Pet Channel

Then there's zoology. "Pure-bred" dogs are highly prized, but are susceptible to a host of genetic ailments. Displaced joints, chronic conditions, and a host of other problems (I'm reminded about the stories I've heard about how the bulldog breed has been bred and refined to the point where it can't conceive and deliver puppies without help from humans) beset the "best in show" candidates. But it's the rare purebred that can compete with a good old fashioned mutt on simple survival. And the so-called "thoroughbred" race horses originated from crossing...

Today was a fantastic day at the zoo. It was 67 degrees, warm breezes and sunny. Malia loves to watch the animals and the other kids. She of course refused to ride in her stroller and had to be carried the whole time. I don’t think that she is ready to pet other animals besides our cats. We went to the Children’s Zoo to see if she would be interested in the animals up close. The highlight (for Keegan) were the goats. Malia wasn’t too sure about them. She looked at them and made her sounds then when we put her down next to them she...

This is a problem right now. We're here in Boston. Had a lovely drive up, thanks for asking. We're staying with the boys' Uncle Merlin, and he has two cats.

They're not his. They're interlopers. Merlin's a dog man. Actually, he's a dog's man. He's owned by an English bull terrier named Aloysius. The cats belong to his parents, who have parked them here while they are traveling.

Hi gang. I’ve finally got today’s update posted; sorry for the delay. It’s in the “Webcomic” section, where I’ve added another incredible daily for “Clan of the Cats” by Jamie Robertson. It’s a daily from January of this year, and features kitten Sebo saving Chelsea from harm. As always, there’s the original art pictured with a full-color print of the final page. Go and check it out, and don’t forget to visit the COTC site as well! Tell Jamie I said hi!

Somehow or another I (and a few others) missed the letter telling us that the power was to be off from 8.00am to 3.00pm so new transformers could be installed to cope with the extra demand of a nearby subdivision. Not a huge drama, except that tropical fish need their water to remain at a fairly constant temperautre in order to survive. The answer, as I found out by phoning around, is to wait until the temp drops to 24C then change about 10% of the water for unusually warm water to raise it back up to about 26C. When it drops again (about 1-1.5 hours) repeat the process until the power comes back on. This would usually be an unwisely dramatic change in temp causing undue stress on the tank’s occupants, but under the sircumstances it seemed the lesser of two evils.

I was actually quite intimidated by some of the dogs though and it surprised me. I have been used to dogs my whole life, even at the Humane society but I have always been scared to be alone with a dog that I don’t know. The ladies took me over to where there was a pitbull..I jumped back..even though he was said to be very sweet, I knew I would run for the hills if I had to be alone with ANY dog. Right then and there the lady said, “Honey you are not right for this job” and I told her, “No kidding!”. She told me that I would have to learn ways of being on good terms with the dog and handling them if they become aggressive.

Want to know what the top 10 dog breeds are in the U.S.? Well, I have the answer.

But before you get the information, write down your own list. Then compare it to the real list of top 10 dog breeds. (Hint: one breed is far ahead of all the others.)

"Plastic surgery is good for dogs!" according to a leading Brazilian pet plastic surgeon. A face-lift for a dog? [Seattle Post Intelligence] Not only can you get a face-lift for your dog, but you can even order up a mammary lift for her droopy tits after she's had her puppies...

All dogs are animals. All cats are animals. Therefore, all dogs are cats.

At the dog park she actually raced with the other dogs to catch a ball (I’m still only able to get about 50-60 yards on my throws, that worries me). She never would race with them because she always lost badly. Today she out ran them and then RAN back to me fending off the other dogs and showing me she had the ball. She was very proud.

I have always thought that people who dress up their dogs are frustrated because other humans won't let them pick out wardrobes for them. I say, let them dress up a Rottweiler or a German Shepherd once and get it out of their systems once and for all.

