Dog Blog

While battling flames from a burning home in Omaha Nebraska, firefighters rescued a fairly large dog who had succumbed to smoke inhalation. The crew turned to their specially designed oxygen mask to revive “Katie” a 9-year-old shepherd-husky mix. I am quite relieved to hear this as it satisfies my curiosity of how firefighters respond to issues like this. These masks are shaped like a muzzle held in place by a strap. They are the same ones used by veterinarians and come in various sizes. Although they are becoming more popular in fire departments many are still unequipped and currently rely on donations from animal care facilites for their supply. With this is mind, I would like to make a call out to all "kind-hearted" veterinarians/animal care businesses to help their local fire department and pet owners in their community by donating whatever masks they can spare. Smoke inhalation is a real and growing problem for pets and the better equipped these fire fighters are in the event of the greater the chance of recovery of our much loved furry companions.
For more information on oxygen masks for pets please check out the following links:

"Pet project: Animal oxygen masks more common"
http://blog.mlive.com/chronicle/2008/03/harley_nearly_died_last_month.html

Omaha firefighter story
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29687938/

I am not a bitter man or the type who always complains, in fact, I am quite the opposite. However, everyone has their moments and today might just be one of them. As a dog owner, who is a part of an ever-growing community I appreciate the fact that not everyone handles their pets the same way I do. Take retriever breeder Judy Cerney of Dallas Texas for example who thought that naming her retriever “Wingmasters Intense Suspense” would somehow be appropriate and possibly cute? What might be the reasoning for such a mind boggling decision? Well, Cerney proudly explains to dallasnews.com that “‘Wingmasters’ refers to the name of the dog's kennel. The word ‘Intense’ identifies the litter in which the dog was born...and ‘Suspense’ is the dog's actual name "because it rhymes with Intense."

The article is not really about her per say but whom she represents. Her and other hobby breeders have gathered to protest a proposed rule in Plano, Texas requiring dogs, cats and ferrets to be spayed or neutered and implanted with microchips when they are 4 months old. This is in response to the fact that Plano had to impound approximately 5,400 animals last year, mostly dogs and cats, up 50 percent since 2006. The number of owner-released animals also is up – to 1,852 from 1,142 in 2006. Cerney’s claims that the rules are too strict and that 4 months is too little time to determine breeding potential. The hope according to city council is to curtail undisciplined breeding and irresponsible pet owners.

I think a proposal like this is necessary but I am not sure about the age they set of the animal – it does sound young. In the article they said Dallas has implemented a similar policy but one where the age threshold is 6 months. Maybe this policy should be aligned with this standard instead. What concerns me and it is alluded to in the article is that during tough economic times are these hobby breeders stable enough to sustain losses? What might happen to their inventory if they go under or have to cut expenses? Just a thought.

link to article: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/pets/stories/030209dnmetdogbreeders.3bce840.html

Every once in a while you read about a person whose love of animals and sport warms your heart. Kim Darst of New Jersey is such a person as reported by the Associated Press .Her mother describes her as a 40 year old daughter , who is a helicopter pilot and has been breaking the mold since she was a little girl. She drove 6.000 miles in a truck with her 18 dogs to come to Alaska and realize her dream, to race in the 1,100 - mile Iditarod.
There is also Canadian Sebastian Schnuelle who is also competing. She also has 30 dogs in her Kennel.

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"We use dogs to herd, to track, find and fetch game, to find bombs, to detect drugs, to rescue people, to assist the handicapped. Some dogs can sniff out cancer cells, termites or land mines. So, why isn't your dog like Lassie? Why doesn't it run and fetch Pa when you step in a hole and can't get up?" Bob McMillan of the Herald-Citizen in Cookeville Tenessee chalks it up to knowing how to speak their language. He says that within a population of 74 million dogs (U.S. pop) there are bound to be some misunderstandings. That the difference between the hyper-obedient and the not lies in our expectations of the animal and how we choose to communicate with our furry loved ones. At first glance I thought to myself, well ya, that’s obvious, but after further reflection I realized that how I react to my own dog is in a lot of cases in direct contrast to the understanding I have.

I often wonder in my moments of rage why “paige” insists on attacking the window when the mail arrives and ignores my calls to come despite the angry tone. I know that if someone were raising their voice to me I would certainly give them my attention but then again I am rationalizing my behaviour in human terms. I guess what I am trying to say is that as much as they are loving companions they are still animals with their own language and ways of understanding. When we attach human characteristics we confuse the lines of communication between pet and owner and sometimes put unfair expectations on them. If we remember not to get lost in this then we can communicate to them in a way that they understand (i.e. animal terms) and thus get the positive results we are looking for. Obvious? maybe, but it is still useful to remind ourselves of this every once in a while.

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