Puppy Bowl XII

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

It's that time of year again. It's no secret that I'm no sports fan but who can resist The Puppy Bowl? The Puppy Bowl, while entertaining, has a purpose: It's a platform for pet adoption and includes a roster of adoptable puppies from shelters and rescues across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. This year Pedigree Brand food for dogs and Animal Planet have teamed up to let everyone knows what it takes to be a "Puplete" (puppy athlete).  

Here is one of a series of videos "What Dogs It Take To Be a Puppy Bowl Puppy?" at this Sunday's Puppy Bowl.  You can view all of the videos, running 15 seconds each, here: 

http://www.pedigree.com/04puppy-place/#puppy-bowl-tryouts-10-following-direction--pedigree




For cat lovers, cameras in the Puppy Bowl SHEBA skybox will capture cuddly kittens four times throughout the game!

Don't forget to tune in to the Puppy Bowl on Sunday, February 7th, from 3 to 5 p.m. ET/PT.

Pets as Holiday Gifts?

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Photo Courtesy of Susan Bulanda

This time of year too many people think it's a great idea to give a puppy or kitten as a gift. Generally speaking, it's a very bad idea. A puppy or kitten is a living, breathing sentient being who can live anywhere from 10 to 20 years. 

The first thing to consider is: does the person want the responsibility and can they afford veterinary bills, food, toys, bowls, food, training lesson? In the case of cats, they will also need litter boxes, litter (and those boxes have to be kept scrupulously clean), a sturdy scratching post, a sturdy cat tree with a base that won't topple over, special interactive toys. It all adds up. 

If they live in an apartment, are pets allowed?

Photo by Rabi Dixon

Even if the family has decided to get a pet, the holidays are the worst time to bring them home if you are busy and entertaining. The puppy or kitten is a baby who has left mother, littermates and all she has known and is suddenly thrust into a new, noisy place where she can be stepped on, accidentally let outside because guests are coming and going. It's noisy, confusing and your guest may decide to slip your new family member some food that isn't good for her, or, worst case scenario, someone let her drink an alcoholic beverage.

Photo by Claire Clayton

If you have decided to add a new family member, take time to do your research. Every puppy or kitten i s programmed to behave in a certain way and all babies are curious and mischievous. You need to confine the newcomer to one room with everything he needs and spend time with him. You need time when you can get down to the business of house training. That first veterinary appointment should be arranged within 48 hours of homecoming.

Photo by Anne Hudson

As an alternative to bringing the puppy or kitten home, give your family and IOU for the newcomer. Gifts should be all the accoutrements you will need for your new family member.  Gift wrap toys, bowls or dishes, litter boxes, litter, a book or two about the breed if you're getting a pedigreed dog or papered cat. You will need a book on training using positive methods, preferably clicker training (yes, you can clicker train a cat, too!), a special bed, a safe carrier, toys. 

Photo by Darlene Arden

Many shelters will not allow adoption during this busy time of year but you can buy a gift certificate to go under the tree.

Be very sure of what you are doing. Sadly, January is when those gift puppies and kittens are dumped back on a shelter.

When things have quieted down, and you have time off from work is the best time to introduce a newcomer into the family. You want to get off on the right foot and build a relationship that will last a lifetime. There is nothing as special as the human-animal bond.

Are Your Pets Really Guilty?

I was watching a video from HooplaHa. It's a compilation of dogs, puppies and kittens allegedly looking "guilty."  The owner has caught the pet having done something inappropriate such as getting into the trash or unrolling a roll of toilet paper. 

Frankly, these pets found something to do when they were unsupervised and hadn't been given something appropriate to occupy them.  The "look" is not guilt. Dogs and cats, puppies and kittens are very sensitive to us. They're masters at reading body language and if that weren't enough, the owner's tone of voice is a dead giveaway. They know the owner is displeased and the expression is an expression of fear. They want to please us and know that they haven't. They can't predict what the result will be. They were only doing something to amuse themselves, something they were led to out of curiosity and/or boredom. They are not to blame, the owner is.

Now that you have a proper frame of reference, look at the videos, listen to the voices. I hope it will help you have a better understanding of your own pets and your responsibility in the equation. There is so much we can do for our pets to teach them other behaviors, to keep them busy, and not to leave puppies or kittens unsupervised with run of the house.

