Mollie and Her Ridiculous Life ~ New Blogger Alert

Say hello to Mollie & her Ridiculous Life, our New Blogger of the week.

I’m Sarah, 24, from Britain, and I own a springer spaniel named Mollie that is actually a little troll in disguise. She’s four years old, into rolling in long walks in the forest, rolling in fox-poo, and stopping at nothing to make as much mischief as possible. She never misses an opportunity to do anything requiring even the smallest hint of cheekiness, and if trolling was an occupation for dogs, she’d be a professional.

Also with her is my other springer, Bingo, who is a rescue dog. Often facing the brunt of Mollie’s cheekiness, he’s a sweet gentle giant who doesn’t have even a faintly aggressive bone in his body – even when Mollie is chewing on his ears. I decided to start blogging about Mollie’s antics because they’re often so elaborately cheeky that I often have to scratch my head and think ‘is my dog actually a cartoon villain?’ before thinking that the rest of the world also needs to hear about the ridiculousness that is my dog.

Stop by & say hi to Mollie & the gang today!

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Guest Post By Hy Conrad & Jeff Johnson Authors of “Things Your Dog Doesn’t Want You to Know”

The most exhilarating part of writing, for us at least, is the idea.

In this case, the idea came in the form of a title. We were watching the late evening news and commercial after commercial came on the air advertising books like “Things The FBI Doesn’t Want You to Know” and “Things the Banks Don’t Want You to Know.”

There was a seemingly endless number of things we weren’t supposed to know. At that point, one of us turned to the other and said, “Sure, what about something really useful like ‘Things Your Dog Doesn’t Want You to Know.’” And that’s how the book got started.

Like many humor books these days, this one began as a blog. We started posting on the most obvious topics: “What We Do When You’re Gone” or “Sticking My Head Out The Car Window.”

The initial idea was to keep them generic, in a sort of Everydog persona. But we soon realized that the humor was in the specifics. It was funnier if the dog had a real personality, and even funnier if we invented a variety of “blogging dogs”, each with a radically different personality.

For inspiration, we used Nelson and Charlie, our miniature Schnauzers, and spent a lot of time at the local dog park, mostly observing the humans, who always seemed clueless about their dogs’ behavior. If that wasn’t grist for a humor book…

A few weeks after we started, the site garnered enough attention to get a publisher calling. That’s when the fun really began.

We wound up creating eleven dogs, from tiny and obnoxious (Tinkerbell, author of “My Life in Your Purse”) to large and dumb (Axelrod, author of “The Reason I Ate the Sofa”). And we gave each dog an arc, which is a writerly term for “all the little stories add up to something.” For example, Sarge is a German Shepherd and a working dog. In each of his stories, he gets a new job and it always winds up being a disaster. By the time Sarge tells his tenth story, he has finally been adopted by a great family. But he still thinks it’s a job, and this one he doesn’t want to lose.

Our goal was to write a humor book and not one that seriously explored their world. Occasionally we were forced to do research. In the case of eating grass, we found the human experts split. Some said that dogs ate grass to promote digestion. Others said that dogs are trying to eat the smells that are on the grass and wind up making themselves sick. So we had lovable mutt Moonbeam explain both points of view – and them become distracted.

The blog morphed into a website called ThingsYourDog.com and it’s still up and running with new content all the time. And if you submit a question about your own dog’s behavior, one of our 11 dog experts will answer it (in a humorous way, of course).

