Friday, March 4, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
How Big is a Marmot?
If you want to see really fat marmots, go out hiking up in the high elevation meadows of the Cascades in mid September. This is right before marmots climb in their burrows to hibernate, so they are spending alot of time eating and getting fat. I've also noticed that marmots seem to be more accepting or ignorant of human presence during this time of year.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Golden Gold Cat
Golden cat of Asia has long been regarded as very close to the gold of the African cat species. His name alone shows how wonderful and beautiful cat, a body wrapped in golden fur, feathers, although it may also appear brown, gray or bright golden red.
As usual brother's cat, this animal is sometimes seen piebald without eliminating the specific color. The animal was slightly longer than the usual cats and never met with entirely black. The back of the roundabout there is a line short black ears. White lines are limited to white color found in the cheek, which emerged from the inner corner of his eye. The stomach is always a lighter color than the hips.
Bigger than her cousin from Africa, Asia Temminck gold cat-sized dog. There is another called the Fishing Cat is found in several parts of the world, the size is also somewhat similar.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Paper Art FAIL
I think these guys must have seen my last post, the one about Paper layers can create stunning art, but I really don't think that this is the correct way to do it.
The stars of the above photo are Jake (Jacob Sylvester, when in trouble) and Fergi (The Lovely Miss Fergi) who have a wonderful blog, Two Special Wires.
The stars of the above photo are Jake (Jacob Sylvester, when in trouble) and Fergi (The Lovely Miss Fergi) who have a wonderful blog, Two Special Wires.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Pug joins list of Top Ten dogs
They are stubborn, affectionate, fiercely loyal – and small enough to cuddle in one hand.Now, more than 300 years after they were popularized, the pug has entered the nation’s top ten best loved dogs. They are now more popular than boxers, whippets, beagles or bulldogs.
Chihuahua numbers have also gone up threefold, while last year saw the miniature smooth-haired dachshund make it into the top 20 for the first time.
Source
Can't sew them back on
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A valuable pedigreed cat that went missing from its New Zealand home turned up two days later a little different — it had been surgically castrated.
Owner Michelle Curtis said she was furious when Buddy, her prized Siamese-Bengal cross, came home "fixed."
Curtis had owned Buddy for almost two years and was considering using him as a stud cat.
"What am I supposed to do now? I can't exactly get someone to sew them back on," she said.
Source
Owner Michelle Curtis said she was furious when Buddy, her prized Siamese-Bengal cross, came home "fixed."
Curtis had owned Buddy for almost two years and was considering using him as a stud cat.
"What am I supposed to do now? I can't exactly get someone to sew them back on," she said.
Source
An unusual painting
While we often see dogs in art, one very seldom finds a cat. Painted many, many years ago - but preserved forever ...
I love this painting:
Francois Boucher, La Toilette (A Lady Fastening Her Garter). 1742, oil on canvas.
Fundacion Coleccion Thyssen-Bornemisza.
(click for larger)
via
I love this painting:
Francois Boucher, La Toilette (A Lady Fastening Her Garter). 1742, oil on canvas. Fundacion Coleccion Thyssen-Bornemisza.
(click for larger)
via
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
'Godzilla-like creature' nabbed in Calif. town
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — The 5-foot Monitor lizard wandering around a condo complex in the city of Riverside had residents freaking out and reporting a Godzilla-like creature in their neighborhood.Black-throated Monitor lizards are carnivorous, legal to own in California and native to the African grasslands and parts of Asia. Juveniles go for about $100 in pet stores, but they grow.
The animal was captured and taken to Riverside County Animal Services.
Photo: Riverside County Department of Animal Services
Source
Sleeping with pets carries disease risk
Nonsense! Nonsense! Nonsense!
Sleeping with and “kissing” your animals on their little pet lips puts you at risk for some serious medical problems — even when those pusses and pooches are seemingly healthy, according to “Zoonoses in the Bedroom,” a study published in the February issue of the CDC journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.
“The risk of contracting something is rare, but if you’re that person who gets a disease from a pet, rare doesn’t matter that much,” says the paper’s co-author Bruno Chomel, a professor at the University of California-Davis school of veterinary medicine and an expert in zoonoses, the transmission of disease from animal to human. “I know this will make me unpopular, but pets really don’t belong in your bed.”
Source --- Please remember: you can't believe everything you read on the internet.
