Dough Days of Summer

I thought the following information might be of interest.
Just in time for the dog days of summer.

Pillsbury has launched the “Dog Days of Summer: Best in Dough.” Basically, Pillsbury has crafted seven breeds of actual dogs – including bulldogs, basset hounds and poodles – out of Crescent dough and hot dogs. They are looking for input from dog lovers like you to help them decide what other breeds they should feature.

In order for you to submit your pooches’ breed for consideration, simply upload a photo of your dog to Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #pbdogdays. From there, several will be chosen to be featured on the Pillsbury Facebook page and voted on by the brand’s fans.

If you are interested in making your own dough dogs, Pillsbury has uploaded a step-by-step “how to” guide on its website. Could be a great kid-friendly project for the summer months.

Dog Owner Check List

There are some things you can do to be a better dog owner. As a benefit, you most likely will have a happier and healthier dog!

1. Spend more time with your dog – Just spending some quiet time before work, after work or midday, will make a big difference. Dogs love to be talked to and made to feel important.

2. Groom – Most dogs like to be groomed or brushed. - This also stimulates the skin and gets rid of dead hair. Regular grooming will also help keep your house cleaner from less shedding hair.

3. Play – Play is good for both you and your dog!

4. Understand your dog – Know his or her favorite type of play and their favorite time of day to play versus rest.

5. Feed a consistent diet – Use a high quality food with AAFCO approval formulated for your dogs life stage. Supplement with healthy treats only in moderation.

6. Supply plenty of fresh water at all times. Clean the water bowl once daily and make sure it is always full.

7. Provide a comfortable place to sleep – Whether inside or out, your dog should have a comfortable place to sleep.

8. Carefully choose toys for safety – Not just any toy will do. You really need to consider safety issues when choosing toys for your dog. For example, are there any parts that can be torn off and swallowed? Is it something he or she might "eat" thus causing a possible intestinal foreign body that could require surgery? Will it please your dog? Choose toys that cannot be chewed or swallowed. If you are not sure how your dog will interact with a toy, observe him.

9. Supervise – Always keep a watchful eye on your dog for dangerous or destructive behaviors.

10. Exercise – Daily exercise will keep your dog fit. Additional exercise can help with some behavior problems as well.

11. Do not let your dog get fat – Adjust food intake for body type, provide healthy treats, and exercise regularly to avoid extra weight gain.

12. Be observant – Monitor absolutely everything your dog does. For example, did he eat all his food today? Has he been drinking? Was his urine and bowel movement normal? Is his activity level the same? How does he look? Is his hair coat okay? Early recognition of symptoms can save your dogs life.

13. Visit your veterinarian regularly – Be sure maintain an appropriate schedule of wellness and recheck appointments. Your dog's needs may continue to change depending on their life stage or health conditions.

Playground Fun

Summertime! I find myself at the playground often with my two grandsons. Kids love the slides and it looks like some dogs do too.


If this guy would turn it around, it would be even more fun!



This Doberman has the right idea:

Doggie Love Letters

Are you head-over heels devoted to your dog?

Is your dog your best friend or confidant or possibly your "child"?


Then, here is a MUST READ:

A Letter To My Dog is a set of love letters from 57 pet owners to their dogs complied by Kimi Culp, Robin Layton, Lisa Erspamer, and publisher Geoff Blackwell. The letters are filled with words such as "hero," "funny," "loyalty," and "unconditional" showing the unwavering love these people have for their dogs.

What would you tell your beloved pet?

Read what others say and be sure to have plenty of tissues.

Licking or Kissing?

Is your dog kissing you when he slurps your face like a lollipop?

Although we may never know, there are several possible explanations for this behavior, not all of which are mutually exclusive. The motivation for face licking appears to vary for different dogs and different circumstances.


Dogs lick for a number of reasons, some of which are purely biological:

* Mother dogs lick their newborn pups to arouse them from their postpartum daze. In this situation, licking serves to remove clingy membranes from the pup, freeing him up to move and stimulating him to breathe.

* Once the birthing and clean-up processes are over, the mom dog's licking her pups stimulates them to eliminate both urine and feces. It is a couple of weeks before pups will eliminate spontaneously.

* Licking also serves another more romantic role in the sense that it is a comfort behavior that assists with pups' bonding to their mom and spurs on their mental development.

* From about six weeks of age, some pups lick their mom's lips when they want her to regurgitate food for them. They lick; she vomits; they eat it. This behavior is a vestige of their wild ancestry and was designed to ensure that they profited from the spoils of the hunt.

