Yellow Dog

Many dogs behave “badly” when approached by humans or other dogs while on a leash. But it is not necessarily because they are “mean” dogs, nor even due to one thing! It is not just dogs that are timid or aggressive which have issues on walks. Some dogs are old or have health issues such as hearing loss which make them wary of strangers. Whatever is causing your dog’s difficulty with walk time, it is hard to communicate that information quickly and politely to others. That is where the Yellow Dog Project comes in.

The Yellow Dog Project is an initiative to help inform people about dogs who for any reason should not be approached while they are on the leash. Is your dog in training, and trying to focus? Is your dog afraid of children? Do you just not want to be interrupted on your daily walks? How do you let people know, in a polite way, that you prefer they stay away? It is simple: you tie a yellow ribbon to the leash of your pet while you are walking them. People can see this signal from a distance and know at a glance not to approach your pooch.

This fantastic idea has helped many animals and people feel more confident and safe while out in their communities. It can help many more too! Do you know a doggy who needs a little space? Share the news with their owners! Spread the word that a yellow ribbon means "give me space!"

ASPCA Guardian

Do you want to make a difference for animals all year long?

Become an ASPCA Guardian. They are a group of dedicated friends like you who make regular monthly gifts to benefit animals in need. This level of support makes it possible for the ASPCA to continue its life-saving programs for needy animals.

As an ASPCA Guardian, you will stay updated with ASPCA newsletters as well as gain access to a special Guardians-only website. There is no need to renew each year and you may call to change your monthly gift amount or cancel at any time.

Shelters across the country are struggling to keep animals that have been abandoned or abused. Last year, the ASPCA assisted in the adoption of thousands of shelter animals. For as little as 60 cents a day, you can help ASPCA rescue innocent animals from a lifetime of neglect and suffering. They need your support to continue its life-saving programs.

If you are thinking "charity" this time of year, consider donating to the ASPCA.

Skateboarding, Animals, and Art

What do these three things have in common?

Entrepreneur, David Hendrickson created an eco-friendly skateboard and apparel company, in 2011, shortly after adopting a Chihuahua from the animal shelter where he volunteered. David and William are inseparable.

Combining his love of art and skateboarding with his passion for animals, David started Hendrick Boards and created collections of skateboards and apparel to give back to animal shelters and pet adoption programs – helping animals, like William, find loving homes.

Every purchase gives back to animal shelters and rescues throughout the nation – from 20% to 40% of the purchase price.

Together we can make a difference for shelter animals everywhere.

GO ORANGE!

April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals month.

Each year, the ASPCA urges supporters across the country to “Go Orange for Animals” throughout the month of April—when the ASPCA’s charter was signed in 1866—to raise awareness for this cause.


So How Do You “Go Orange” for Animals?

Make it fun to go orange - get creative!

Orange is a vibrant, energetic color that most people find inspiring. So use it joyfully to show the world you care about animals during the month of April.

At the ASPCA website are ideas and suggestions on how you can go orange in your community, classroom, business, library, website, etc.

Shelter Volunteer, Is It For You?

Have you considered becoming a shelter volunteer?

Shelters and humane societies around the world depend on volunteers who come in each weekend for several hours. Their job is to find out what sort of pet a person is looking for and carries a sheet with the location of all the different breeds – and the temperament. Because volunteers work with the animals daily, they know what type of family is suited to each pet. The volunteers are vitally interested in making the right fit, because they do not want to see an animal returned.

Becoming a shelter volunteer is not for the faint-of-heart. Taking care of hundreds of dogs and cats is possibly one of the easier aspects of the job, but the hardest part is the knowledge that many animals will have to be put down after a certain amount of time, or if they pose a threat to other animals or people.

The most common feeling most new volunteers go through is the overwhelming desire to rescue them all. That is why shelters normally do not allow volunteers to adopt any animal for the first 6 months; without that rule, the temptation to fill one's home with otherwise hard-luck pets would be just too great. There is always that one special kitten or puppy.

Instead, volunteers rejoice over singular victories connecting pets with people.

Volunteers perform a plethora of services. They help feed the animals, clean the cages and, of course, help people find lifetime companions. Volunteers also help transport animals between shelters and clinics to perform veterinary services. Some volunteers help educate children in the importance of responsible pet ownership. A few volunteers will "foster" animals that need special care and cannot be housed with the general pet population.