The American Veterinary Medical Association doesn’t have a formal recommendation about pets sleeping with their humans. But AVMA president Larry Kornegay affirms that zoonotic diseases are “uncommon, if not rare.”
Sleeping with and “kissing” your animals on their little pet lips puts you at risk for some serious medical problems — even when those pusses and pooches are seemingly healthy, according to “Zoonoses in the Bedroom,” a study published in the February issue of the CDC journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.
“The risk of contracting something is rare, but if you’re that person who gets a disease from a pet, rare doesn’t matter that much,” says the paper’s co-author Bruno Chomel, a professor at the University of California-Davis school of veterinary medicine and an expert in zoonoses, the transmission of disease from animal to human. “I know this will make me unpopular, but pets really don’t belong in your bed.”
Source --- Please remember: you can't believe everything you read on the internet.
The American Veterinary Medical Association doesn’t have a formal recommendation about pets sleeping with their humans. But AVMA president Larry Kornegay affirms that zoonotic diseases are “uncommon, if not rare.”
He should be the next mayor of Chicago
Ann at paper bag & string blogged about Freddy, the unofficial mayor of the Village of Sharon, in Walworth County, Wisconsin.The cat known as the mayor of Sharon, or Freddy, lives at the Village Hall, greeting folks who come to pay water or property tax bills. He meows to go out twice a day to make his rounds in the small downtown, visiting the post office, the back doors of restaurants and at least one tavern, as well as stopping to catch mice in a wooded area across from the Village Hall.
"This is his town," said Sharon Postmaster Scott Vinke. "Everyone looks out for him. If he's crossing the street, everybody stops and gives him the right of way. He's the mayor."
Read more
Wouldn't it be great to get Freddy's name on the ballot for Mayor of Chicago?
Animal cruelty laws among fastest-growing
Incidents of abuse and a shifting national consciousness have made animal anti-cruelty laws one of the fastest-growing fields in the legal profession. In 1993, just seven states had felony animal cruelty laws; today, all but four do.
"Animal law is where environmental law was 20 years ago. It's in its infancy but growing," said Pamela Frasch, who heads the National Center for Animal Law at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, where she has been an adjunct professor for 10 years.
Lewis & Clark opened the first Animal Legal Defense Fund chapter in 1992. Today it has branches at more than 115 law schools in the United States and Canada.
In 2000, nine law schools had animal law studies. Today about 100 do.
READ More
"Animal law is where environmental law was 20 years ago. It's in its infancy but growing," said Pamela Frasch, who heads the National Center for Animal Law at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, where she has been an adjunct professor for 10 years.
Lewis & Clark opened the first Animal Legal Defense Fund chapter in 1992. Today it has branches at more than 115 law schools in the United States and Canada.
In 2000, nine law schools had animal law studies. Today about 100 do.
READ More
Fighting in the pack: What went wrong
A note from the Secretary:
Dear friends, your insights are a big help as I attempt a "postmortem" on the "mayhem" ( as Asta puts it) that happened in our dog pad lately. I am considering some factors that could have triggered a power struggle between Jappy and Moymoy on one hand, and between Trudis and Bambi on the other.
1. Trudis' sickness (suggested by Maxie and her Mom)- Trudis' absence after being confined for weeks inside our house presented as an opportunity for Bambi to challenge Trudis' rank in the pack. Looking back, I distinctly remember reading fear and distress in Trudis's body language, but I dismissed it. Sensing Trudis' weakness, Bambi attempted to fight back the next time she and Trudis had a spat. Though thinner and weaker, Trudis refused to back down at Bambi's initial show of dominance. What used to be a spat turned into a full blown, bloody fight between them.
2. Bambi had killed a cat (Pussy) during Trudis' absence- Note that only Jappy ( alpha dog) and Bambi ( rank 4th in the hierarchy) attacked Pussy. Having killed another animal, Bambi could have experienced new found strength and began aspiring for a higher ranking.
3. Jappy's insecurities- Of the five dogs in the pad, it was Jappy who received the most affection from me. Jappy and I have gone a long way, even before I lived with the Animal Doctor and before I took Moymoy, Trudis, Bambi, and Woody in. I would often bring Jappy inside the house at night to sleep with us or with Scarlet during the night. But I ignored him for days after he killed Pussy. It was also around this time when the Human Pup came home after spending the holidays with my Mom in my hometown, and became the focus of my attention once more.
