As a child I would frequently start my annual wishing for a dog around the time of my birthday in Oct, and would accelerate that wishing as only a child can straight through to Christmas Eve. My parents would smile and tell me the old story of how they used to have a dog but had to give him away when I was born because he liked to jump in the crib, their explanations were peppered with reasons that now make sense but at the time I did not want to hear. I mean so what if they both had to work and there was no one around to dependably take care of a dog, I wanted a dog…..

When I was nine years old they let me pick out a cat from a new litter in a neighboring town, I picked the multi-colored cat out of a the litter where all the rest of the kittens were yellow. So we took the kitten home and because it was mine my parents and sister only put up mild objections to naming her Stuffy. I loved the cat and even at nine took on the cleaning of the litter box and occasional brushing. We had Stuffy for 16 or 17 years and she taught me many things about animals and love.

With a cat at home my love of animals kept growing and I would run into 6 or 7 dogs in the next 10 years that would have a profound impact in how I viewed the treatment of pets. The first one was a beagle who lived a couple of hundred yards down our street, he was chained up in front of a little dog house situated next to an apartment house. The beagle who I a 10 year old little boy would name Ow-u did not bark or whine he just sat in his yard watching everyone coming and going. One day I crossed the lawn and went to visit him, I ended up returning over and over to chat with him and feed him milk bones I had bought with money from my paper route. We became fast friends for a year and a half till his owners moved away. In all that time I think I was the only person who spent time with him other then his daily feeding. it broke my heart when he went away just as his loneliness broke my heart when I walked by his house.

Animals deserve to live with people who have the time, patience and love to take care of them, they are not toys or things we buy and then push in the back of some closet when a new shinny toy comes along. Too many people neglect their animals and that’s why more and more shelters sprout up every year to meet this horrible crisis.

During this holiday season please direct some of your giving to animal shelters so they can continue the generous work they do everyday. Giving just 2 or 3 dollars to a couple of shelters will brighten the lives of some forgotten pet. Please visit a couple of shelter websites and make a donation today…  Thanks….

Seems the out cry about the possible dangers to both pets and humans has pushed the E.P.A. into expanding their reviews of  liquid flea and tick products. I’m sure there is a collective sigh of relief coming from pet owners everywhere, but I’m equally sure that relief is mixed with a healthy dose of skepticism as we wonder if anything will be resolved or just stay as it is, once the reviews are completed.

In the New York Times a few days ago Nicholas Bakalar wrote an expanded article on this topic I recommend everyone read. READ MORE: Flea and Tick Product Being Reviewed

And…

Ever wonder what your dog sees when it is roaming around the house or looking at you with those loving eyes? Well now there is a camera you can attach to your dog and find out. Lisa Katayama has a story over on Boing Boing Gadgets all about the slick but decidedly low tech and low quality camera called Pets Eye View. Read More: What’s Your Dog Looking At Anyway?

I came across an interesting bit of news in today’s Dallas Morning News, it seems that despite the recession parties for dogs are still a growing trend. “According to the American Pet Products Association. That group’s 2009-10 National Pet Owners Survey says that about 7 percent of dog owners hold holiday or birthday parties for their pets. That’s up from 6 percent before 2008. And the APPA projects that those numbers will keep growing even through the recession, as overall pet spending hits $45.4 billion this year. ” READ MORE, of this well written and informative piece, Dog Parties

Pro dog walkers in dog parks, how many dogs should each person be allowed to bring into a dog park at one time? Anyone have an experience you can share with us? In Los Angeles they have passed a law limiting the number of dogs to 3 that each person can bring into a dog park at one time. Maybe they should charge Pro Walkers a fee for dogs over the limit and use the cash to make the parks nicer, any thoughts? I saw the story in the Daily News, “There’s just one problem: Six months after the city passed a law limiting each person to three dogs at its nine off-leash dog parks, scores of dog walkers far exceed their legal mutt max.
Critics call them scofflaws, saying their dogs run wild, beg food and make a mess of the animal parks. They want them put to heel. READ MORE: Too Many Dogs

I have been wondering lately if the world wide economic downturn has caused the news media to do less stories on pets. If I had an extra 10 pennies I would bet that this is the case. What I’m seeing as I look at dozens and dozens of news sources around the world is less coverage of the animal world. Anyone have a thought about this?

I stumbled over a new product that I want to share with everyone. I don’t know anything about this and make I’m not making an endorsement of any kind. The new product is called Powerloo, on their website they say. “Green Dog presents an innovative outdoor, maintenance-free, flushable toilet for proper and sanitary disposal of pet waste.  This unique in-ground toilet installs easily in your yard and connects directly to your home sewer line.” They also have an informational video on the site that you might want to check out. I’d love to hear what people think of this, so please lets get the comment churning on this subject.

Yes indeed it is Tuesday in dog news land, the sun is out in New England, dogs are happy all over this land. Do forget to let your pet know you like them today, spend a moment or two extra letting them know you care.

Over at the BBC I came across a nice article about the history of dogs, you can also find the history of a dozen other pets from this same page.. “Dogs are part of the Canidae, a family including wolves, coyotes and foxes, thought to have evolved 60 million years ago. Domestic dogs are derived directly from wolves which entered villages in the Northern Hemisphere in search of food about 12,000 years ago.” Read More The History of Dogs.

I came a cross an interesting article about gadgets for your pets you may not even know you needed. “IN 2008, American pet owners spent $43 billion on their animals. Walk into any pet store and it is easy to see how — $60 brushes, $200 designer cat scratchers, $450 midcentury dog beds. But the market for pet gadgets has been dismal, in large part because of the abundance of novelty goods that are more expensive than practical.” Read More: Pet Gadgets

Suns out and the green of the trees has produced a wall of serenity outside my office window, its a picture taking day and coincidently I ran across a Q&A in the NYT on how to photograph your pet, tips from an expert. Continue Reading Photo Tips

Health care costs for pets are no different than for humans, they are out of control and something that many don’t think about in the rush to get a cuddly puppy. Another piece in the NYT touches on this subject, “First, adopting from a shelter is a good idea, not just because you are rescuing a pet but because in most cases, all shots, and sometimes even microchips, state dog licenses and some training, can be included in one adoption price.” Read More, Health Care and Your Pet.

Rain all day and all day i’m yawning, then I come across a story from the BBC about how pets can take yawning cues from humans, who knew. A good article and video awaits you,“Yawning is known to be contagious in humans but now scientists have shown that pet dogs can catch a yawn, too.The copying activity suggests that canines are capable of empathising with people, say the researchers who recorded dogs’ behaviour in lab tests.” Read More Yawning Dogs

Co-dependent? “a yapping-dog intervention?”  I found this hilarious story in the NYT and wanted to share it with everyone. “FOR some people, “home” means rounding a corner and catching that first glimpse of a familiar roofline, or a chimney that rises above a neighbor’s house.” Read More Dog Addiction