Here's the story of two such friends - Bella and Tarra.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
An Elephant's Faithful 100%
Remember Horton Hears a Who ? Horton is the elephant and he's a friend to the very end ! He's always saying "I meant what I said, and I said what I meant, an elephant's faithful one hundred percent." Well it turns out to be TRUE ! Especially if you're man's an elephant's best friend !
Here's the story of two such friends - Bella and Tarra.
Here's the story of two such friends - Bella and Tarra.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Atten-HUT ! Dogs in the Military
Did you know dogs like me have been part of our military for decades? Here's just a little of our history in warfare.
- The Belgian army used dogs for hauling machine guns in WW I;
- During WW I we also were used to carry messages to and from the front lines;
- In WW II dogs, donated by their owners, were used in the Pacific to do things like sniff out bombs and find enemy soldiers in hiding;
- In Vietnam more than 5,000 war dogs worked hard to save more than 10,000 lives. Almost 50 dogs were killed in action, along with approximately 75 of their handlers.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Why We Dogs Rock ! Long Live Sid !
LONGVIEW, Wash. -- A Longview couple says Sid, their pet German shepherd, helped save their children by alerting them to a rapidly growing fire. The flames broke out after a kerosene lamp shattered Friday morning inside the home where Wendy Mudge and her three children, Seth Jolly and twins Molly and Mason, have been living with Ed Arthur for the last year.“I heard a glass explosion behind me and when I turned around, almost the entire wall was already engulfed in flames," Mudge says.
Arthur had just stepped into the shower when Mudge burst in to warn him. He says everything happened very quickly."I don’t think I turned the shower off. I stepped out. I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around me," Arthur says. "I didn’t know if the kids were out of the house, if the animals were out of the house.Then 9-year-old Sid ran upstairs to the kids’ room and barked until all three were heading out the front door to safety.(Sid was) going from each room, barking, waking the kids, and would not come downstairs until all three of the kids were down," Mudge says.J
olly says Sid was trying to save him despite being burned in the blaze."I’m a really deep sleeper and I would not have woke up if it wasn’t for him barking. He was in my room barking and he was literally on fire," he says.Once outside, Sid's owners extinguished the flames on their pet."We got them out the door and I grabbed Sid’s dog bed and threw myself and the bed on top of Sid to put the flames out and took him outside," Mudge says.
The dog suffered some burns and lung damage, but appears to be recovering.The family says the blaze gutted their home and killed two other dogs, a female shepherd and a puppy.Since Friday night, the family has been staying at a Kelso motel and will be looking for a new home.Mudge says the family liked to use kerosene lamps and candles for soft light, warmth and a little savings on the electric bill.
See a video about my bud Sid here: http://www.kptv.com/news/25690396/detail.html
Arthur had just stepped into the shower when Mudge burst in to warn him. He says everything happened very quickly."I don’t think I turned the shower off. I stepped out. I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around me," Arthur says. "I didn’t know if the kids were out of the house, if the animals were out of the house.Then 9-year-old Sid ran upstairs to the kids’ room and barked until all three were heading out the front door to safety.(Sid was) going from each room, barking, waking the kids, and would not come downstairs until all three of the kids were down," Mudge says.J
olly says Sid was trying to save him despite being burned in the blaze."I’m a really deep sleeper and I would not have woke up if it wasn’t for him barking. He was in my room barking and he was literally on fire," he says.Once outside, Sid's owners extinguished the flames on their pet."We got them out the door and I grabbed Sid’s dog bed and threw myself and the bed on top of Sid to put the flames out and took him outside," Mudge says.
The dog suffered some burns and lung damage, but appears to be recovering.The family says the blaze gutted their home and killed two other dogs, a female shepherd and a puppy.Since Friday night, the family has been staying at a Kelso motel and will be looking for a new home.Mudge says the family liked to use kerosene lamps and candles for soft light, warmth and a little savings on the electric bill.