Perhaps the best way to show what the book is about is to include an excerpt. The following is from Bandana, a very bossy border collie. This is Bandana’s first excerpt, where he establishes the rules of the house.  Watch for Bandana's Post in the next couple of days, trust me you & your dog won't want to miss it.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

HY CONRAD Best known for his work in mysteries, Hy was one of the original writers for the groundbreaking series, Monk, working on the show for all eight seasons, the final two as Co-Executive Producer. In a related project, Hy was Executive Producer and head writer of Little Monk, a series of short films featuring Adrian Monk as a ten-year-old. His latest TV work was as writer and Consulting Producer for White Collar. Hy is also the author of hundreds of short stories and ten books of short whodunits, which have been sold around the world in fourteen languages. Hy’s first mystery novel series, Abel Adventures, will debut in 2012 with the publication of Rally ‘Round the Corpse. And his first full-length comedy/mystery play, Home Exchange, premiered at the Waterfront Playhouse in May 2012. He lives in Key West with his partner and two miniature schnauzers. (www.hyconrad.com)

 JEFF JOHNSON Jeff spent most of his working life in advertising agencies, currently as General Manager of Cramer-Krasselt in New York City. He is the author of The Hourglass Solution: A Boomer’s Guide to the Rest of Your Life and co-authors (with Paula Forman) a national online advice column called Short Answers, which also appears in newspapers all along the east coast (from Massachusetts to Florida). Jeff lives in Vermont and Key West and is on the Board of Directors of the Waterfront Playhouse and the Florida Keys SPCA.

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New Tricks Caring For Old Dogs

Old age comes to us all, even man’s best friend. While your dog may have been by your side for years as he passes middle age it’s important to be aware of some of the conditions he could suffer from.

Some of the most common age-related problems for dogs are what we might call aches and pains. At one end of the spectrum are sore joints; at the other, arthritis and hip dysplasia.

Sore joints are common in all breeds of dog, regardless of size. Arthritis and hip dysplasia are hereditary so keep a careful eye out if you know your dog’s history and it’s in their blood line.

Hip dysplasia tends to affect bigger breeds. Unfortunately neither hip dysplasia nor arthritis is curable, so it’s down to you to help manage the pain.

How to spot if your dog has sore joints
If you dog displays any of the following behaviors he may be feeling a bit stiff or sore in his joints:
• Hesitation before going up or down stairs
• Trouble jumping up, for example on to the sofa or into the car
• Changes to the way he walks, especially if his back legs are closer together as this is a sign of hip dysplasia
• Trouble sleeping
• Stiffness in the morning
• Not wanting to play as much as usual
• Limping

Care for sore joints
Ideally you would take preventative measures to help minimize the effects of joint deterioration on your dog later in life. However, if your dog has already reached his senior years there are dietary and lifestyle changes you can adopt to help minimize aches and pains.

To begin with it’s important to ensure your dog maintains a healthy weight. If your dog is carrying around excess weight this can put unnecessary strain on already sore joints and could potentially exasperate the problem.

A healthy weight can be achieved with a balanced diet and regular exercise. Your dog may have slowed down as he’s aged, but exercise should still be an integral part of his everyday routine. However, while exercise is good, for a dog with achy and painful joints, it should only be done in moderation. Little and often is best.

While age is certainly a contributing factor to sore joints, this condition in dogs – and in humans – is also a result of a diminishing supply of glucosamine in the body. Glucosamine is an amino sugar that is produced naturally by the body to help build cartilage.

However, the amount of glucosamine the body can produce declines with age. Fortunately, glucosamine for dogs is available in supplement form and can be added to your dog’s diet to help ease joint pain and aid in the regeneration of cartilage. While joint pain may be the most common of conditions affecting senior dogs, you may also want to look out for other age-related problems such as dental disease and deteriorating eye health.

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Cheshire Danes ~ Featured Blogger

Hello everybody!

My name is Indigo, and I am a Great Dane! As unfortunately many of us do, my dear pet friends, my life started on the rocky side. For the 5 first years of my life, I belonged to a greedy breeder, who did not bother with my education nor my well-being. To my fortune, I was adopted by Connor, who had been breeding danes in the past!

When Connor adopted me, I was pregnant with 7 beautiful puppies, and while Connor knew what he was doing, his girlfriend Anais was absolutely clueless! So she decided to start blogging, to find advice and support, and to share the joys of having puppies!

Blogging was the best decision ever! We met the most amazing pet lovers and made many good friends.

