For the discerning dog lover: This shows you how to have a REAL heart
to heart with your dog. Of course with Mac I had to use a different subject matter - as a safety measure!
If
this doesn't activate paste it in your browser . . .
A friendly reader sent this about his dog's secret and I thought others might enjoy
it
My Dog's Secret
My dog sleeps about 20 hours a day
He has his food prepared for him, he can eat whenever he wants
His meals are provided
at no cost to him
He visits the doctor once a year for a checkup,
and anytime during the year if a need arises
For this he pays nothing and nothing is required of
him
He lives in a nice neighborhood in a house much larger than he needs, but he is not required to do any upkeep. He can bark
at the neighbors whenever the mood strikes him and they accept this, even though they've fed him various delicacies and
spoken words of affection in the hope he would like them and shut up.
If
he makes a mess someone else cleans it up while he watches
He has his choice of luxurious places
to sleep and scratch.
All these accommodations are provided absolutely
free. He lives like a king and has no expenses whatsoever. All of his costs are picked up by others who go out and earn a
living every day.
I was thinking about all this and suddenly it
hit me like a brick in the head
My dog is a member of
Congress !
Pit Bull! Pit Bull!
Scary, huh? Yes these dogs, correctly known as Staffordshire Terriers, are strong with oversize heads and
powerful jaws. They have killed people, including children. So have Dobermans, German shepherds, Ridgebacks and more mixed
breeds than can be described. But let’s talk about “Pit Bulls” for a moment. They’re downfall is their
dedication to people and not being smart enough to tell a good owner from a bad one. Pit Bulls are blinded by their love for
people. They will do anything their “master” wants them to do, and they are built for fighting, so yes, if you
want them to be dangerous and groom them to be, they will be. On the other hand, if you bring one into a
loving home and tell it to take care of your baby, it will gladly die protecting it. Pit Bulls are babies themselves and love
human babies. You don’t have to worry about them being jealous of a baby in the home as German shepherds sometimes are.
When
you are out walking with your dog and approach a person with a Pit Bull, don’t be afraid until you take a long look
at the owner. There you will see whether or not you should be concerned. If the look of the person does not relax you, cross
the street. If you see signs that all is well, you may get a surprise by a dog that just wants to be friends – with
everybody!
Here’s some excerpts from a long article by Maria Daines in the Toronto Star
about legislation against Pit Bulls: “Breed Specific Legislation trundles on and on, seemingly gobbling up more and more
innocent canine victims with endless vigour . . . When legislation is designed to eradicate a certain species, in this instance,
a certain type of dog, you’d imagine then, that the law must be so super-protective and of such great benefit to mankind
that we simply couldn’t do without it, wouldn’t you? . . . Though the banning of four types of dog is part of
the British legal system, known as section one of the Dangerous Dogs Act . . . victims of this law are in fact those who do
not own dangerous dogs, and the obvious point of contention that people from all walks of life become distressed and annoyed
by, is the fact that Breed Specific Legislation is based on a wholly unfair specification that outlaws the appearance
of the dog rather than the behaviour of the dog or its owner (emphasis mine) . . . So, this broadly sweeping act of parliament that delivers the death penalty to dogs that fit its
ambiguous and dubious criteria, should, in 19 years of operation, have ended dog attacks, should it not? Well, err, no, it
seems dog attacks are (according to government spiel) on the increase, yet the monolithic monster that is the BSL experience,
remains ominously set in stone on the Statute Book and continues to cost the taxpayer millions.”
The article
goes on to list some valid points against specific dog breed legislation. It isn’t about the dog, folks, what we need
is legislation and enforcement regarding specific training techniques and owner responsibility. All breeds have their
quirks: Doberman’s are highly intelligent and wrapped a bit tight, German shepherds have a jealous streak, Great Pyrenees
and Kuvaz can be possessive. If you want to live with a dog like this you must be aware of who they are, they’re limitations
and their strong points. Remember, dogs just want to be with us, and your influence means everything.
JUNE NEWS
In response to devout Mr. Camping's recent doomsday announcement, the following
company
was born. The writer offers no opinion about this, it is passed on to readers simply as news of the unusual kind.
Fear not good Christians, when the rapture doth cometh your friendly neighborhood atheist will be there to ensure your dog,
cat, bird or whatever is fed, watered and fully cared for. If you’re nice, they may even water your plants. A group
of entrepreneurial atheists in at least 26 US states so far have set up a business for the pets Christians who are worried
about what may happen to their animals when they leave with the impending rapture.
You've
committed your life to Jesus. You know you're saved. But when the Rapture comes,
what's to become of your loving pets who are left behind? said a statement on the Eternal Earth-Bound Pets website.
Eternal Earth-Bound Pets is here to ease your stress and provide Christian animal lovers with peace of mind.
According
to the company they already have over 250 clients. Each client pays $135 for the first pet and an additional $20 for each
additional animal in the home. All Eternal Earth-Bound Pets caretakers are sworn atheists and promise not to leave with the
rapture and therefore will never abandon the pets. Eternal Earth-Bound Pets
contracts last 10 years.