See a video about my bud Sid here: http://www.kptv.com/news/25690396/detail.html
Monday, November 8, 2010
Sleep well, Sanara
I heard another dog friend I never got to meet passed away the other day. Sanara, a dog friend of my mom's, had gotten old, and was having a lot of health problems. So her owners did all they could to make her final days comfortable and make her feel cared for. I'm sure wherever Sanara is now, she is grateful for all the love she got while she was here.
A while ago my G'Paw showed me this video, about a dog named Bo. He was the dog of a famous actor, Jimmy Stewart. Whenever he hears of someone losing there best friend, my G'Paw likes to play this video. Maybe you'll like it too. It's sad, but it's heartfelt !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUNJjIwlHk8
A while ago my G'Paw showed me this video, about a dog named Bo. He was the dog of a famous actor, Jimmy Stewart. Whenever he hears of someone losing there best friend, my G'Paw likes to play this video. Maybe you'll like it too. It's sad, but it's heartfelt !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUNJjIwlHk8
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Let's Get Physical...
Today I went to my Playground to get a little exercise. I spent some of my time hunting squirrels and chipmunks under the wood house, but mostly I ran around the woods. I was jumping on logs and scurrying under bushes, bounding through the underbrush, and racing on the trails. And of course, I found something stinky to roll in...AGAIN...
You might have noticed I am wearing clothes I would NEVER pick out for myself ! But my G'Paw and Gramma insisted I needed to wear bright colors because it is hunting season. Here's the complete ensemble.
I guess better to be unfashionable for an hour or two then having hunters mistake me for a deer !
By the way, I LOVE this commercial about deer ! Deer are sooooooooooo dumb !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OH_gUt4Oww&p=49F9CD44D25B16B4&playnext=1&index=5
You might have noticed I am wearing clothes I would NEVER pick out for myself ! But my G'Paw and Gramma insisted I needed to wear bright colors because it is hunting season. Here's the complete ensemble.
I guess better to be unfashionable for an hour or two then having hunters mistake me for a deer !
By the way, I LOVE this commercial about deer ! Deer are sooooooooooo dumb !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OH_gUt4Oww&p=49F9CD44D25B16B4&playnext=1&index=5
Friday, October 29, 2010
Sad Passing
One of my soon to be Uncle John's dogs died today. Jake was a really BIG black dog (120 pounds!) who was friendly and fun and full of energy. But today they found he had died sometime when they weren't home.
It's in our contracts that all dogs go to heaven, so here's hoping he running and digging and playing in the clouds !
If you wonder how long your dog is likely to live, here's a page from Web MD all about dog lifespans: http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/features/dogs-and-life-span-which-breeds-live-longest
It's in our contracts that all dogs go to heaven, so here's hoping he running and digging and playing in the clouds !
If you wonder how long your dog is likely to live, here's a page from Web MD all about dog lifespans: http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/features/dogs-and-life-span-which-breeds-live-longest
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GRAMMA !
Yesterday was my Gramma's birthday ! I sang her Happy Birthday, and help with the leftovers. Gramma got lots of presents but I think her favorite was the collar I gave her to put on me and take me for MORE WALKS !
I love my Gramma...
I love my Gramma...
HONK !! HONK !!
Recently one of my favorite toys underwent surgery. My goose, my favorite bird toy, need a belly-ectomy to fix where his stuffing was falling out. I guess I played a little rougher with him than I should have.
Anyways, my Gramma is a great goose surgeon so she performed the operation while I watched and supervised. In the end, my goose is finally fixed !
Honk ! Honk !
Anyways, my Gramma is a great goose surgeon so she performed the operation while I watched and supervised. In the end, my goose is finally fixed !
Honk ! Honk !
Sunday, October 24, 2010
A Rose By Any Other Name...
We went to my Playground (aka the farm) yesterday. It is such an awesome place - 40 plus acres of farmland and woods, plus a creek for me to swim in even if it is only 45 degrees here ! The most fun about the place is the smells. There are always so many smells there...leaves, the creek, corn, squirrels, turkeys, deer minks (MY FAVORITE) and lots of other stuff too. But the thing that I love doing up there most is rolling in smelly stuff...and that usually means poop !