Alpha dogs are usually not the type to bully middle ranking dogs because they are confident of their position in the pack order. Jappy's insecurities could have triggered him to pick a fight with Moymoy, to ensure that the latter forever remains below him in the hierarchy.
4. Moy's unresolved issues- When Moymoy was younger, he had behavioral issues that were party resolved when we took classes on obedience training I became complacent when Moy stopped chasing his tail; not realizing that his inner demon could be unleashed when he is cornered against the wall. This is exactly what happened when he and Jappy fought.
5. ME- Many of you are correct in pointing out that I should be the alpha of the pack. I must admit that my tendency to be overly affectionate with my dogs, to a point of treating them like babies led to the development of their undesirable behaviors.
6. Diet Changes- This may sound remote but the idea came to my head after our readers, Jed and Abby offered us a theory to explain the fatal attack on Pussy. Several weeks prior to the incident, I modified and reduced the dog's diet in my effort to reduce their weight ( all of them except for Trudis are overweight!) . Could it be that hunger jumpstart their prey drive and drove them to attack Pussy? Could hunger also be the reason why they became combative with each other usually during mealtimes? (we feed them simulataneously at meal times)
Keeper Lui told me that Bogart ( when he was still on Earth) and Sumo fought each other after being friends for several years! I know its possible for dogs to become suddenly enemies, but I never anticipated this to happen with the five dogs in the pad because four are neutered/spayed. Well, this experience has taught me that the pack order is very fragile and many factors could break it up, not just competition for food or mate.
Next timeI will share to you the changes that I've instituted to address the situation in the dog pad. Last night we already started the exercises suggested by Jasper and Ruth. It remains to be seen if the five dogs can be reunited again or forever separated in smaller groups.
I do not claim to know a lot about animal behavior but I am glad that I am not groping in total darkness. I am so thankful for all your advice, support and prayers. I wish to post happier news next time.
2. Bambi had killed a cat (Pussy) during Trudis' absence- Note that only Jappy ( alpha dog) and Bambi ( rank 4th in the hierarchy) attacked Pussy. Having killed another animal, Bambi could have experienced new found strength and began aspiring for a higher ranking.
3. Jappy's insecurities- Of the five dogs in the pad, it was Jappy who received the most affection from me. Jappy and I have gone a long way, even before I lived with the Animal Doctor and before I took Moymoy, Trudis, Bambi, and Woody in. I would often bring Jappy inside the house at night to sleep with us or with Scarlet during the night. But I ignored him for days after he killed Pussy. It was also around this time when the Human Pup came home after spending the holidays with my Mom in my hometown, and became the focus of my attention once more.
Alpha dogs are usually not the type to bully middle ranking dogs because they are confident of their position in the pack order. Jappy's insecurities could have triggered him to pick a fight with Moymoy, to ensure that the latter forever remains below him in the hierarchy.
4. Moy's unresolved issues- When Moymoy was younger, he had behavioral issues that were party resolved when we took classes on obedience training I became complacent when Moy stopped chasing his tail; not realizing that his inner demon could be unleashed when he is cornered against the wall. This is exactly what happened when he and Jappy fought.
5. ME- Many of you are correct in pointing out that I should be the alpha of the pack. I must admit that my tendency to be overly affectionate with my dogs, to a point of treating them like babies led to the development of their undesirable behaviors.
6. Diet Changes- This may sound remote but the idea came to my head after our readers, Jed and Abby offered us a theory to explain the fatal attack on Pussy. Several weeks prior to the incident, I modified and reduced the dog's diet in my effort to reduce their weight ( all of them except for Trudis are overweight!) . Could it be that hunger jumpstart their prey drive and drove them to attack Pussy? Could hunger also be the reason why they became combative with each other usually during mealtimes? (we feed them simulataneously at meal times)
Keeper Lui told me that Bogart ( when he was still on Earth) and Sumo fought each other after being friends for several years! I know its possible for dogs to become suddenly enemies, but I never anticipated this to happen with the five dogs in the pad because four are neutered/spayed. Well, this experience has taught me that the pack order is very fragile and many factors could break it up, not just competition for food or mate.
Next timeI will share to you the changes that I've instituted to address the situation in the dog pad. Last night we already started the exercises suggested by Jasper and Ruth. It remains to be seen if the five dogs can be reunited again or forever separated in smaller groups.
I do not claim to know a lot about animal behavior but I am glad that I am not groping in total darkness. I am so thankful for all your advice, support and prayers. I wish to post happier news next time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