Shelters are very flexible in the hours. Every extra hour donated is helpful, but many volunteers have a tough time staying away.

People become volunteers for different reasons.

Volunteering is a good way to encourage a lifetime of community service. Shelters accept volunteers at different ages, but usually a person must be at least 14 or 15. Teenagers can also earn community service credits by volunteering at shelters.

Finally, volunteering at a shelter is an excellent family activity. Each member learns the importance of kindness, responsibility and how even one person can make a difference.

Pets Can Help Us

Tests have shown that owning a pet can help people attain a better level of physical health. Petting an animal can lower your heart rate and your blood pressure and even promote healing. Also, recent studies show that having pets at work lowers stress levels and makes employees more productive.

But pets can help us in other ways, too. They help us to relax and focus on things other than our problems.

Pets fulfill the natural craving we have for emotional relationships. Whenever we do something for another living thing, we feel better about ourselves. Here are some other ways pets make us feel better:

A Cure for Loneliness

Pets can help us to feel less lonely and isolated. Feeling needed also works to foster positive feelings. Pets give a sense of purpose; they always need something – food, a walk, a stroke, and a kind word, and they are usually appreciative. As an added benefit, if you leash up your dog and take a walk through the neighborhood or through a dog-friendly park, more than likely someone will talk to you. Studies have shown that people walking with a dog talk to new people far more often than if the dog was not with them.

Coming home to your pet gives you something to look forward to. Dogs may score highest in "greetings," but most pets are delighted to see their owners walk through the door and will show it in some way. If you have a pet, you are not alone.

Someone to Love

If you love your pet, that love comes back to you tenfold. It is love of the best kind – unconditional and enduring. Animals offer this love, along with reliable companionship – often for a lot less trouble than having a relationship with a human. No matter how cranky you get, your pet always forgives you and continues to show affection.

Physical Contact

Cuddling and stroking your pet is good for you and helps you to forget about your day at work or your boredom. Petting an animal helps to promote a sense of pleasure and calmness.

Someone to Talk To

It is a known fact that talking things out relieves a lot of internal pressure, but just having someone to talk to makes a difference, too. Talk about anything – your pet will listen, and, even better, he will not disagree. Share your thoughts, feelings, troubles, worries – or say something stupid – your pet will still love you.

Sense of Security

Certain animals promote a sense of safety. Your dog will bark to warn you of impending danger. But the sense of having someone with you is often enough to make you feel less anxious and more secure.

Motivation to Move

If your pet needs to be walked every day, you will be exercising – whether you want to or not. Walking with your dog also helps you to deal with the physical stress of the day. Walking gives you an opportunity to get outside and breathe fresh air.

The Human-animal Bond

The strength of the human-animal bond is not a myth. Although life with a pet is not always easy, the joy of pet ownership can be a wonderful experience. A slurpy kiss from your dog promotes very special feelings and creates a human/animal bond that can last for many years.

Dog and Cat History

Dogs and cats are the two animals who have shared our homes for the longest time. They have very different histories, and they see the world in very different ways. Dogs, it is been said, see themselves as one of us, but cats see us as one of them.

Man started domesticating the dog’s wolf ancestors at least 15,000 years ago, and, as pack animals, they responded to training from their new human pack leaders. Cats, according to recent studies, chose to live with humans and in effect domesticated themselves. When humans began growing grain in the Middle East around 10,000 years ago, their stores of wheat attracted rats and mice. Wild cats found a ready food source and moved in. Since there was food, it was comfortable, and they were protected from other predators, they stuck around. Because it suited the humans to have the rodent problem solved, they let the cats stay. The earliest known domestic cat is a kitten discovered in Cyprus that was buried with its owner 9,500 years ago.

Cats have done well. They spread across Europe, Asia, and Africa and came with Europeans to the Americas. In the USA today, almost half of domestic cats live in a household where there is also a dog. So it is pretty important that they are able to get along.

Dogs and cats have become so much a part of our domestic scene that we sometimes forget how much of their DNA they share with their wild ancestors. Cats—like their big relatives, lions and tigers—are among the most effective hunters on the planet. One reason is that for cats, hunting was always a matter of life and death because they need meat to survive. Dogs, on the other hand, evolved to be able to supplement meat with plant matter when they could not find prey.