Prepared for
the rapture at any moment, Eternal Earth-Bound Pets has a system in place to respond as soon as Jesus Christ returns to take
his followers into the heavens – whether he returns today, tomorrow or never. Eternal Earth-Bound Pets will notify all
of our rescuers to go into action and they will drive to the homes of anyone who's signed a contract with us, pick up
their pets and take them home and adopt them as their own, keeping them happy and healthy for the rest of their lives, Eternal
Earth-Bound Pets co-founder Bart Center told AFP.
The company guarantees your pet’s safety if or when the rapture
occurs. Christians who sign up can be assured an atheist will be around to rescue their beloved animals as they join the chosen
to walk the heavenly streets paved with gold.
In a Russian zoo,
an abandoned wolf-cub has turned to an unconventional mother figure in a Siberian Zoo.
The pup was born in late April and, despite the little wolf being in perfectly good health, his mother refused to feed him
just four days after his birth. In order to save the wolf-cub, zoo workers had to come up with an unusual solution. They gave
the cub to a cat who was feeding her own kittens at the time. The cat immediately accepted the cub and started to lick and
feed him. Zoo workers said that the little wolf is doing fine in his new family, but developing more slowly than his siblings.
The cub is being constantly monitored by the staff.
In Advance Of The Problem
In a fortuitous announcement almost immediately before the horrific tornadoes hit Joplin,
Missouri AKC Companion Animal Recovery CAR awarded over $340,000 in grants to K-9 Search and Rescue (SAR) Teams nationwide.
Since 2002, AKC CAR has proudly supported the crucial role these volunteers play during natural disasters and other emergencies
when the unique talents of a highly trained canine and his handler can often mean the difference between life and death for
a missing individual.
Something to consider
The disgrace of Google to ignore the demands of animal lovers worldwide and to continue an app which allows people
to train a virtual dog to fight through its Android market must be publicized. The dogfighting app, created by Kage Games,
has prompted protests from organizations as diverse as the Kennel Club in the UK to
HSUS in America. To say that one
is disappointed in Google’s stand is to understate the situation. The problem of dogfighting affects not just dogs but
a wider society as
well while illegal large numbers of dogs are as we know still subject to this so-called “sport”.
AKC’s stand on this matter is yet to be determined, but one would expect it to be a leader is helping to stamp this
app out of existence.
April Bark News
Know any good dog news stories? We are taking submissions for dog training stories or general short stories
concerning dogs. This can be about your dog or general news, so long as it's interesting to a wide range of dog folks.
The best stories every month will be published here and the author will receive a free, personalized copy
of That Dog Will Never Hunt (or one of our other books if you already have That Dog). So get writin'!
Please submit through books@orca11.com.
GETTING TESTY ABOUT TESTING - IS THAT A FALL HANGING OFF YOUR POODLE?
This is not a usual topic for this page, but we keep nothing from you, and for a down to earth dog lover like me it's
a bit over the top. It seems the European Dog Show Circuit is in a dither about testing coats for “illegal” substances.
This combined with the Kennel Club encouraging judges to look for winners who lack "obvious exaggerations" has caused
all sorts of discussion. Take the faking of the natural color of a dog’s coat. If someone sees a BLACK
dog in the ring and is interested in using it at stud, then they are entitled to know that it genuinely is as BLACK
as it seems. And what about adding extra coat in the form of switches - particularly in the so-called sculptured breeds? And
what if some residue of chalk in the hard-coated terrier is seen? The horror cannot be exaggerated!
This goes even beyond the people who leave chalk messes in the grooming areas just prior to a show!
You heard
it here first . . .
March Bark News
Charlie Sheen's dog takes on his personality: The father-of-five – whose father
Martin
Sheen starred in ‘Apocalypse Now’, which focuses on a rogue American colonel who loses
his
mind - has recently started speaking bizarrely about his dog, who he says will “eat
trolls". He ranted: “It's
a Sheen dog and its soul is inhabited by the soul of Betty and now
it will murder people and eat trolls with its razor
fangs and drop their spleens off with
their children at tiny houses.”
Now who would like to volunteer to
give Charlie's good buddy Dog Training Classes? (Tip: Don't forget the tranks).
Heard some good things about Lazy Dog Crazy Dog boarding and daycare in Portland,
Oregon,
operated byPete And Jackie. Their mission statment: "Dogs are one of the most
important entities that make up Portland.
Lazy Dog Crazy Dog promises to cherish,
respect and show appreciation whenever your furry family member is in our care."
Seattle: Not recommended
dog training. A German shorthair pointer, a famous hunting dog, was electrocuted when
it stepped on a streetlight metal grounding plate.
In the $60,000 claim filed against the city, the owner listed expenses over $10,000 she had paid for
various necessary care for Sammy, the dog. She also says she will settle for $30,000 if three conditions
are met: City Light must post contact-voltage safety tips on its website; take part in an annual contact-voltage
safety conference; conduct annual contact-voltage scans of all its streetlights. City light has reported
that it inspected more than 37,000 metal streetlight poles and found 56 instances with contact voltage
of at least 30 volts that resulted in repairs being made.
Your dog may offer babies all kinds of love and attention -- and dogs might be
naturally trained to help them breathe easier, too. Living in a home with multiple dogs may help reduce an infant's
risk for developing wheezing in the first year of life, according to a study in the December issue of the Journal
of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. University of Cincinnati researchers found that infants living in homes
with high levels of endotoxins and multiple dogs were more than two times less likely to wheeze than other infants.
