near Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village. Information from Con Ed has been a little sketchy about why this is happening. A number of people noticed dogs yelping and jumping. This is one of the reasons we recommended Hound Hikers or our G-Boots which have rubber soles to assist with this issue. For the rest of the month, customers shipping to a New York address can write us for a gift coupon towards the purchase of these boots. Basenji Dogs--Like Cats? . Just when you think you know all about dogs and have all the breeds down, you discover a new one! What's interesting about Basenjis is that in many ways they defy what we think we know about dogs. For one thing, Basenjis don't bark! Not that they're completely silent. Basenjis are pretty good at yodelling. And they're also known for cleaning themselves like cats! They are clean dogs that are great for people with allergies.
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