To understand a cat, it is important to understand it first as a hunter.

Physically, cats evolved as formidable hunters. They have extra vertebrae, which enable them to be flexible; sharp teeth that can deliver a fatal neck bite to prey; retractable claws, which help them to move while leaving almost no track; and their eyes can see in one-sixth the light a human needs.

Psychologically, too, the cat is first and foremost a hunter; that dictates much of its behavior. The games kittens play are hunting exercises, and the urge cats have to pounce from a perch, the stealthy, deliberate way they move, and the ways they mark and “own” territory are all rooted in their hunting DNA. Cats are much less likely to act impulsively than dogs—stalking an object cautiously, as if it were prey. And although many people think of cats as solitary creatures, the decision to be part of a group or not is decided by the availability of prey.

Are dogs and cats born to fight with each other—or can they get along peacefully?

Here is a cute video of a dog and cat best friends.

National "Camera Day"

Today, June 29th is National Camera Day.

I love great pet photos and it is great fun to take a perfect picture of your pet.

Do you know why your dog's eyes shine in such a creepy way in photos?

Ebony At Twelve Weeks Old

The answer is, for the same reasons our eyes come out red – because of the way the flash is reflected off the back of our eyes. The difference in color of the reflection is due to the structure of the eye. In a person, flash photography makes our eyes appear devilish red. This is because the flash reflects off the a blood vessel rich layer behind the retina.

In dogs (and many other animals), the retina has a reflective layer behind it called the tapetum lucidum. This layer acts like a mirror, reflecting light at the back of their eyes. The reflective layer is what helps dogs and cats see better at night. Light is reflected outward, giving the dog's retina a second chance to absorb the rays.

Light that is not absorbed exits the eye, appearing as the "eyeshine" seen in photos, from headlights, flashlights, etc. This ability comes at a price, as dogs cannot see detail as well as humans (they are more attuned to seeing motion).

Note: Some dogs lack pigment in their tapetum lucidum. In these individuals their "eyeshine" is red, as it is in humans.

Dog Idioms

Modern language is full of colorful sayings that bring to mind our favorite animal companions.

Today, many animal-related idioms are commonplace, but have you ever wondered about the stories behind the sayings? The history of some might surprise you.

Have you ever tried to solve a problem only to find that you were approaching it in the wrong manner? Some might say that you were "barking up the wrong tree." This idiom harks back to the practice of hunting with dogs. The dogs were often used to flush game out from hiding spots or track them so that their human companions might find their quarry. These trusty canines often chased animals such as raccoons into trees, where their owners could easily find them. If a dog followed the wrong scent, however, they might find themselves barking away at a tree that held nothing. This idiom first became popular around 1832, and was rumored to be a favorite expression of Davy Crockett.


Many people even describe the weather by invoking images of animals. The "dog days of summer" are the hottest days of the season, a time when you and your pet might want nothing more than to relax in air conditioning. The origins of the phrase, however, date back to the ancient Romans. It was the Romans who first noticed that the hottest days of the summer seemed to coincide with the appearance of Sirius, the so-called "dog star" and a part of the Canis Major ("big dog") constellation. At one point these days were referred to as "Canicular dayes."

But even the coldest nights have interesting idioms and the history to go with them. One Australian idiom refers to the practice of sleeping alongside a dog for warmth during cold evenings. A particularly frosty night might require more than one companion, hence it is a "three-dog night."

Animals have always been a rich source of imagery in language, something that has continued even to present day. Whether you are trying to describe a bungled plan or merely talking about the weather, animal-related idioms are a part of many people's everyday language. Digging up their origins can be as difficult as herding cats (origin unknown, but thought to have its roots in the information technology industry-really!) but these sayings often have a rich and intriguing history behind them.

Youngest Veterinarian

Courtney, who lives in Washington, says she has loved animals since “the day I was born.” She decided she wanted to be a vet when she was seven. “I was fascinated when we took our animals to the vet. I would be in the waiting room and I would see the vet take the animal behind the door, and then when he came back he was better. It was like magic. So I started asking lots of questions.”

Her mother said that she had been bothering the Vet since she was about seven, and began volunteering at age ten. According to Washington State law she must be twelve to volunteer without a parent present.

