Time for a walk

 It's that time of year and team Wonder Puppies will be hitting the pavement walking for the San Diego Human Society. 

Please consider joining us this year, virtually, from wherever you are. You can walk anything with fur, feathers, scales or skin or a plushie if that's all you've got. Or carry a photo of a beloved. You can do it any day, any time from any where. We don't care. Our team will not be walking the way too early morning of May 6 at Liberty Station in San Diego, CA. We'll be walking the week previous and probably the week after too. Because our team is only together Monday through Friday. But that is the beauty of virtual. Choose your time, space and companion. But do consider donating to the San Diego Humane Society. They are a wonderful organization that not only helps domestic animals and their biped companions but also the natural creatures of our environment that need an occasional helping hand. 

You can join our team here:

http://support.sdhumane.org/goto/teamwonderpuppies

And you can follow links to learn more about the San Diego Humane Society and the work they do.

Please support the Wonder Puppies!

http://support.sdhumane.org/goto/thewonderpuppies

Dolly and I are so excited to be participating in San Diego Humane Society's Virtual Walk for Animals! We are joining thousands of animal lovers and their bipeds to help create a more humane San Diego and you can too.

As our community faces this challenging time, the nation within needs us now more than ever. Every day, pets and wildlife are still arriving at San Diego Humane Society in need of safe shelter, lifesaving medical care and a second chance.

Please consider supporting us by making a donation. Your gift — no matter the size — will help ensure that San Diego Humane Society can continue to be there for animals, no matter what else is going on in the world.

We'd like to personally thank the San Diego Humane Society for providing us with puppy play to help us socialize and classes to help us behave better. Diana pawPrints is especially grateful for being introduced to the wonderful world of scentwork. 

Diana's walking form evident in her search for birch during a scentwork trial.

Please sign my petition

The U.S. State Department is continuing to send highly trained bomb sniffing EDC dogs to Jordan despite the fact that they dogs that have already been sent there are dying from neglect. They're starving, have ticks, their food is spilled on the floor to mix with feces that are not cleaned up and they are dying from preventable diseases. The Inspector General's office has recommended that no more dogs be sent but the State Department is sending them anyway. 

Please sign my petition at Change.org and please post the link to all of your social media to urge others to sign it as well. 

Thank you.

Puppy Snatcher LePage is a freakin' asshole. (He's also a Republican so that is redundant.)

Maine Governor LePage cut the line and snatched a dog out from under a recovering sexual assault victim because he's entitled, elitist, privileged and pulled the governor card. And this shelter not only let him do it, they actively enabled him.

The governor was alerted to the dog at the Greater Androscoggin Humane Society by his family on Monday.

So. He showed up Tuesday afternoon specifically to get the dog his family wanted. Does anyone believe the shelter wasn't contacted and he wasn't told that dog would be available for adoption to the public on Wed. on a first come first served basis? They probably even told him there was a woman interested in adopting that dog since Heath Arsenault had already met the dog and determined he was a good fit for her. She wanted him as an emotional support dog. Yeah, he knew. And he brought his wife with him Tuesday afternoon to make sure he not only cut in line but would get that dog. Offered? No, it wasn't "offered". I'm sure the governor said he wanted the dog and bullied them into allowing him to take it before it was available to the public. You put it in your wife's arms. You blabber about your sad children and how they miss your dead Jack Russell, Baxter. You manipulate the situation and maybe also mention what good publicity it would be for the shelter to get a photo op with the governor holding his newly adopted dog.

Did the shelter even vet this guy like they do regular members of the public? Doubtful. Another rule violation. Or if they did they ignored what they found. If they had they would have found that Lepage is on the Maine Shelter Association's Blacklist because he dropped several dogs off at the shelters in the last 5 years, which makes you ineligible for adopting an animal from ANY shelter that receives funding from the MSPCA.

No. They were so greedy for a juicy photo op with this privileged swine they gave the governor anything he wanted. Prime example of the entitlements Republicans are always accusing Democrats of pulling. Privileged? Elitists? Entitled? see Republicans.