Using syzygy and other factors—such as the number of cats and dogs listed in the lost and found in newspaper classified advertisements—Berkland said he accurately predicted several earthquakes, including the October 17, 1989 earthquake in San Francisco, California. Berkland said the number of cats and dogs reported missing goes up prior to an earthquake. The numbers went up significantly prior to the 1989 San Francisco quake, he said.

Carted off for a psychiatric evaluation Thursday was Veronica Helen Smith, of Lorain, Ohio, who apparently kept about 100 cats in her house. My parents had cats in the house; and while I don't appreciate cats as pets, I can tolerate them. Keeping 100 cats in the house deserves a trip for a psychological evaluation.

And speaking of the other kitties: while I was studying for the Bar in February, a little calico kitten decided that this house is where it is at for cats and she moved in. She said of course her name was Callie. She had a pink scar on her belly. I asked her about it and she said I really didn't want to know how she got it. We discussed Bill Frist and John Ashcroft and their cat issues and she gradually moved from the back porch into the house. Last night, she disappeared while I was taking out the trash and today Monroe brought her home.

A little research at the library or over the Internet, will tell you what type of birds are likely to frequent your area in the various seasons. Once you know that, you can look up their dietary preferences, and from there you’ll be able to choose bird feeders that will deliver the appropriate blend of foods, in an easily accessible way. Bear in mind that bird feeders which are filled with large size seeds, or fragments of corn and peanuts, must have an adequate opening to dispense the contents, or the birds will realize they can’t get at the...

I'm addicted to tropical fish, and ever since I moved to this 2nd floor apartment, I've been crippled, since my lease says I can't have anything over 20 gallons! Before moving to Tampa, I was running up to 8 different tanks with everything from Rift Lake Cichlids,...

My wife and I are interested in getting an Italian Greyhound (IG). We’ve considered retired racing Greyhounds and Whippets: while we both adore the Greyhound, it is a large dog, and the cats really like dogs small enough to beat up. Whippets have a reputation of being aggressive around cats, and many aren’t much bigger than big IGs. She’s been reading about the breed and actively contacting rescue, pet, and breeder groups to learn more about IGs. A week ago, Saturday, we went to the Fields-Ertle PetSmart to meet Sammy and her mom...

Now to find Chariosma a home……Anyone need a cat??? He is in great health, although a little overweight but a happy indoor cat that puts up with dogs and other cats. He is great around the baby and very affectionate when he wants to be…..*cries* I hate this!!!! I love my animals. J totally owes me BIG for this……Oh wait we had a baby! I guess we are even =P

Recently, I purchased 2 small bird feeders and put one in the back yard and one in the side yard. I am a total nature and animal lover so I thought this would be a good idea. NOT...

The JRTCA opposed the AKC listing of Jack Russell Terriers, believing that an alternative all-breed kennel club standard and registry was not in the best interests of the dog. The JRTCA emphasizes the working-dog characteristics of the breed, and believes that any kennel club standard would over time change the dog into a show breed, bred for form not function. The JRTCA undertook a campaign to discourage its members and the public from participating with the AKC . . . . As part of its policy, JRTCA members who registered their dogs with the AKC had their JRTCA membership terminated and were not permitted to participate in JRTCA dog shows.

The next update for the growth chart will come in August, when Sawyer is 2 1/4 years old. And the next major update for Sawyer's World will come in the next day or so. It will contain new insight as to the meaning of the word Foepeen! It will talk about Sawyer's newfound affection for cats -- singing, dancing cats! And it will, of course, include many many birthday party photos!

Is it another sign we're treating our pets more like children? The English pet insurance company Virgin Money reports that the top names given to pets are all people names -- no more Rover, Spot or Fluffy.

When you start training a dog exercise becomes even MORE important. Dogs that are so wound up that they are bouncing off the walls are really difficult to train so much so that it’s often nearly impossible. But, if the dogs are exercised on a regular basis things change dramatically. With daily walks (of reasonable times) we can calm these guys down enough to get their attention and get down to some serious dog training that would be impossible with a "backyard" dog.