At age ten, Courtney completed an online course and was certified as a veterinary assistant. It is an online course and they mail you all your books. For her 'Field Practices,' she had to work in a sterile environment and practice with the Vet. Once the course studies were done, she had to take tests online and those were graded.

Courtney Oliver has already passed her first exams on her route to becoming a vet and plans to start taking college courses this year.

She is practicing at South Bay Veterinary Hospital in Olympia, Washington, and Dr. Michelle Shoemaker has been Courtney's mentor. This is our Vet and I hope to meet Courtney someday.

What About Pets in Haiti?

I have read about the many relief efforts in Haiti, but they are mostly focused on human needs and issues, which are considerable. However, I could not help but think about the poor pets.

It appears that there are several U.S and international groups that are banding together to help the animals, but it may be a few weeks before aid workers are sent.

According to the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) website, they have joined the Animal Relief Coalition for Haiti (ARCH). ARCH is a coalition created to address the needs of animals in Haiti following the country's devastating earthquake.

The ASPCA pledged an initial $25,000 to support ARCH's relief efforts.

The ASPCA indicated that they plan to extend their full support to Haiti's animal victims by joining forces and collaborating with other organizations. USA Today indicated that a team of animal responders is awaiting access to Haiti to begin animal relief with medications, food, bandages, and other supplies. There are millions of goats, livestock, stray dogs and other animals affected.

So relief is coming for the animals. We hope that it comes in time.

Animals Have Feelings

Marc Bekoff, biologist at the University of Colorado, has compiled a new book, The Smile of the Dolphin, (Discovery Books/Random House, $35) in which dozens of animal researchers explain why they believe animals have emotions.

The Grieving Chimp

In one chapter, primate expert Jane Goodall recounts the grief experienced by a chimpanzee child named Flint after his mother, Flo, died in Africa's Gombe National Park. "Over the next three weeks, Flint became increasingly lethargic. He stopped eating, and he avoided other chimps, huddling in the vegetation close to where he'd last seen Flo," she writes.

The sad-eyed mourner made his way to the spot where his mother had lain, next to a stream, staring into the water until he died.

"Chimpanzees, differing from us genetically by only just over one percent, can't be said to weep, for they don't shed tears. Yet...they show behavior that's associated with sadness, depression, and grief in humans: soft whimpering, crying sounds, listlessness, lack of appetite, avoidance of others," Goodall writes.

But are such animals truly "sad," in the sense that they realize something is lost that will never be regained? How can they be said to be happy, sad, or angry if they don't perceive themselves as a separate being?, the skeptics ask. Others say it's credible to count apes as capable of feeling, but a broad stretch to attribute emotions to lions or sheep.

"Does Flint reflect and say, 'I'm sad'? I don't know if he does, but he's behaving as if he's sad, and there's no reason to believe that he's not sad," Bekoff says, adding that anyone who lives with a dog knows when she's happy, sad, or fearful.

Human-Animal Bond

Clinton Sanders, a professor of sociology at the University of Connecticut, writes that he studied a guide-dog training program to find out more about the social bond between dogs and people.

"For people who depend on dogs for special assistance, knowing their animal companions' thought processes and feelings is central to building an effective alliance," Sanders says. "The visually-impaired people with whom I talked often spoke of the special pleasure their dogs derived from doing the work they were trained for – and, in contrast, the embarrassment they obviously felt when they made mistakes."

Mother-Infant Bond

Jaak Panksepp, an expert in neuroscience at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, says he witnessed the power of the mother-infant bond when his two female cats, a mother and her daughter, each gave birth after building nests in closets on opposite ends of his long, ranch-style home.

The mother cat gave birth first, and the daughter, while awaiting her babies' arrival, took charge of the mother's brood, carrying them to her nest. "Then we had a few days of chaos, as mother and daughter repeatedly ferried the kittens between their domains," Panksepp recounts. "We know many of the neurochemistries that activate these strong (maternal) feelings. At the basic emotional level, all mammals are remarkably similar."

So, what does it mean to believe that animals have feelings? "It means they are not just objects with which we can do what we please," Bekoff says. But the broader implications of viewing animals with more sensitivity could mean dramatic societal changes, like stopping the factory production of meat for humans, or granting animals more rights.

"I think it will have a subtle, slow impact," says Bekoff, who's a vegetarian. "I think the world is going to be different."