Poor Veto will be back in a shelter as soon as his moment in the sun is over and his value as a P.R. prop is gone. Sooner if he chews up one too many of the governor's shoes. As "Jasper" he could have had a loving forever home. As "Veto" he'll be dumped yet again and the next time might end up euthanized. 

Good move Greater Androscoggin Human Society. You totally blew it. Hope you like all that publicity you were hoping for. You got it.

Grant their last wish.

I'll tell you why Brick and Mortar are DOOMED!

Today I went looking for a good quality ear wash for my dog. 

I did research online. Many, MANY dog forums recommend Zymox or EpiOptic by Virbac. 

Can I find it? NO! You know why? Because PetCo only carries their own brand and a bunch of unknown brands that are probably crap as I've never heard of them and they weren't mentioned online EVER. So I got to PetSmart and they only have ONE, not Zymox or Virbac and they were OUT. 

So I'm going online and I'm buying it from AMAZON. In the meantime, I'll flush his ears with a 50/50 solution of white vinegar and lukewarm water.

FUCK PetCo (who just bought out Pet People so I couldn't go there anymore either) and PetSmart. This is the result of big corporations pushing out the little Mom and Pop local stores. If PetPeople was there, I'd try there. But the small stores are being driven out of business by the likes of PetCo and PetSmart and then they only stock their private labels and crap brands that are worse. And we the consumers end up with very little to choose from. What happened to protections from monopolies? 

If you want to get the BEST for your dog, you have to order it online. 

So let the Brick and Mortar stores scream about losing business to the internet. As far as I'm concerned, they can all go bankrupt and it won't bother me a bit. They don't carry what I want, why should I pay them any money for what I don't want?

Pet treats

You can make these for cats, horses, whatever. Just change the size and shape of the cookie cutter.

Home Made Doggie Cookies

2 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 cup Non Fat Dry Milk Powder

1/2 tsp salt

6 TBSP Butter

1 egg

1 cup cold water

1 tsp nutritional yeast

3 tsp Wheat Germ

Cream butter and egg until well blended. Sift flour, milk powder, salt, yeast and wheat germ together. Add flour mix and cold water alternately to butter and egg mixture. Knead 2-3 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick. Dip cookie cutter in flour and cut out dog biscuits. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Whole Grain Doggie Cookies

2 cups whole grain flour- whole wheat, rice, 12 grain, whatever you’ve got

1/2 cup cornmeal

1 tsp salt free herbal seasonings such as Mrs Dash or 2 TBSP parsley, chives or pet's favorite herb.

2 gloves garlic, minced

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup liquid- water, milk, vegetable, chicken or beef stock.

1 tsp bonemeal - NOT from garden supply! Get it from a health food store.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, cornmeal, bonemeal, garlic, herbal seasonings and/or herbs together. Add the beaten egg, oil and liquid. Mix well ( a food processor or an electric mixer works well here). If the batter is ever too stiff, add a little liquid. For dog treats: roll out on a floured surface until 1/4 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes using any cookie cutter, a dog bone-shaped one is nice. Place the treats on a cookie sheet about 1/2" apart. Bake the treats for 1/2 an hour or until golden brown. When finished baking, turn the oven off and leave the treats in the oven another 1/2 hour to harden.

Makes about 4 dozen 4" dogbone shaped treats.

Petting for dummies

How to pet your cat. Or as cats would refer to it: Petting for Dummies (or humans). 




Dogs are another story. To them this is being blessed by the gods. 



Credit goes to Huffingtonpost. 

What a picture's worth.

A million words could not express what is said in this one picture.

This is John Unger and his 19 year old dog Schoep. They've been together since John rescued Schoep at 8 months old and have done everything together. Schoep has arthritis and swimming in a warm Lake Superior soothes him so John takes him there and swims with him. It's so soothing that Schoep often falls asleep in his Daddy's arms.

So often when we adopt a young pet it's all about what they'll do for you. Not long after the tables turn and it becomes all about what we'll do for them. Their time on this earth is say too short. Whatever they want, we'll indulge them. Playing with that squeaky or throwing that ball as long as they want us to seems such a small price to pay, such a small favor to ask of us. We do what ever we can to make their lives happy. And when they get older and we start to panic over how limited their time on earth remains, we do whatever we can to ease their pain.