* Licking can also be a signal of submission and so is part of dog's body language communication system.

* Pups and adults lick and groom themselves. It is part of normal survival-oriented behavior. Licking their own lips, limbs, and trunk removes traces of the last meal that would otherwise begin to decompose and smell. Quite apart from the hygienic aspects of this behavior, it also serves to keep dogs relatively odor free and thus olfactorily invisible to their prey. Domestic dogs retain these instincts even though they are not vital today.

Psychology

Dogs, like people, engage in a number of "displacement behaviors" when nervous or stressed, and many of these behaviors involve self-grooming. Dogs do have their own share of dilemmas. Going to the vet's office, anxious dog patients may begin nervously licking their own lips as they enter the clinic or even lick or nibble their feet or flank.

There is no doubt that some dogs lick as a gesture of appeasement and goodwill. They may lick their own lips or may lick a person to whom they wish to signal deference. Perhaps the behavior is analogous to some forms of human kissing and thus their interpretation may be close to the truth.

However, not all dogs seem penitent when they slurp the faces of people they meet. For some dogs, it seems that they engage in face licking because they can get away with it and because it gets a rise out of the person. When licking is performed for such a reason, it may be component of the "center stage," attention-demanding behavior of dominant dogs.

Psychopathology

Some sensitive dogs in stressful environments compulsively groom themselves to the point of self-injury. Licking of this type leads to acral lick dermatitis (a.k.a. lick granuloma). Compulsive licking by dogs is not always self-directed. Some dogs take to licking floors, walls, or furniture. Whatever the outward expression of compulsive licking, the mechanics underlying the disorder are the same. In treatment of this condition, first the underlying anxiety must be addressed though, in some cases, it is also necessary to employ anti-compulsive medication to help break the cycle.

Lovey Dovey?

Perhaps some dogs are so awed by their owners that they feel the need to signal their ongoing deference by face licking.

One other thing we should always bear in mind is that any behavior can be enhanced learning. Psychologist BF Skinner immortalized the concept that reward increases the likelihood of a response. So it is with licking. If a dog licks his owner's face – perhaps as a vestige of maternal lip licking, perhaps out of anxiety, or just because his owner's face tastes salty – and his behavior is greeted with attention, hugs and (human) kisses, he will likely repeat the behavior in future.

So while face licking may not represent true romantic love, it nevertheless can sometimes be interpreted as some token of a dog's affection or respect.

Bionic Limbs for Dogs

Denis Marcellin-Little is an orthopedic surgeon at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Carolina State University. Over the last seven years, he has been pioneering a remarkable intervention for dogs with missing legs, giving them prosthetic limbs that are permanently attached to their bodies. The procedure is called a transdermal osseointegration.

Here is the story of Zeus who lost his paw in a dog attack as a puppy and the miracle work being done in this field by Dr. Marcellin-Little and his colleagues.



Heart warming!

"Good Dog"

Dogs have been domesticated for a long time that they are familiar to us and have such a range of expression. They want what we want; affection and family and useful work to do. This commonality makes a dog a very easy substitute for a human character. You can tell a human story with dogs while still allowing them to act like dogs. At least that is what Graham Chaffee is able to do.


Cover for Good Dog
Graham Chaffee's new graphic novel Good Dog provides the dog's eye view of the world in crisp pen and ink drawings. Ivan, the good dog of the story, is a stray afflicted by nightmares who wanders the streets in search of meaning to his life. Ivan and the dogs he encounters wrestle with life's big themes: independence, assimilation, and loyalty.

Great read and exceptional art!

Dogs With No Names Project

In southern Alberta, Canada, homeless "rez" dogs are now getting a helping hand from the Dogs with No Names project. Animal health technologist, Lori Rogers, and veterinarian, Judith Samson-French designed a pilot program in 2009 to reduce the population of homeless dogs on two First Nations reserves in southern Alberta by implanting a contraceptive under the skin of female dogs.

To date, volunteers with the project have successfully implanted more than a hundred dogs and prevented the birth of hundreds of thousands of pups.

To support this effort, Dr. Samson-French has recently published a new book,Dogs with No Names: In Pursuit of Courage, Hope and Purpose; 100 percent of the profits go to the project.

Find out more about their work at the website.

A Dog Travel Photo Journal

It is fun to travel with your dog, right?!

National Geographic's Traveler of the Year, Theron Humphrey, a photographer and adventurer, has taken that idea to a whole new level. Theron and his rescue Coonhound, Mattie, explored the back roads of the United States. They covered 65,000 miles. Maddie was always "on" to things.