Sigrid says, "We had so much assorted dog stuff hanging around that we decided to have a table at our events with used and cast-off leashes, dog clothes, food dishes and whatever, plus some candles, vases, a calculator, oh, and an Igloo doghouse that was missing the door. Last Saturday was slow, but what made the day was we sold the doghouse!"

Well I was going to go out tonight but I just didn’t feel right about it. My cats let my gerbils out this morning and Zip is still missing and Diamond was lick and mauled almost to death. I’ve been sitting at home trying to get her to eat and drink for me but I don’t think things are going so well. I’m scared to pick her up because I’m pretty sure her back leg is broken and I don’t wanna make her uncomfortable. I just feel so sad and alone about this, she will most likely die and god knows if Zip is even alive...

Unlike the other birds, the grackles are afraid of me (heh) because I'm constantly running them away from the bird feeders. If it weren't illegal to fire a gun and/or kill animals within city limits, I would've shot them all long ago.

But since it is, I'd never do anything like remove the screen from the window behind my desk so I could get a clear shot at them at the bird feeders with a pellet gun. Nope, not me. Why, I don't even own a pellet gun.....that shoots very accurately.

No, I am not talking about the blue-plate special at your local Chinese eatery or the latest sexual position I have created. Last week as I was getting ready for a motivational conference I had an issue with my cat that I thought I would never have to deal with. As the weather has gotten a little nicer, I have opened my windows a little to get some fresh air in. Several weeks ago we had unseasonably warm weather so they were opened then too. My two siamese cats (kittens actually) grew quite fond of the open windows and started laying in the window sills (double hung). When it turned cold, I had to close the windows. Much to my cats suprise they were closed. The first attempt at jumping into the window sill ended up with a head-butt into the window pane. After a few more attempts, they finally realized they were closed (so I assume they did). At any rate, since the weather was nice last week I had the windows opened again. When I woke up one morning, one of the cats jumped out of the window sill back into the bedroom. The other did not move. As I got up out of bed, I noticed that Mai-Tai (yes, they are named Mai-Tai and Wasabi) had wedged herself between the window and the screen while standing on her hind legs. As I attempted to get her out, the screen popped out and out the second floor window she went and I heard her hit the deck below.

They might be cute and cuddly, but furry "pocket pets" and docile petting zoo animals can spread deadly bacteria to children just like snakes and exotic pets.

When your wife, on account of her being a responsible dog owner, coats your dogs in toxic flea-and-tick-disolving chemicals — it is perfectly alright to pet them. I had no problems during or even immediately after I gave my smaller, angrier poodle scratches and tummy rubs. It is not, however, recommended that post-pet and pre-handscouring you rub your eyes. Aggressively. On account of your allergies. Seeing as how you didn’t know about the chemicals.

My Gran taught me to get my entertainment where I can. She certainly did. She fooled the dustman into filling up a hole that the council had just dug. She gave chocolate money to her patrons and told them it was an advance set of the new decimal currency. She accidentally bleached and fried Grandad’s tropical fish and then chucked them in the bin. That’s the kind of person that she was.

Discussion of "what the law, the airlines and veterinarians recommend" when traveling with a pet on an airline. Covers animals that will not be accepted for air travel (such as pug-nosed dog breeds), planning for a flight with an animal (such as communication with airlines, feeding, and exercise), pet travel in the airplane cabin versus the cargo hold, and related topics.

Welcome to the Aptenobytes version of the Carnival of the Cats. Feel free to wander around and browse the rest of the site. It's been relatively quiet for the last little while, but there are some things in the archives worth exploring, including a lot of pictures of the family cats.

Waking up at 5:30 to the sounds of annoying cats scratching at random things is a horrible experience. Fortunately, I was able to coax those cats out of the bedroom and into the kitchen with a clever trick I call “offer food.” Then, I was able to muster up enough willpower and courage to sleep for another 3 hours! Kudos to me!

