Pop Dog of the Week: Molly

Molly is our POP DOG of the week!! (see sidebar to the right)

She is owned by photographer Jean M. Fogle, who has a new book coming out this Fall called Salty Dogs. It's a book about dogs at the beach, and from the pictures she posts on her blog, it's going to be great!

Look for it on bookshelves at the end of September! Molly is featured throughout the book too!

I'm Endangered!!

According to The Kennel Club in England, the Manchester Terrier is among several native British/Irish dog breeds that are now considered endangered!

Manchester's usually only produce 2-3 puppies per litter, and many breeders only have 1 litter either every year or every other year...so with around 100 puppies being born and registered in a year, we're now an endangered breed.

The Manchester Terrier or Black and Tan Terriers as it was originally known, [dates] back to the 14oo's and is said to be the oldest English Terrier.

The British Manchester Terrier Club is quite active in promoting the breed and hosting Fun Days to have Manchester owners come out for some fun and show the public how great we are! The Kennel Club has even gone as far as creating a Preservation Trust to help ensure these breeds are sustained.

Unfortunately it's more difficult here in North America. We are scattered coast-to-coast and even having a National Specialty dog show for Conformation usually only brings out a handful of Manchesters.

For more info on Manchester's visit both the Canadian and American Manchester Terrier Clubs.

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Why I Love My Dog Walker

I'd like to take today's post and write about Trish, my dog walker. She comes to see me every Wednesday and takes me out on group walks for a few hours. We go to off leash parks where I run, play socialize and generally have fun. She runs Pooch Pals Dogwalking Service in my town, and like the thousands out there, provides an essential service for us dogs.

When busy humans can't get home during the day, what's a dog to do? Does chewing Coach purses ring a bell??

An old saying rings true to me: a tired dog is a happy dog. Among the obvious health benefits, we are social creatures, who crave interaction with other dogs. Sniff a butt or two, engage in game of chase me!

Walks (outside of the backyard) provide mental stimulation as well. We love to sniff, mark, see who's been here recently...it's all part of who we are.

A walk allows you to practice obedience skills with your dog to increase the reliability of training. Reviewing the basic commands also increases the benefits of a walk because your dog is not simply ambling along, but is performing additional tasks.

Walking your dog is one of the best ways to help prevent behavior problems. At least two walks daily help prevent elimination problems, destructiveness, separation anxiety and other common behavior disorders. If you simply let your dog out in the yard, you lose an opportunity to reinforce desirable behavior.

So if you can't make it home during the day, do your dog a favour, hire them a dog walker. It'll be the best investment you make.
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Rent-A-Pet??

Ok, so my buddy Fritz barked at me with this crazy story, I just had to share! A company called FlexPetz, based out of San Francisco, CA, is offering part-time pet sharing...basically a "rent-a-pet". For the "busy" person who isn't able to care for a dog full time, they can rent hours, or an overnight stay with a dog when it's convenient to them.

WHAT??!! I'm sorry...to me this sounds crazy. How can this kind of instability be good for a dog? They are kept in a cage-free kennel, and then rented out on a per-need basis. As my buddy Fritz said, how weird to wake up to different "owners" all the time.

For an annual fee of $99.95, a monthly payment of $49.95 and a per-visit charge of $39.95 a day, (discounted to $24.95 Sunday through Thursday), animal lovers who enroll in FlexPetz get to spend time with a four-legged companion from the 10-dog crew of Afghan Hounds, Labrador Retrievers and Boston Terriers.

The membership costs cover the expense of training the dogs, boarding them at a cage-free kennel, home or office delivery, collar-sized global positioning devices, veterinary bills and liability insurance. It also pays for the "care kits" - comprised of leashes, bowls, beds and pre-measured food - that accompany each dog on its visits.

Ok...so it's not only a rent-a-pet...but with no real effort on the human side..the dogs come with pre-measured food?? All this for a day or night, then send them back the next day...seems like a lot of work just to "feel" like a real dog owner.

To me, dogs need stability...if people want to spend some time with a dog, they should check with their local animal shelter and volunteer as a dog walker. With the amount of packed shelters out there, it would be a great gift to a dog really in need of exercise and human interaction.

But of course, that's just my opinion. What do you think? I'd love to hear your comments on this!
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Breed Spotlight: The Basenji

So I was at Greenwood yesterday and met two new little dogs. They were Basenji's. My human was smitten. She confessed this was the breed she looked at before picking me (WHAT?!). So naturally, I was curious about these pups...and wanted to see what the hype was about.

Well, the Basenji is a sighthound. It is small and agile (like me!), and adapts well to most living conditions. It comes in three different colour combos with ears that stand up and a curly tail.