In fact, the photos from their adventures are now found in Theron's new book, Maddie on Things:A Super Serious Project About Dogs and Physics.

Visit the website for a good laugh at the much posed, agile, and very patient Maddie.

Nose Games

Competitive nosework: focusing on games to exercise a dog's mind rather than on how to play by the rules.

I found a great new DVD, Nosework Search Games, by Norwegian dog trainer,Turid Rugass, author of the classic book Calming Signals) and one of her students, Anne Lill Kvam. Much of the film's footage is from actual seminars the two women conducted throughout Europe. It is a Zen-like experience to watch.


In the DVD, there are step-by-step instructions on how to train your dog for "the lost retrieve," "the square search," and the "search for treats" (an easy one for my dog!). The women often call dogs "harmonic," and talk about letting dogs be themselves.

After the credits on the DVD, Turid talks about her dog following her car tracks to town without her knowing. You can really feel the love and admiration she has for dogs.

Contagious!

Did you know that your dog can spread a common disease to you?


Yes, ringworm (also known as dermatophytosis) is not caused by a worm at all but a fungus that lives on the skin. It is more common in cats than dogs, but dogs do get it as well. A ringworm infection typically results in itchy or red skin, hair loss, and crusts, scaling, or scabs on the skin.

Ringworm is considered highly contagious and is spread from person to person, from animal to person, or indirectly from contaminated objects or soil. The associated spores from the mature fungus can live for years in the right conditions. Ringworm typically infects three sites: scalp, body and nails.

A great precaution is to always wash your hands after handling your dog. Not only does it curb the spread of ringworm, it also helps fight other contagious diseases.

Learn more about ringworm so you can prevent this contagious fungus.

More Healthy Dogs

Wouldn't it be great if our beloved dogs could add a few more years to their lives?

Ted Kerasote has written another inspiring book which addresses the issue of how to give our dog the longest life possible. The book is a combination of anecdotes about the author's dog, Pukka, and research about the factors that may effect the lifespan of our pooches: genetics, inbreeding, lifestyle, diet, vaccinations and other traditional veterinary practices, environmental toxins, and more.

A MUST READ for all dog owners!



Ebbie and I get outdoors everyday for a walk or skate on the Chehalis Western Trail in Olympia, Washington. Exercise and socializing her with other dogs are healthy options for a long life. And for us too!

Name That Dog

One of my cyberspace artist friend, Alexandra, at BlueChairDiaryIllustrations, has created a contest to name her new dog character which will become the subject for greeting cards.

If you win there is a prize box filled with misc goodies such as art supplies, chocolates and your own original doodle of the doggy.

So, be sure to check out this doggy character at her website.

How about this cute doggy? She wins my heart.

Ebony

Only in Seattle

A new model of veterinarian care!


Urban Animal is committed to keeping pet care affordable and an approach that might include not pushing for the most extreme and costly interventions.

The office is another story. It is part Airstream and part 1978 Ford truck both of which are owned by practice founder Cherri Trusheim.

Urban Animal is located in an old medical building on Capitol Hill / First Hill in Seattle, Washington. The welcoming interior space has funky vinyl chairs and second-hand medical cabinets, paint-by-number dog portraits, and enormous vintage print of a cabin in the mountains, PLUS, in the corner a photobooth.

For only four dollars you and your dog can capture the moment with a take home print in only four minutes!

Dr. Trusheim worked as a relief vet and at an emergency hospital. Urban Animal accommodates walk-ins and is open on weekends.

I hope this model of veterinarian care becomes the norm.
Thank you, Dr. Trusheim!

Dog Bed Selection

Does your dog sleep in bed with you?


If no, then how do you choose the right bed for your dog?

Buying the right doggie bed requires a little forethought and a lot of consideration for your dog – but it does not necessarily require a lot of money.

Buying the right kind of bed and maintaining it properly can go a long way to your dog's happiness, and maybe even your own. If he has a comfy place to drop, he may be less likely to curl up on the couch or your own bed. Letting your dog sleep with you is generally a bad idea, and can lead to dominance problems says experts.

In shopping for a bed, consider that it should:

Provide comfort
Conserve body heat
Protect bony prominences
Be easy to clean
Resist moisture

The bed should combine softness with durability, and should not contain or attract dust or poisonous substances. It should also be springy, not compacted, after repeated use. You will find it easier to buy a bed that comes with a removable cover, which you can throw in the washing machine.