Yesterday We had a lot of fun. We went for a walk in the woods and then my gramma and grampa split up. I think they wanted to see who I would follow. I started out following my gramma but then i heard my grampa calling me so I ran to where he was...then my gramma started calling me from even farther away so I ran back to her. The kept calling me from one to the other for what seemed like forever. But it was fun running through the woods trying to find them. Sort of like hide and seek.
Then after they got tired (or was it me) we headed back to the little camp site there when it happened ! I picked up a scent. I think it was goose poop but I'm still not sure. Anyways, once I found it I was in heaven. Rolling all around in it, getting it on my chest, and shoulder and side. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm a rose by any other name would not smell so sweet.
Of course, g & g (gramma and grampa) weren't quite as impressed. In fact, they were like OMG ! So they did something they never did before when I have rolled in stinky stuff - they gave me a bath in an outdoor sink that happens to be at the camp. It was sooooooooooooo embarrassing. They got water from the creek, and proceeded to shampoo me...not once, but TWICE.
They just don't understand. We dogs have our reasons for rolling in stinky stuff. rather than me explaining it all I'll just quote from Ron Kurtus, a champion dog breeder. He says:
"Sometimes dogs will roll in the grass or in something smelly right after getting a bath. Some dog shampoos have perfumes that may be pleasant to humans but smell awful to the animal. It is just an effort to mask the unpleasant and un-dog-like odor.
The major theory why dogs will roll in smelly material is based on the relationship of domesticated canines to wolves. Wolves will often roll in decomposing carcasses or the feces of plant eating animals or herbivores. This would mask their own scent and enable them to sneak up on their prey without detection. It could even fool members of the other species into accepting it as one of their own. This ancient instinct may have carried over to domesticated dogs. Working and hunting dogs tend to roll in smelly stuff more often than other breeds. Perhaps this is because they are more closely related to wolves.
Another school for thought is that dogs may roll in feces or a dead animal's remains to "advertise" what they have found to other members of the pack. Rolling in the material is a way for your dog to let you know that it found something interesting.
![Mmm, that smells good! What was he rolling in?](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_t40azA400z3euhcKKdGfepzHrZZ7rpNoR6quaMS2f0G472zIbcW2AizvwtB4oyJLrkjRQCG7ayV3sOD7i5LgoBKdyURSLz1W05TNuedSUYYLPfncTPna4WbRgNffkShIHLYVZJ=s0-d)
Male dogs will urinate on a tree or post and females will urinate near the object. They do this as either to mark their territory or as a way to communicate concerning who has been there. Likewise, one theory is that the dog is claiming a carcass or remains as its own by rolling on it and imparting its own scent onto the object. One problem with this theory is that it seems a stretch in the case of rolling in an other animal's feces.
Well unfortunately for my g&g I don't plan on getting more mature for a long, long time...
lick lick and arf arf
Chrissy
Yesterday We had a lot of fun. We went for a walk in the woods and then my gramma and grampa split up. I think they wanted to see who I would follow. I started out following my gramma but then i heard my grampa calling me so I ran to where he was...then my gramma started calling me from even farther away so I ran back to her. The kept calling me from one to the other for what seemed like forever. But it was fun running through the woods trying to find them. Sort of like hide and seek.
Then after they got tired (or was it me) we headed back to the little camp site there when it happened ! I picked up a scent. I think it was goose poop but I'm still not sure. Anyways, once I found it I was in heaven. Rolling all around in it, getting it on my chest, and shoulder and side. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm a rose by any other name would not smell so sweet.
Of course, g & g (gramma and grampa) weren't quite as impressed. In fact, they were like OMG ! So they did something they never did before when I have rolled in stinky stuff - they gave me a bath in an outdoor sink that happens to be at the camp. It was sooooooooooooo embarrassing. They got water from the creek, and proceeded to shampoo me...not once, but TWICE.
They just don't understand. We dogs have our reasons for rolling in stinky stuff. rather than me explaining it all I'll just quote from Ron Kurtus, a champion dog breeder. He says:
"Sometimes dogs will roll in the grass or in something smelly right after getting a bath. Some dog shampoos have perfumes that may be pleasant to humans but smell awful to the animal. It is just an effort to mask the unpleasant and un-dog-like odor.
