Nubs and Marine Major Brian Dennis Are Reunited
March 23, 2008 by david · Leave a Comment
Marine Major Brian Dennis, an F-18 pilot, bonded with Nubs, an Iraqi dog with stumpie ears while he was in Iraq and they were recently reunited in San Diego.
This pet love story made me think of my dad because the one thing he always seemed to love the most was his dog. Whether it was Hobo, our German Shepard, or Sassy, our first black lab, or Dux, our Westie, he always showed his love for our dogs more easily then he could for his own family.
Pets are so special and this story is but one more example of that. To read the story about Nubs and Major Dennis click here: Nubs
Neuter Your Pet or Do Time
February 27, 2008 by david · Leave a Comment
On Tuesday Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa signed one of the nation’s tougher laws on pet sterilization, requiring most dogs and cats to be spayed or neutered by the time they are just 4 months old.
The law is aimed at eliminating the thousands of euthanizations conducted in Los Angeles’ animal shelters every year. “We will, sooner rather than later, become a no-kill city and this is the greatest step in that direction,” said Councilman Tony Cardenas said as he held a kitten at a City Hall news conference.
The ordinance does exempt animals that have competed in shows or sporting competitions, guide dogs, animals used by police agencies and those belonging to professional breeders.
Seizure-Alert Dogs
February 25, 2008 by david · Leave a Comment
My brother has had epilepsy for over at least 30 years now and recently had a serious accident after having a seizure while waiting for his wife to pick him up at work. He fell flat on his face and unfortunately the local government he works for has a Taj Mahal so the floor was marble, or as hard as marble. He was in the hospital until today and will be dealing with the repercussions of this fall for some time.
So when I got the email from my sister about “seizure-alert dogs” it definitely caught my attention. The case for having one of these dogs goes something like this:
Seizure-alert dogs, as implied by their name, are dogs that can sense and notify their human companions of an oncoming seizure. This alerting behavior has been reported to occur several seconds to 45 minutes or more before the onset of the seizure. The dog does this by exhibiting marked changes in behavior, including close eye contact, circling, pawing, barking etc.
Although the article goes on to dispute some of the beliefs held by others it doesn’t seem far fetched at all to me. I’ve known since childhood that dogs (pets in general) have senses far superior to ours that can be useful in many situations. Besides what is the downfall to having one of the dogs? Maybe my brother would have been busy petting his buddy and that simple act may have been enough to keep his mind engaged and away from the seizure zone.
If you’d like to read more about seizure alert dogs check out the article at epilepsy.com.
Anti-depressants for Pets
February 25, 2008 by david · Leave a Comment
“I ain’t nothing but a hound dog and I keep crying all the time.”
I came across an article in an Australian newspaper about pets being prescribed anti-depressants.
PETS at risk of self-harm are increasingly being prescribed anti-depressants because they cannot discuss problems in their lives with others, a leading veterinarian says.
Go figure. I thought when I saw a commercial for a new drug for “restless leg syndrome” (for humans) that the last straw had been broke nand we’d see sanity return to our planet. Depressed pets!? What about a treat? Or perhaps a walk around the block? Anything but a prescription!
This has got to be just another way for vets and pet psych’s to make more money off of increasingly naive pet owners.
If you know of any situations where a pet would need a psych drug please send in a comment because I’d love to hear about it. IN the meantime just stop abusing your pet and be sure to not abandon them all day long while you’re at work. Get ‘em a play mate or radio.
Click here if you’d like more information on pet psychology.
Dog Years – The Movie
January 1, 2008 by david · Leave a Comment
A great short film narrated by a dog. If you’ve ever wondered what your dog would say if he could talk then this movie is a must watch. Enjoy!
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A Slain Soldiers Dog Comforts His Family
December 23, 2007 by david · Leave a Comment
Cpl. Lee and Lex
Maybe the fact that I was an Army brat and my first dog, “Hobo”, was a German Shepard caused me to notice this story in the first place. Either way, it’s another powerful example of how important these pets can be to us and our families.
This family lost a son and brother when shrapnel from a mortar killed him and injured his military dog, “Lex”. The family felt that having Lex become part of their family would help them deal with their loss a little better as they knew how close the two were.
I know their son, Cpl. Dustin Lee, is looking down on his family and Lex comforted knowing that his right-hand man Lex is helping to watch over his family.
I’m sure Lex will get more hugs then ever as the family works through the tough days of grieving that lie ahead.
For Prospective New Pet Owners
November 26, 2007 by david · Leave a Comment
This video that should be watched by every person thinking about getting a new pet. It’s the “ugly side” of our love of pets. If you take a look at the highlights below you’ll have a pretty good idea of what you’ll see in the video. Don’t watch it if you cry easily and don’t feel like crying or if you’re easily depressed.
We wish everyone had a pet, and we wish every pet caretaker was responsible, which is why we added this depressing video to our Big City Pet site. We hope you understand we’re only trying to help prevent the situation from getting even worse.
Some of the highlights:
- Many puppies sold in retail pet stores are purchased from puppy mills
- Up to 25 million animals become homeless every year
- Up to 27% of purebred dogs are homeless
- 9 million homeless animals die in the streets every year
- 16 million homeless animals are taken in by shelters where they’ll be euthanized
- It is estimated that 50% of the animals in shelters were taken there by their “caretakers”
Getting a pet is a major commitment that isn’t unlike having a child. Think hard about what kind of home and life you’ll be able to provide for the animal before you run out to buy a pet.
Virginia Puppy Mill Shut Down
November 26, 2007 by david · Leave a Comment
Over 1,100 dogs were rescued from a Southwestern Virginia “puppy mill” after a 5 month investigation by the Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) led to it’s closure. According to the reports Virginia has been lax with it’s regulations of the dog breeding industry and that has led to a lot large scale dog breeding operations (i.e. puppy mills) allowing deplorable conditions to exist at their businesses.
Many of the rescued pups are finding new homes thanks to the help from a lot of animal lovers. Gerti, for example, was lucky enough to be 
adopted by Barbara in Montgomery County MD where she’s certain to be as happy as her new “mom”.
We don’t have the ability to solve this problem completely, but the more pet lovers know, the better in the long run.
The short video below contains more information on this story and the problem.