There are several types you can choose from:

1. Slumber beds. Some are lined with fur, and a few come with hoods.

2. Bean beds. Covered with a soft fabric, bean beds contain a type of material that holds to your dog's shape as he changes position. Some are filled with cedar or other moisture-resistant materials.

3. Cushion beds. Soft fabric cover (sheepskin-texture is very common) over plastic-enclosed foam provides good support for the slumbering dog. The plastic keeps moisture from getting into and ruining the foam mattress.

4. Donut or nesting bed. This is a type of cushion bed that contours around your pet to let him nestle in the center.


Pleasant dreams!

Clever Dog Video

I am sure you have watched many dog videos as have I, but this one caught my attention. Adam Cox not only captured silly dog antics, but also enhanced the story with music and dialogue.

This clever dog video is good for a few laughs. Watch.........

Dogs in Slow Motion

Although this is an advertising commercial, it is well worth the time to watch. The video not only captures the eligence of the dog's movement to capture a treat, but also the joy of the event.

Watch this...........

Dog and Dolphin Swimming Buddies

A friend of mine sent this video which I must share.

Here is a Lab and dolphin playing in the Tory Island Harbour, in Ireland.

Very sweet......

Dog Food Dos and Don'ts

There are so many different dog food options available for all different kinds of dogs that choosing the right food can be an intimidating task. How do you even begin?


What you see on that label is the key to knowing whether a food is appropriate for your dog. Before you choose a new food, become educated about some common ingredients so you can know what is preferable and what is not.

One quick note: the higher up on a list an ingredient is, the more it makes up that food. Most of your dog's food will be composed of the first few ingredients on the list. This is important to keep in mind if you see any of the below undesirable ingredients.

THE DON'TS:

The number one ingredient to avoid is something labeled “by-products” or “by-product meals.” These are ingredients created from waste parts in the butchering process. These parts contain no muscle tissue, and are classified as unfit for human consumption. Meat by-products are things like lungs, spleen, liver, stomach, and even bone. If a dog food lists any kind of by-product as one of the first ingredients, avoid it. Instead, look for dog food that lists actual meat as an ingredient. And do not confuse an ingredient like plain “chicken meal” for the yucky stuff described above; it is not the same thing as chicken by-product meal.

Anything artificial is best to avoid as well. Many dog foods use artificial colors and flavors. These synthetic additives are unnecessary, since color has little importance for your dog and there are many natural ways to improve flavor. Some artificial dyes, such as FD&C Red #40, can even impact you; they can be so strong that if vomited, they can stain carpets and fabrics.

Dog foods also often contain fillers; that is, parts with little to no nutritional value that are added to food to increase volume or weight. Almost all dog food is sold by weight, so bulking up food with inexpensive ingredients can save companies a lot of money. The issue is that your dog gets absolutely nothing from these ingredients, and in most cases their body cannot even break them down. (It even makes more work for you, since what comes in must go out, if you know what I mean). Common fillers include soybean meal and flour, as well as wheat middlings, wheat gluten, and corn meal gluten.

Try to get a dog food that little to no sweeteners or sugar as well. Excess sugar in your dog's diet can lead to health problems like obesity and diabetes. The sugar on the ingredients list can appear in a number of different ways including cane sugar and high-fructose corn syrup.

On the other hand there are some ingredients that it is good to have in your dog's food. Look for dog foods that name natural ingredients and boast no preservatives or by-products.

THE DOS:

Now that you are aware of ingredients to avoid and if you are considering switching foods, many pet owners are choosing natural foods. There are many healthy options for our pets. The benefits of natural are due to the use of only natural ingredients that can have a positive impact on many areas of your Dog's health.

Toy Selection

How do you choose the right toy for your dog?

Toys are not a luxury when it comes to your dog. They are an absolute necessity. They not only prevent boredom (and the negative behaviors that can arise when dogs are bored), they also stimulate their brains and trigger dogs' natural “play drive.”

Ebony likes soft, squeaky toys she can chew and toss in the air. What does your dog like?


When choosing safe and fun toys, you should consider the size of your dog, his or her activity level, breed, tendencies, and preferences.

In addition to being the right type of toy to suit your pet, your new toy needs to be safe as well as being durable and fun. Please keep in mind that no toy is truly indestructible but some are more durable and sturdier than others.

The best toys are often interactive. These types of toys allow both you AND your dog to play with the same toy together. Toys that present an element of surprise or give your dog's brain a workout are especially beneficial.

It is recommended that you should supervise your dog at play with any toys.