I gave birth on the 3rd of April 2012, and since then I saw my puppies grow, grow and grow, until recently they left us to go to their forever homes!

I am now enjoying a well deserved retirement ( I got my retirement operation on the 18th of June) with my two humans.... aaaaand.... Malach, the puppy we decided to keep!

He is one handsome lad, a big harlequin blue, like me!

Even though my puppies have flown out of the nest, i still have TONS of things to blog about! My favorite subjects are training, dog psychology, walks, games, foods and of course doggy fashion! Come by say hello, we love meeting new people and new pets!

Our main blog is Cheshire Danes

You can also go have a look at our Journey having Puppies

And also follow our attempts at being "green" and "sustainable" on our brand new Green Corner!

Slobber bubbles, Indigo!

Here are 3 of our favorite blog posts:

Day 4 - The Social Animal

K9 Camp Walking on Sunshine

8 Weeks Old Already

Stop by Cheshire Danes today & say hi!

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Hospital Instead of Barkworld???

Oskar here,

I'm sorry to report that my mom person is in the hospital right now instead of being happy with her friends at BarkWorld.

It's not serious, just her tummy troubles got a little out of hand. Don't forget about us!

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Pug Paradise ~ New Blogger Alert

Pardon my late start today, I am very excited to introduce you to the gang at Pug Paradise!

I am a first time dog owner - this time last year I knew nothing about dogs. Nobody in my family has dogs, and so literally the most contact I ever had with dogs was when I passed strangers walking them on the streets. But I knew that I loved pugs and I felt ready to undergo the wonderful experience of having a dog. It has been one huge learning curve and I have truly loved each moment of it. I got my pugs from pups, and in a way we've all been learning this strange, wonderful new life together. I have come a long way this year and I decided to start my blog to share my journey with others. I'm sure that a lot of you will agree with me, when I say that getting a dog (or pet in general for that matter) changed my life in many ways, I do things, see people and go to places that I never would have done before if it wasn't for them. And honestly? My life has been happier and more complete ever since.

My blog will hopefully be a place to come and see how a twenty something girl is finding her exciting new life with two pugs.

Stop by Pug Paradise today and show them some Pet Blogs United friendship!

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Are You On The Blogroll?

Hello friends,
A little housekeeping to do today.

First I'd like you to know that I'm running a bit behind at responding to my email, so if you have sent something that needs my attention, I assure it will get taken care off, just not as quickly as I'd like. Especially since I am leaving for the Barkworld conference Thursday and won't return until Sunday.

Secondly, I'd like to ask you to check to see if your blog is on our blogroll, if not, drop me a line at PBU at comcast dot net. In exchange for being on our blogroll, I do ask that you display the Pet Blogs United button in your sidebar. The button code is on the Pet Blogs United homepage.

If you're interested in being featured on Pet Blogs United in some form, drop us a line also.

I'd like to thank you all for making Pet Blogs United successful, and if you have any ideas or suggestions, please just give us a shout.

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Dr. Raasch Answers Your Nutrition Questions

Back in September we gave you the opportunity to ask Iams nutritionist Dr. Raasch your pet nutrition questions.

Now here are the answers.  If you can't access the video below you can click to YouTube to view it.



We would like to thank Dr. Raasch & especially our sponsor Iams for this opportunity.

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Madi & Mom ~ Weekly Featured Blogger

Mom and I have been blogging for nearly 3 years. For a very long time we were blog stalkers...MOL. After about 6 months of encouragement from the folks we were stalking, we decided to give blogging a try...that being the operative word. Mom is so un-techie it is scary and well I have no thumbs..so it just seemed like an accident waiting to happen.

Our very first friends were all dogs.

I, Madi a Diva Cat, walked around all the dog blogs on itty bitty kitty paws making furiends and learning. Imagine our surprise we we learned...cats blog too. Mom and I love all creatures great and small.

We will never be able to thank everyone for all their help and encouragement. Mom wasn't sure she could write one post. Little did I know there was a blog monster in the making. 
We have fun, we love to laugh especially at ourselves. Mom loves to write and take photos and luckily I enjoy posing.