According to the Basenji Club of Canada it's said to be of ancient origin, this hunting breed was valued for its speed, intelligence, and silent workmanship. They have excellent sight, very mobile ears, and an outstanding sense of smell. The Basenji is often called the “African Barkless” dog, but it is not mute. It can howl, growl and snarl. In addition it can make a yodeling noise and puppies can crow like roosters.

What I loved was their willingness to play, chase and be gentle around new pups and people. I admit, these two i met were quite cute. One was red and white, the other tri-colour.

They are said to make great pets, but can be a challenge to train. So you must be disciplined to take one on. They are quite independent. For more info, check out the Basenji Clubs in Canada and the US.

[photo credit]

Online Pet Communities

Since the pet industry has exploded, online pet community websites are on the rise. As many of you know, I have my own page on Dogster. It's a great forum to get to discuss everything dog: health, sports, shopping. Upload your favourite photos and videos, give other dogs cute stars and rosettes to show you care. They are also very informative providing a daily blog on hot dog topics.

Another great site to check out is PetPop. On PetPop you can build your own community and keep your pet friends all in one place. Meet new pets in your area and check out other breeds like you from all around. See who has a top rated profile, look through top rated photos and videos. The cool thing about the PetPop pages is that other pets from the website can leave great comments (including photos and clip art) on the pets page...to leave a cute message or tell them that they like their page. The pets human can also have a section on the site to post some brief info about themselves too.

The team that has created PetPop are all pet lovers and that’s the main reason why it was created. The site is for pet lovers by pet lovers. You can't be mad at that!

Pawspot is also trying to give Dogster a run for its dog cookies. It's set up as an online community for pets and people. The pet pages aren't as detailed, but the search is great as it allows you to find pets in your area, for potential meet-up situations. They have great forum discussion threads set up with a variety of topics, and nice gallery with photo contests to check out the great pets.

So if you don't already have a site out there for your pup, what are you waiting for??

Nike Suspends Vick's Contract

I received an email from the Humane Society of the United States today. Giving me the good news:

Nike announced today that it has suspended Michael Vick's contract without pay and will stop selling all Vick-related products at its stores.

As you know, the allegations against Michael Vick are so serious and disturbing that The Humane Society of the United called on his corporate backers to end their commercial relationships with the star player. I’m so pleased that Nike has signaled it has a zero tolerance policy for athletes who may be involved with staged animal fights and other forms of malicious animal cruelty.

Nike's statement reads as follows:

“Nike has suspended Michael Vick’s contract without pay, and will not sell any more Michael Vick product at Nike owned retail at this time. As we’ve said before, Nike is concerned by the serious and highly disturbing allegations made against Michael Vick and we consider any cruelty to animals inhumane and abhorrent. However, we do believe that Michael Vick should be afforded the same due process as any citizen in the United States, therefore, we have not terminated our relationship.”

Also today, Reebok agreed to stop selling Michael Vick-branded products. The company does not have a contract with Vick but has an official relationship with the NFL to sell its merchandise.

Thank you again for all you do for animals.

Sincerely,

Wayne Pacelle
President & CEO
The Humane Society of the United States

Sweet.

Ugh...Paris Hilton adds more pups to her family

So we know she loves little dogs...she has many. She brings a few out on occasion, and has now added two more to her brood. A new Chihuahua named Hendrix, and a Yorkie named Cinderella.

My question is....when she's constantly working *ahem* partying and doing the socialite scene...who is taking care of these dogs?? It's been reported on a number of sites that her dogs are often seen running loose in her Beverley Hills neighbourhood.

And where is Tinkerbell?? Seems she's fallen out of favour..we never see her photographed anymore.

For the sake of those pups, I hope she has someone responsible taking care of them while she's gone.

[source] [photo credit]

Zoomies: A Definition

So to some of you out there, the word Zoomies might be new. Let me break it down for you. Zoomies is the act of running full speed, usually in a circular motion around the backyard, open field or in your living room.

Zoomies happen when a pup is excited or has pent up energy.

Zoomies are fun! Just tonight, my "pawrents" were out for the night. When they came back, I was taken out to the back field and once unleashed, I did MAJOR ZOOMIES around the field. What added to the fun, was me finding the best toy ever. The Water Bottle.

You love that it fits into your mouth just right. The crinkle noise it makes when you chomp on it. The utter joy of seeing your human run after you telling you to drop it.

Yes, the Water Bottle is a great invention. So pups, get out and enjoy some zoomies today!

Off Leash Parks are Pawesome!!

I'm all in favour of the off leash park! Just last night I was at our local off leash for a romp with my best bud Mimi, an American Bulldog. We met a Mastiff puppy, a Boxer and a Bulldog. It was so much fun!!

Definitely check out your local Parks and Recreation department if you don't have legal off leash areas to see what you can do to change it. It's a great feeling to be able to run around leash free with other dogs and provides great physical and mental stimulation and socialization for us!

Check out some video of last nights romp.