From the moment they enter our lives we know it will hurt unbearably when they leave us. They never leave us of their own volition. If they had their way they'd stay with us forever. Despite all this, we still open our arms to them. Because all of the pain is worth the time we have them. It's worth the love they give us. And if they could talk, I'm sure they'd say it's worth the love they receive from us.

No amount of words can express the love between man and dog. Millions have been written.

But this photo says more than words could ever express.

What is a picture worth?

This one is priceless.

I'm so grateful to Hannah Stonehouse Hudson that she was able to capture this moment for her friend John Unger.

The intelligence of dogs.

We dog owners know the truth. Dogs are intelligent. They're sneaky. They're manipulative. If you're stupid you're not likely to feel guilty over doing something you know you shouldn't have done. Dogs wear their guilt on their sleeves. Any dog owner who has come home from work has just to take one look at their dog's face before they *know* and go looking for the damage.

I was unloading the car today and set some things inside the gate, going back for another load.

When I was bringing things in I noticed the plastic bread bag my Mother had given me was torn and lying in the back yard. It had contained beef rib bones for my dog. The little sneak had stolen it. He had two bones out already. I took the rest back, rebagged them and put them in the freezer. I told him he could have the two dirty ones he had left in the dirt.

He spent the afternoon working on them. Not just any old chewing. No sir. My dog has learned to use "tools". He picked the bone up and laid it on the rim of the fountain. (Dry because the pump needs replacing. ) He then held it with a paw and with the bone hanging over the edge, proceeded to gnaw on it. This was not by chance but by design. He held it with his left paw, gnawing on the right. He then switched to his right paw and gnawed on the left. He even slid it over and held it to the sides with the bone sticking up to chew on like a lollipop.

Now he may not have built the fountain, but he recognized a use for it for a specific purpose. It was just the right height so he could chew while standing up.

I used to think my dog was pretty stupid, being part Afghan Hound and they score pretty far down the dog intelligence scale.

But now I'm not so sure. I think he's a lot smarter than I give him credit for. He's certainly got me trained.

It's Hachiko Day.

Today is the day many dog owners make a pilgrimage to Tokyo's Shibuya station to honor Hachiko, the most loyal dog of Japan.




Like Greyfriar's Bobby and Shep, Hachiko waited faithfully for his master to return for over a decade. In honor of his loyalty a statue of him was erected outside the station. It is a popular meeting point.



Today is the day set aside to remember Hachiko, a most loyal dog.

Musings on dogs.

I've been sleeping in this summer. My dog, who sleeps in the bed with me, loves this. He stays until I'm awake, looks to make sure I am awake and he has caught my eye, then he rolls over and exposes his belly for rubs.

I rub his belly, which he loves. He tilts his head way back and I rub his neck from chin to chest. He'll also head butt me wanting head hugs and for me to rub his face from nose back and forth, across his eyes to his ears.

I got to thinking.

Dogs can't do these things for themselves. They also don't do it for each other. Not really. Not like a person can.

I also got to thinking about skin hunger. It's something humans have; the need for touch. They've done studies. Babies deprived of cuddling, fondling, touching fail to thrive. If you don't die from skin hunger, it certainly effects your well-being and mental health in a negative manner.

Could animals have skin hunger too? I see them rubbing and cuddling on TV. Cows lick their calves. Cats lick each other and rub the legs of their slaves, er, owners.

Could skin hunger be one of the reasons dogs became domesticated? Along with all of the other reasons, could it be that dogs found that the touch of humans relieved their skin hunger in a way that their fellow pack could not?

If you missed it, it's not too late.

As they've done in year's past, Animal Planet is repeating the Puppy Bowl immediately following the first airing.

You can still catch it.

It is also out on DVD.

This year Pedigree took over from Eukanuba. Bissell still sponsored the kitty halftime show. Twizzler's sponsored the hampster blimp. And I think KitKat has something to do with Andrew and the locker room. And the AAHA (American Animal Hospital Association?) sponsored the bowl cam. The advertisements may not be Superbowl material but the action couldn't be topped.