9 Reasons Why Your Dog Should Be Your Valentine

Photo Courtesy of Veronique Schejtman

When it comes to Valentine's, I've yet to find a human who could match dogs and cats when it comes to real love. Those of you who know me, or have been reading this blog for awhile, know that I adore dogs and cats, puppies and kittens. They have made my life so much richer. There is nothing like the Human-Animal Bond. There's a good reason why I was invited to be one of the first layperson members of The American Association of Human-Animal Bond Veterinarians.

Photo Courtesy of Loren Jensen Carter

Usually, my blog is filled with helpful information for dog and cat owners, occasional reviews, and once in a very great while, something that's just plain fun.

With Valentine's Day a few days away, the nice people at HooplaHa (www.HooplaHa.com) have shared this compilation video. I don't know if there is also one for cat owners. Heaven knows, those of us who are owned by cats know all about the love, laughter and happiness they bring into our lives every single day.

Photo Courtesy of Claire Clayton

In celebration of Valentine's Day and the Human-Animal Bond, here's HooplaHa's video compilation of 9 Reasons Why Your Dog Should Be Your Valentine.  We can't give our four-legged companions chocolate but we can give them our love, attention and time. 

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

Review: I Knead My Mommy and Other Poems by Kittens by Francesco Marciuliano

Those of you who regularly read this blog probably remember my interview with the brilliant and creative author, Francesco Marciuliano this past Spring.  I didn't hesitate to admit that I was crazy about his books, I Could Pee on This and I Could Chew on This, books of poetry "written" by cats and dogs.  At the time, he promised books "written" by kittens and puppies were due to be published.  

Can you imagine my delight when the first of those two books arrived in the mail? I Knead My Mommy and Other Poems by Kittens written by Francesco Marciuliano revealed an adorable cover and a clever title.  I couldn't wait to read it.

The poems, written from the kittens' viewpoint, are absolutely adorable.  They include such titles as I've Been Watching, Hello!, Tell Them All, and While You're Typing.  The poems are divided into Chapters: New World, New Family, New Adventures and Same Old Trouble.

Like his previous books, I Knead My Mommy is the perfect gift for every cat lover you know.  Don't forget to buy a copy for yourself.

Marciuliano has a knack for observing cats, dogs, kittens (and I assume puppies - that book isn't due out for several months) and translating it into poetry that you could almost believe was written by four-legged companions.  His books are for sale everywhere books are sold. Here's a link to the newest one at Amazon:  http://tinyurl.com/m4v4ztu

Published by Chronicle Books, I Knead My Mommy is illustrated with wonderful pictures of kittens who are sure to steal your heart. It's 111 pages of pure happiness and it retails for $12.95 in the U.S.  ￡8.99 in the U.K.

NOTE: I was not paid for this review. I received only a review copy of the book. The review is complete mine.  

Pet-Related Charities

Photo Courtesy of Claire Clayton

In today's economy, every penny counts. Sadly, so many people have not been able to keep their pets because they can't afford to feed their family and the four-legged family member is the one who loses his home to a shelter or, less frequently, to a rescue group.  If they have purchased their pet from a reputable breeder, then the breeder takes the pet back.  It's usually in their contract. No matter the age of the pet at the time, it goes back to the breeder who will either rehome it or keep it.  But what about the shelters?  We know.  They're often overcrowded and they are mostly kill shelters.  There is no new home, just death and overworked volunteers.

There are also people who have a few dollars to spare and want to know which animal related charity is  the "best"place for their hard-earned dollars.  Many are sucked in by expensive television commercials that are sometimes infomercials, produced to tug at the heartstrings and open the wallets of those who can often least afford it, who are on a fixed income but the pictures of sad dogs and kitties calls to them to do something.  