3 of our favorite posts are:
This Moment Blog Hop 

We actually won The Purple Toilet Seat Award for this post from Declan the Greyhound

This is one where I poke fun at Mom!! 

Madi is everyone's best friend, so stop by for a visit today!

 

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Clever Beagles Making News ~ Guest Post

Recently, there have been some pretty interesting stories about beagles in the news. This clever breed of hound has one of the best noses there is, which makes the beagle a highly useful working dog. Not only have beagles been trained around the world to sniff out narcotics and other illicit substances, making them a very useful border protection tool, but their superior sniffing ability has also made them prime candidates for other jobs.

Since the 70s, the beagle has been trained to sniff out termites, and can be one of the most effective ways of determining whether a building is infested with the destructive bugs. In fact, beagles often succeed where other detection methods have failed, and reduce the need to rip apart a home in order to find the termites. Highly trained beagles can smell the mites through the wall, and signal to their owners whether there is in fact an infestation. Termite sniffing beagles are so valuable, that one owner in Australia has his dog, Biscuit, insured for $15,000.

However, not all owners reap the benefit of their beagle having such a fantastic sense of smell, and these stories also make the news: Arnie, a 10 year old beagle in Largo, has long had a taste for cold hard cash, and has the ability to sniff it out from wallets or hiding places around the house. Recently, he managed to extract $300 from his owners wallet, and the only way his owners have been able to recover the money is to extract it from his poop.

Because beagles are so heavily ruled by their noses, it can be hard to stop them wandering once they get hold of a scent from somewhere, which can be a serious issue. Some owners use the beagles love of chasing scents to play games with their pets, purchasing scents and using them to play tracking games with the animals; this is a really good way to exercise your beagle’s brain and body, and helps them be more content in their daily life.

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The Dougall Diaries ~ New Blogger Alert

 

 Hi my name is Dougall I'm a young wheaten Scottish Terrier. I live in Australia with a couple of humans and my adopted brother Floyd the boxer dog. I love to run and play and dig and chew. 

My blog, The Dougall Diaries is about me, my thoughts, opinions, ideas and adventures. I don’t have a regular posting schedule I just post when I think of something interesting that I’d like to share with the world (or when my typist is feeling motivated). Sometimes Floyd get’s mention but the he needs to remember that I am the real star of the show! 

It was my human’s idea to start the blog because she has been a dog blog reader for a while. So, when I came along she decided that I should join in on the fun! So I did and I am having a ball meeting lots of new four and two legged pals!

Please stop by & visit Dougall, he's a great friend!

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Palliative Pets ~ Guest Post

What Makes a Palliative Pet?

Palliativepets.com is a website is for the entertainment and education of people who are now or in the future plan to join with their pets in supporting palliative and end of life care. The intent is to provide a forum for discussion and exchange of ideas that reflect the highest standard of care for the care giver, the patient and the pet.

What makes a palliative pet? Primarily personality and physical attributes. Not every dog or cat can become a palliative pet. Just as you would not ask an old Pekinese to herd cattle in the Australian outback nor should you expect a young Border Collie to engage in palliative care. There are exceptions to the rule of course but on the whole, personality is greatly influenced by breed and a palliative pet must have a specific personality type. Let’s look at what services a palliative pet provides to help clarify an animal’s suitability for the role.

Palliative care is an approach to health care and delivery of medical services for people who are living with a life-threatening illness. The focus of care is on achieving comfort and ensuring respect for the person nearing death and maximizing quality of life for the patient, family and loved ones. Palliative care does not seek to cure, instead the intent is to manage pain and other symptoms, provide social, psychological, cultural, emotional, spiritual and practical support. Further, the role is to support caregivers and provide support for bereavement.

