Do More With Your Dog

Do More With Your Dog is the brainchild of Kyra Sundance. Kyra is a dog trainer and dog lover, and she has assembled all sorts of ideas all with the goal of getting people to do more with their dogs.

I came across Do More With Your Dog when I was looking for something to help me do some trick training with my standard poodle, Ditto. I found one of Kyra Sundance's books on dog tricks, and have since found and used more of her products: she has a podcast where she talks about dogs, training and more; she has a handful of books on training and dogs; she has little kits with dog training supplies and instructions for specific tricks; and she has created the Trick Dog Title as a goal for you and your dog to work towards together.

After a few months of working on tricks together, Ditto and I are ready to pass off the novice level of his Trick Dog Title! I am so proud of us. I feel like practicing tricks helps the two of us bond, and also helps Ditto be intellectually stimulated and improves his behavior--not to mention just being fun. I really encourage you to take up Kyra Sundance's challenge to do more with your pet. It's so great when you do. 

Penguin Love

I recently heard a spot on the radio about Utah's Living Planet Aquarium--specifically, about the Gentoo penguins housed there. A representative talked about an adorable mating ritual the birds practice. So often, animals' habits and instincts are hard for us as humans to relate to (ahem, how your friend's dog greets you). It is delightful to find a practice that's so relatable.

The pets on the website mom.me explains it this way:

"Humans give flowers and candy when wooing a lady. Penguins give rocks. Not just any rocks, though -- male gentoo penguins search through piles of pebbles to find the smoothest, most perfect ones. When a penguin has selected his pebble, he presents it to his intended companion. If she approves, she puts the stone in her nest and the two are well on their way to becoming mommy and daddy birds. Pebbles are so important to the penguins that males often fight over the prettiest selections."

Lost Pets and Pet Amber Alert

hollowcrown_ / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND

I recently saw a printed fax for a kitty that came from a service called Pet Amber Alert. "What a great idea!" I thought. But after spending some time looking into the paid service, it looks like this is a service that is a bit more complex than I originally thought.

On their website, Pet Amber Alert explains they call "thousands" of neighbors about your pet in addition to faxing and emailing a lost pet poster to local veterinarians, animal shelters, animal control, police stations, media outlets, pet stores, and "neighborhood watch volunteers."

One newspaper article, however, reported on a family who found they were paying for the service months after they cancelled it--because it hadn't helped them find their beloved dog. Another newspaper reported a similar service did not seem to actually have completed the calls and faxes as promised.

So if these services do not necessarily follow through with their promised services, what can you do in the case of a lost pet?

Part of the answer to that question is in prevention. Make sure your pets have current tags they wear all the time--an easy way for anyone to identify where he or she lives. Also, be sure your pet gets a microchip. This is a small device about the grain of rice that is inserted under your pet's skin by your vet during a visit (they don't even have to stay over night). It is programmed with a unique identification number registered to you. In the event your pet gets lost, someone at a vet clinic or animal shelter can use a scanner to read the chip's number and get your pet back to you. There are also now products on the market that allow you to track your pet by GPS when charged and attached to your pet's collar or harness.

Microchip Scanner

Tony Webster / Foter / CC BY

If your pet does wander off, it's important to get out there looking as soon as you see they're missing--that's when they're most likely to be closest to home. Most dogs are found by searching the neighborhood. Most cats, however, return home on their own. Also, if you find someone else's pet who has wandered off, taking them to the local shelter improves their odds of getting them safely home.

Here's to those lovely animals in our lives staying safe!

Adorable!

Take a look at this Huffington Post compilation of "cats who have mastered the art of collecting some TLC." 

It will melt your heart. 

Diet and Exercise--for your pet, too!

Today reported on this dachshund that lost 80% of his body weight with the help of a loving owner--simply through diet and exercise. Even if those treats make them happy, even if they beg while you're cooking, helping your pet watch his or her weight is just as important as you maintaining your own. And the "magic formula" is the same for them, too. Calories in=calories out. 

Check out the full story here. 

Cat Games

A good friend of mine recently got an adorable new kitten. It is sweet and playful in the way that only kittens are.

The other night I was at her house, and she pulled out her iPad to play with her little kitty. I was surprised! I didn't even know there's a whole genre of videos on YouTube for your cat.

This is the one her little kitten loves:

Poodle Love