While it's wonderful to donate when you can, where you donate is another matter.  You can look online at sites that monitor charities to see where the money goes but if you do a little reading you can find much more has been exposed in print. For example, did you know that HSUS (Humane Society of The United States) doesn't have shelters? They are mainly a lobbying group and their employees are well paid and have benefits packages we would all enjoy.  ASPCA recently released a video to convince people not to buy a puppy in a pet shop. That's something we can all agree with but the video contains a small child with a dog and nowhere in the video does it show an adult supervising the child with the dog. The child was quite awkward around the dog as one would expect. Before the age of 7 children don't understand that they can inflict pain and must not only be taught "gentle" from the first dog-child interaction but must be supervised very carefully. A bite can happen in a second. If the child inadvertently poke or prods the dog and causes pain, the dog has no choice but to clamp down in pain, the child is bitten and the parents usually get rid of the dog. Others allow their children to maul the dog  or cat and claim the pet is so good with the child. But it's a two-way street. The child has to be good with the pet and it's up to the parents to monitor that. So the ASPCA spent heaven only knows how much money producing a video that is, in my mind, irresponsible because they didn't show an adult supervising the interaction.  When I asked about it I was told they would put a disclaimer at the end of the video.  I have yet to see that. And it's too little, too late. Do I really want to give my money to a large organization with a big staff who produces an irresponsible public service video?  Aren't they supposed to know?  They have behavior people on staff. Weren't they consulted? Then there's PETA who not only have just one shelter but have been documented as killing perfectly healthy young pets. Why?  I guess because they could. They are an Animal Rights group, NOT Animal Welfare and there is a difference.  They also get a lot of money in donations as do HSUS and ASPCA. And there are other big groups as well who have a lot of money.  A little surfing around Google will help you find articles on every organization, along with some facts and figures that might surprise you.

Rescue Vinny owned by Mary Slaney

Where should YOUR money go?  The best donation you can make is to your LOCAL shelter or humane group or rescue group.  If it's small, independent and local, they need help!  They are short on staff and long on needs.  They rely on donations and volunteers. If you can't give money, or can't donate your time, then consider donating paper towels, pet food, toys, and ask them what they can use. There are many ways to help but you and the animals are better served at a grass roots level.  And your donation will be appreciated. It won't go to publicity, or big salaries, or benefits packages.  It will go to help the animals and isn't that the point?  



Please do what you can to help, whatever it is. Anything you can do at the Grass Roots level will be appreciated.  And when those tearjerker commercials come on the TV, change the channel before you find yourself writing a check to a group that already has enough money.  Where do you think those "gifts" are coming from when you donate?  You are paying for that tee shirt, magazine subscription, etc. And that wasn't really what you wanted when you wrote that check. You just wanted to help the dogs and cats, puppies and kittens.  And you really can do that.  In this case it's think locally and act locally.

Welcome to April &WBCL Contest Winners!

It's April First, the major holidays, Easter and Passover, have come and gone, early this year and with many of us still looking at snow on our lawns. It's Spring on the calendar and we hope for warm weather and gentle days.

This is the time of year when we start making changes, airing things out, getting a new lease on life. This is also kitten and puppy season when many little ones are born, a great deal of them unexpected. If you're planning to add a pet to your home be certain that you are ready for the responsibility. Do you have time, money and resources to adopt or buy a new family member? Are you ready to commit to this puppy or kitten for its entire life? Will you do the proper care taking, training, overseeing every aspect of mental and physical development?  Think long and hard. And if you opt for a pet, that newcomer may be healthy now but accidents happen and so do illnesses. Either purchase pet insurance from a reliable company - be sure to compare policies to see which will be best suited to you and be sure it's one that your veterinarian accepts. Many people put more thought into buying a new car than they do into bringing home a new pet.  This shouldn't be an impulsive decision. All babies are cute but babies grow up, tend to be mischievous. There's a lot to consider. We'll be revisiting this topic if you are interested. Just a little food for thought.

I know that many of you are wondering who won the World's Best Litter new Forest Scent Litter contest.

I promised that there would be five winners, thanks to the generosity of World's Best Litter. Here are the winners who were chosen at random.  Thanks to everyone who entered!  Drum roll, please!

1.  Nancy Dionne

2.  Carolyn Kristof

3.  Barbara Brill

4.  Lucy Londoner

5  Sue Janson

Please contact me through my website (www.darlenearden.com), just the way you entered, and send me your mailing address so I can send it on to the company. You will each receive two 6-pound bags of World's Best Cat Litter Forest Scent litter.