In a private setting or hospital or hospice, the environment is generally calm, quiet and temperate. Persons nearing the end of life do not engage positively for any length of time with high energy hyperactive people or animals. In my experience, a palliative pet must be calm by nature, enjoy the company of people without exhibiting excessive vocalizations or physical reactions. How would I define excessive? A simple greeting should not include barking, whining, pawing, scratching, jumping up, mouthing, nipping or licking. While engaging with a patient, the animal should be calm, submissive and willingly accommodate petting and stroking. The animal should not negatively react to gentle stroking or touching any part of its body. Small dogs and cats often find themselves invited to join the patient on the bed and should be comfortable with that. In such a situation, it is not unusual for a palliative pet and the patient to fall asleep together.

A patient’s day is often unmarked by change and a visit from a palliative pet is often a well anticipated highlight. The pet visit provides an opportunity for the patient to engage socially, emotionally and often precipitates enjoyable discussions of childhood memories and life experiences with animals.

So a palliative pet should be healthy, safe, and not pose any type of risk to the people being visited. They must be the appropriate size and age while possessing an appropriate attitude and aptitude for quiet interaction. A palliative pet requires well developed interactive skills that positively engage their end of life clients.

As a pet owner, you may have tremendous confidence that your animal meets these behavioural criteria, yet in a hospital or hospice situation more may be asked of you. It is often expected that an independent agency such as a veterinarian, the SPCA or a group dedicated to companion or service animals such as Pets and Friends or the Delta Society evaluate your animal for suitability. Not only does this ensure the suitability of your pet for the job in also ensures that liability insurance issues can be dealt with appropriately. You should also be expected to provide documented evidence that your animal has received its full complement of vaccinations and that it is free of transmissible disease.

To find out more, please visit palliativepets.com or contact your local hospice to find out the specific requirements that the facility requires.

The author of this post is Craig M. Smith, a retired health and safety specialist and clinical assistant professor in the faculty of medicine at the University of British Columbia. Since his retirement, he has been actively involved in end of life issues. Abby is an eleven year old Cockapoo who waves her magic tail and brings solace to the residents of a local hospice.

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Baby, It's Cold Outside

Thank you to Helen Woodward Animal Center for sharing this wonderful story of pet adoption from their Most Heartwarming Story Contest. It was submitted by Burlington County Animal Alliance, an Iams Home 4 the Holidays participating organization, in 2009.

Baby Hope, as she came to be called, was put in a cardboard box that someone sealed with duct tape and left on a Philadelphia curb for trash. She was all alone, sealed in a box with no food or water for at least two days before being discovered by a Good Samaritan who noticed a slight movement to the box.

On November 13, 2009, when a Philadelphia Animal Control Officer responded to the call he found the emaciated, frightened, flea-covered pit bull mix puppy near death. No food or water - just all those fleas helping themselves to a meal of this pitiful pup.

Luck was in the stars for Baby Hope because when she was bought to PSPCA a volunteer from Burlington County Animal Alliance (BCAA), a rescue group with a long history of helping homeless pets in the Philadelphia/Southern New Jersey area was so touched by her plight she immediately took her into BCAA custody.

Cheryl B., Office Manager at Marne Veterinary Hospital fostered Baby Hope for the first two weeks. Estimated to be between 3 – 4 months old when found, Baby Hope weighed in at a measly six pounds! She was dehydrated and suffered such severe malnutrition her little belly was swollen while the rest of her body was nothing but flaky skin and bones.

Baby Hope's neck was so small Cheryl could fit the fingers of one hand around it! She had to hold her neck up to enable the puppy to eat. Baby Hope could barely walk; she collapsed after three teetering steps due to muscle wasting form starvation. Cheryl's tender loving care along with the superior nutrition of Iams got Baby Hope back to health in those first few weeks. The pup ate ravishingly which was a good sign that she hadn't given up on life yet.