The major theory why dogs will roll in smelly material is based on the relationship of domesticated canines to wolves. Wolves will often roll in decomposing carcasses or the feces of plant eating animals or herbivores. This would mask their own scent and enable them to sneak up on their prey without detection. It could even fool members of the other species into accepting it as one of their own. This ancient instinct may have carried over to domesticated dogs. Working and hunting dogs tend to roll in smelly stuff more often than other breeds. Perhaps this is because they are more closely related to wolves.
Another school for thought is that dogs may roll in feces or a dead animal's remains to "advertise" what they have found to other members of the pack. Rolling in the material is a way for your dog to let you know that it found something interesting.
Mmm, that smells good! What was he rolling in?
Male dogs will urinate on a tree or post and females will urinate near the object. They do this as either to mark their territory or as a way to communicate concerning who has been there. Likewise, one theory is that the dog is claiming a carcass or remains as its own by rolling on it and imparting its own scent onto the object. One problem with this theory is that it seems a stretch in the case of rolling in an other animal's feces.
Rolling in their own feces or that of another dog is not as common of a behavior. The dog do this as a way to get attention. Or it may be some sort of distorted behavior, perhaps due to stress or other problems.
Although rolling in something smelly is not desirable behavior, you should not punish the dog for doing what is only natural. It is better to try to prevent the chances of the behavior by keeping an eye on your pet. Fortunately, the behavior seems to diminish as the dog gets more mature.
Well unfortunately for my g&g I don't plan on getting more mature for a long, long time...
lick lick and arf arf
Chrissy
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Busy Week
I have been so busy this past week ! I spent last weekend celebrating my mom's birthday in Hoboken, NJ. I missed her sooo much ! But I'm not so sure Hoboken is the place for me. It's hard to pee when there's hardly any grass around !
We got there on Saturday morning and I couldn't wait to see my mom's place. She has a nice small apartment she shares with Nicole. After we got settled we took a walk down to the water front . I have to ask my mom to send me some pics for here so you can see me with the NYC skyline behind me !
There are a bazillion dogs in Hoboken so I had a hard time not being naughty. I went bonkers a few times. Eventually we had dinner and a few drinks (well at least my mom and her family did) then we hit the hay after a long day. The next morning my gramma and grampa got up early and took me for a walk to a local dog park, but there were already dogs in it by 6:30 AM ! So of course I went over to the fence and cursed out the other dog to get out of my park !
Anyways, we got home Sunday and then on Monday I went to Chrissy's playground - this is my great gramma's and grampa's farm. They have a nice little camp area on the West Canada Creek where my grampa and gramma sit and watch me as I explore. I was soooooooo busy there. I chased 5 turkeys (and made them fly back to THEIR side of the creek), rolled in something stinky, and then got frightened by a flock of geese !
I think I might go back to the Playground on saturday if the weather is good !
We got there on Saturday morning and I couldn't wait to see my mom's place. She has a nice small apartment she shares with Nicole. After we got settled we took a walk down to the water front . I have to ask my mom to send me some pics for here so you can see me with the NYC skyline behind me !
There are a bazillion dogs in Hoboken so I had a hard time not being naughty. I went bonkers a few times. Eventually we had dinner and a few drinks (well at least my mom and her family did) then we hit the hay after a long day. The next morning my gramma and grampa got up early and took me for a walk to a local dog park, but there were already dogs in it by 6:30 AM ! So of course I went over to the fence and cursed out the other dog to get out of my park !
Anyways, we got home Sunday and then on Monday I went to Chrissy's playground - this is my great gramma's and grampa's farm. They have a nice little camp area on the West Canada Creek where my grampa and gramma sit and watch me as I explore. I was soooooooo busy there. I chased 5 turkeys (and made them fly back to THEIR side of the creek), rolled in something stinky, and then got frightened by a flock of geese !
I think I might go back to the Playground on saturday if the weather is good !
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)