I loved the bunny cheerleaders. I loved the hampster blimp cam. The tailgate party is back again.

I thought the kitties were a little too lay back this year. Like they were filmed during nap time or something. One kitty was really tearing into a catnip mouse. But the rest pretty much just sat their looking at all of the twirly things whiz around. There was no chasing or cute antics as in years previous.

The bowl cam is still a hit.

Andrew the referee was back.

The puppies were quite endearing.

For those wishing to adopt, I'm afraid this was filmed last October so all of the puppies, kitties, hampsters and bunnies are spoken for and have gone to loving forever homes. But that doesn't mean you're out of luck. Check PetFinders or your local shelter for pets looking for a loving, forever home.

And please spay and neuter.

Superbowl Sunday? Again?

The Superbowl is an inconvenience. At least they have it during the day on networks I normally wouldn't watch on a Sunday afternoon anyway. It doesn't disturb the evening programming so no worries.

Tonight, I'll be watching Emma on Masterpiece Classics and taping Holmes on Homes on HGTV.

I think organized sports is a disease related to political parties as part of the weakness of the human condition.

I enjoy playing some sports. The only thing I enjoy watching is ice skating (not hockey) and ballroom dancing. And their claim as a sport is minimal. Why not call ballet a sport?

I can catch the best commercials later on YouTube or on TV as they air them again. Considering the cost, I don't think any company does what Apple did in 1984; air a commercial once and never again. Nope. They show them again and again and again. I'm happy the super bowl inspires the advertising creativity that is does, but even there they are getting lazy. Now the companies have contests for fans to make commercials to win a prize. The prize (even for $1 million dollars) is still a lot cheaper than I'm sure it would have cost to develop and produce the commercial in house or on contract to an advertising firm. And for some of these "fans" I'm sure the prize didn't offer much left over after covering production costs. Some of them are aspiring directors/writers/producers and think of this as their big chance to enter the business. Who knows how many spend money they don't have only to lose the big prize. And you sign away your rights to boot.

The superbowl commercials have become as lazy as reality TV.

This afternoon while the Superbowl is on, I'll be watching The Puppybowl and with the Kitty Halftime Show on Animal Planet. They'll run it a few times so I'll probably tape at least one of them.

I have the DVDs for the first four Puppybowls. They get better every year. I don't have the DVD for last year but hopefully it will be on sale soon when Puppybowl VI comes out.

I am so grateful to Animal Planet for offering this alternative programming. And they must be gaining viewers because the show gets a little better every year. Who wouldn't like watching puppies play for two hours with a kitty playtime intermission? I think the bowlcam is one of my favorites. They've had that since the beginning and I think it was a brilliant idea. A glass bottomed water bowl where you get a fish-eye view of puppies licking up water. And the occasional mis-placed foot. They have plenty of sports related squeaky and plush toys to play with. They've been socialized so they play with each other. The umpires come on occasionally to clean up "accidents" with appropriate signals to the camera such as "off sides". But mostly it's puppies and some musical background and an announcer that calls the "plays" using the puppies "names".

All of the puppies are up for adoption and many are mixed breeds. Their biographies are on the Animal Planet website and you can vote for most valuable player. There are some other games and links on the website to play around with. And of course, a link to PetFinder in case you want to adopt a pet.

And like any bowl game, there are commercial sponsors. But they are not intrusive. It's usually a pet food like Eukanuba (that also sponsors one of the dog shows) and Bissell, because they use those machines to clean the game field carpet.

Right now I have Animal Planet on waiting for the Puppy Bowl. They have greatest animal commercials, not just from the U.S. but international. I always enjoy these. Some are even past superbowl ads.

All in all a great day.

Everyone could use a smile.

I found this today.

This is the best smiling dog I've ever seen. Granted nature helped this bulldog along. But only so you can see his great smile.

This is one of many pictures submitted to and used by Imtiredonline to produce an anti-animal cruelty video. They decided that, rather than show sad, poor, mistreated dogs, they'd show happy dogs and remind us to be kind.

They're making a second video and if you have a smiling pet, you can submit the photo for consideration. You can also vote for your favorites.

You can also view their first SMILE video.