Cheryl brought Baby Hope to work with her daily and within two weeks one of the patrons fell in love with the puppy. Baby Hope has a new name, Sammie, to match her new start. Sammie is now living the high life with her adoptive family, Tracie and Mark M., their children and a canine sibling named Reese, a 2 year old rescued Chihuahua that is learning how to be a puppy again after providing mellow comfort to the family's 12 year old German Shepherd who has since crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

Tracie routinely searched PetFinder.com as she knew the time was coming near to adopt a new canine into the family but never seemed to have the right timing for finding a dog she desired. When she found Baby Hope and discovered her foster mom worked at the Muir's veterinarian's office, she took it as a sign from above.

Sammie's weight continues to increase as she regains her health. She now tips the scale at a whopping 20.5 pounds; that's a 14.5 pound gain in seven weeks! Being only about six months of age Sammie has a whole lot more growing to do… Tracie continues to bring Sammie to Marne Veterinary Hospital for check-ups every two weeks and is amazed by Sammie's propensity to find Cheryl (no matter where she may be in the office) and curl up in her lap. Sammie is the lucky one because she has two moms!

Iams Home 4 the Holidays is an annual pet-adoption campaign dedicated to helping place orphaned pets into happy, loving homes. Started in 1999 by Helen Woodward Animal Center (in partnership with Iams) this is the campaign’s 14th year. Working with thousands of participating shelters and rescue organizations from around the world, the campaign has helped more than 7 million pets find loving homes. The pet adoption drive began on October 1 and runs through January 2, 2013.

To learn about how you can help get more pets adopted during Iams Home 4 the Holidays, visit www.Facebook.com/Iams and www.Facebook.com/helenwoodwardanimalcenter.

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The Elka Almanac ~ Featured Blogger

This week we are proud to introduce you to the gang at the Elka Almanac.

I started the Elka Almanac blog right before Elka turned 2. If I had to go back and do it over again, I would have started the blog sooner. I also would have taken far more puppy pictures of Elka, but managing a Doberman puppy, even a "non working drive" one, takes far more attention and energy than I had anticipated! I realized that I would talk exhaustively about Elka, training, and dogs in general, and my immediate circle of friends and acquaintances wasn't really as gung ho on those topics as I am. Meeting people online, both through message boards and through blogging, has been wonderful for my own education, and for my motivation to train Elka and try new things.

Having a dog blog is a funny thing. It's a platform politically, as I'm anti Breed-Specific Legislation, and pro support of Military Working Dogs. It's a social meeting, as I comment on other peoples' blogs and they comment on mine, and banter is exchanged in Twitter. It's also a marketing tool, as I review toys and products for Elka, showing what's worked for us, and shaking my head over pet food recalls (and sometimes the lack thereof). It's also a training ground, both for me as a novice to both the dog training world and the social networking scene, and by extension for Elka, who gets her picture taken more often than she's strictly pleased with!

I noticed early on in my Doberman ownership that reading as much as I could about training also encouraged me to be a better dog owner, and trainer. For better or for worse, I've trained Elka myself, and I find that I'm proud of her very often. We chose the Doberman breed, and then Elka, because I wanted what was touted as a smart dog, because I like big dogs, and because I like black dogs. Smart is certainly what we got! Watching Elka learn new things, and try to work out problems in that pointy head of hers, is truly a joy.

3 of my favorite posts:
How to Make a Doberman Mean

10 Things You Might Be Doing Wrong Walking Your Dog

Command Clinic: Recall Revelation

Stop by the Elka Almanac today & introduce yourself!    

If you're interested in having your pet blog featured on Pet Blogs United, drop us a line at PBU at comcast dot net.

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$65 Giveaway On Minted Holiday Cards

We've got a great giveaway for you, especially with the holidays coming up.

Minted is offering one lucky Pet Blogs United reader a $65 coupon code & free shipping to anywhere in the world!

They have so many great holiday photo cards and the really cool part is that they have a whole group of pet themed cards.  Take a look.

I have used Minted to get Oskar business cards in the past and they are unique and high quality.  I know you won't be disappointed with with Minted's holiday photo cards if you win or order some.

Once again this $65 dollar coupon code is open to international readers and Minted pays the shipping!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

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