Doody First

Jake

Amanda — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:51:10 +0000

Yeah! My yard is clean…where’s the frisbee?

German police phasing out German Shepherds

kevin — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 04:39:21 +0000

Whenever I hear somebody mention police dogs, I usually picture German Shepherds. Apparently I might need to start picturing a different breed of dog. In one of the German states, the police are starting to replace the German Shepherd in their force.

The following excerpt is from an article written by Kirsten Grieshaber for the Associated Press. It was last updated on August 24, 2011 at 10:39 PM:

Guenther Bonke, in charge of police dogs in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that “while the German Shepherd is definitely not stupid, it often does not have the potential we need.”

Click here to read the full article.

What to do when your pets become parents

kevin — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 01:32:04 +0000

While nobody expects their unaltered dog or cat to become pregnant, it happens more often than it should. What would you do if you are surprised with a litter? This article offers some good suggestions for help with finding homes for your pet’s babies.

The following excerpt is from an article written by Erika Enigk for the GateHouse News Service. It was last updated on February 11, 2011 at 4:28 PM:

Puppies and kittens are wonderful additions to the family, but pet owners who find out their animal is expecting a litter may go into panic mode without a plan.

Barb Peterson of Duluth, Minn., breeder of soft-coated wheaten terriers and cardigan welsh corgis, offers these tips for when you find out you’ll soon have grandpuppies or grandkitties.

Click here to read the full article.

Helpful Hints For Sharing Valentine’s Day with Your Pooch

kevin — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 21:33:05 +0000

Valentine’s Day is next week. You have probably already made plans to celebrate with your human sweetheart. Have you thought about how you will celebrate with your four-legged sweetheart? This article has some great ideas for you and your dog.

The following excerpt is from an article written by Mel Fabrikant for The Paramus Post. It was last updated on February 07, 2011 at 4:21 PM EST:

February 14th is a special date to express our love for our sweethearts. While humans may like to celebrate Valentine’s Day with chocolate, flowers and dinner at a fine restaurant, your dog would likely prefer a day of doggy fun. So what would your canine pal value most on the day for expressing love?

Your dog depends on you to supply the four key ingredients every dog needs for a happy life: food, shelter, safety and entertainment. When you supply these life basics, grounded on a foundation of respect, bond and trust and demonstrated by your continual, consistent leadership, your dog will know he is safe and loved, and thus will be more relaxed and content.

Click here to read the full article.

Pets come first for 14 percent of paramours

kevin — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 00:32:02 +0000

What would you do if you were faced between choosing between your beloved human or your beloved pet? It would be awful to have to make that type of decision; so I hope nobody has to face this choice! As much as I love my pets, I would not be one of the 14 percent.

The following excerpt is from an article that was published on page A7 of the Wednesday, February 2, 2011 edition of The Columbia Daily Tribune:

Your sweetheart or your pet. Whom would you choose to dump if one had to go?

Most current pet owners said they would hold on to their spouse or significant other (84 percent), but a sizable 14 percent picked their pet, according to an AP-Petside.com poll.

Click here to read the full article.

Your Dog Ate..What?

kevin — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 23:51:51 +0000

While scooping yards, I have seen evidence of strange things that dogs have eaten. Some our clients’ dogs have eaten crayons, stuffing from toys, plastic food containers, and even ribbons and wrapping paper.

The following excerpt is from an article written by Amanda Hauck, DVM for the Mount Vernon Patch. It was last updated on Jan 30, 2011:

Most pet owners aren’t too concerned when their pets gobble down some grass, try to eat a bone or even grab the wrapper from a candy bar. But, when their tastes turn to gravel and rocks or even plastic toys, you might have a serious problem!

Every year, a leading veterinary trade magazine has a contest reviewing the weird things pets across the country have eaten. And, every year, thousands of veterinarians submit their x-rays wondering if their patient will win the grand prize honor of having swallowed the most unusual object!

Click here to read the full article.

Smart dog learns more than 1,000 words

kevin — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 20:41:13 +0000

I have known that dogs can be very smart; but I was very surprised to hear about this dog! I had no idea that dogs were capable of learning that many words. Apparently they can even learn the difference between nouns and verbs too!

As a kid, I always wished my dog could talk. He always seemed to be a good listener though. Now I wonder how many words he really understood. The dog I have now knows some words too…her favorite ones are “dogfood” followed by “outside” and “walk.”

The following excerpt is from an article written by Kerry Sheridan, AFP for Mother Nature Network. It was last updated on 3:21PM EST on Jan 7, 2011:

Chaser learned the names for 1,022 toys, so many that her human handlers had to write on them in marker so they wouldn’t forget.

She just might be the smartest pooch ever.

A border collie has learned more than 1,000 words, showing U.S. researchers that her memory is not only better than theirs, but that she understands quite a bit about how language works.

Click here to read the full article.

Dogs are ‘smarter than cats’

kevin — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 02:27:45 +0000

Don’t let your cat read this article! I made sure my cat was outside while I worked on this post. Maybe I should have put my dog outside too? She will probably tell the cat all about it. My cat will probably claim that the study was biased and unscientific. All kidding aside, I thought this was an interesting article to read.

The following excerpt is from an article written by Peter Hutchison for The Telegraph. It was last updated on 7:00PM GMT on Nov 22, 2010:

Dogs are cleverer than cats because their friendly character has helped them develop bigger brains, a study set to end the argument between pet lovers has shown. The intelligence of “a man’s best friend” has evolved at a greater rate than the less social cat over millions of years, scientists at Oxford University have claimed.

Click here to read the full article.

Pet Corner: Keeping Warm

kevin — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 21:10:23 +0000

When I was a kid growing up in North Dakota, I lost one of my cats to the cold. My dad had been meaning to get around to putting up a heat lamp for the cats; but unfortunately he delayed one day too long. Winter cold can can be very dangerous for pets; so I thought this article with tips for keeping pets safe in the colder weather would be good to share.

I wish I had discovered this article before we had the recent snowy weather in the Seattle area around Thanksgiving. According to some reports, we’re still supposed to have colder winter this year; so it may still come in handy!

The following excerpt is from an article written by Melissa Bonnel for the Pleasanton Patch. It was last updated on November 12, 2010:

With the weather cooling down and winter fast approaching, we must take certain precautions to keep our pets warm, healthy and happy. Of course, keeping your pet inside is the safest option, but aside from this, there are other steps we can take to help our furry friends.

Click here to read the full article.

Holiday entertaining harbors perils for pets

kevin — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 20:38:00 +0000

Since we are into the holiday season now, I thought it would be good to share the following article. It offers some tips for helping keep our pets safe over the holdidays. It covers a variety of topics including food, plants, lighting, decorations, and parties.

The following excerpt is from an article written by Michelle Chan for the McClatchy-Tribune News Service on the projo.com website. It was last updated on November 21, 2010 at 1:00AM EST:

It’s the holiday season, and when it’s cold out, nothing is quite as nice as cuddling up next to your family pet. No one is nicer (or warmer) this time of the year.

Follow these tips for a safe and enjoyable holiday season with your pet.

Click here to read the full article.