During my morning run I heard another new arrival: the Wilson’s Warblers are here. I heard a half dozen of them on my route. An Anna’s Hummingbird perched on a wire; I heard its garbled buzz before I spied it. They now feed on the comfrey plant outside my window, ignoring the feeder immediately adjacent. The bird feeders are largely abandoned now, everyone is on territory and there are better eats to be gleaned from the bugs in the trees.

Industry watchers suggest that life-enhancement goods and services have the strongest growth potential. Pet insurance, once viewed as a frivolity, has blossomed, as surgeries and medical care have grown commonplace. The oldest such firm, Brea (Calif.)-based Veterinary Pet Insurance, still holds an estimated 83% share of the market, but more are on the way.

For example, if you are trying to test “dog training”, then you would enter “dog training ebook” in your search.

I’m checking my email and listening to the noise in the next room. I hear Ethan and the cats playing and the only word I can use to describe their sounds is delight.

This is just a little one. I think Molly deserves her own blog. She's a darling little girl. Follows me around the house, talks to me when she has a problem of any kind, and right now, she has a problem. Since the spring has actually sprung, we usually leave the windows open. At least one in each room, so she can go to that window, and look out any time she likes.She adores windows, as most cats do, and will sit perfectly content, drowsing in a warm sunny window for hours.The one over the back of the couch in the living room, the one behind the boom box in the dinning room, the one at the foot of my bed,in my bedroom, or the one between the plant stand and the sink area in the kitchen.Oh! I mustn't forget to mention the window in her play room,/guest room/ storage room.So, she has her choice of places to hang out, look out and observe the outside world.In fact, if she sees something really interesting, she will dash from room to room to track whatever it is she is stalking from inside the house.

What this data doesn't show is the increase in the number of high-end vet bills so I'll see what we can dig up on that. As pet lovers, while we might be able to absorb the increase cost of regular vet visits, we are getting faced more and more with the large bills, which makes us as pet owners face the emotional life-or-money decision more frequently. This is where pet insurance can help avoid that awful situation.

MSN Money has a great article that looks at the pros and cons of pet health insurance from a financial product perspective. It's one of the few articles that actually doesn't use the usual pet insurance article format that goes like this:

We walk to school holding hands and Olle chats away. I often think to myself that I should write down what he says, though written down they may lose some of their impact. Here are some fragments from this morning's walk.

"When I grow up, I'm going to have four dogs. A sexed Jack Russell and..."

"Sexed? what do you mean by sexed?"

"Sexed is the opposite of desexed. So I'm going to have a sexed Jack Russell and I'm going to sell its puppies - and a sexed Spaniel and two German Shepherds".

The weatherman was right. It is back to being sweatshirt weather. I saw snow flurries in the air as I put out the bird feeders this morning. Our spare backup cat's family must be traveling, since she scooted in the door as I filled the feeders. The Goldfinches were complaining that I was so late this morning, but we had neglected to turn the heat on before going to bed, so the house temperature had dropped to sixty five degrees. That meant the first step out of bed was just cool enough to keep me under the down comforter for an extra forty-five minutes.

On my recent departure from Texas, my hostess Evelyn was gracious enough to give me a gallon freezer bag stuffed with fresh pecan halves. Her two trees produced a bumper crop this year, and as fast as she and her companion Russell can eat them, they mount up. Russell, who will be 80 this July, enjoys sitting in a worn ladder-back chair under a lean-to in the back yard, not far from the trees, shelling pecans for hours at a time. As he works, he watches Ratzy and Angel, their cats, play with Snickerdoodle, a pint-sized dust mop of a dog. The bird feeder draws all types of birds from the nearby Brazos, including the brilliant startle of cardinals. The view is green this time of year as far as the eye can see from the back yard, which overlooks the Brazos flood plain. A fine green tracery softens the stark mesquite and sage, fragrant on the ever-present plains wind. The temperate weather of spring is a precious commodity in Northwest Texas. All too soon, the heat will drive them all indoors. There is a history to this tableau: Evelyn's father, Doyle, used to spend time in his yard in Huckabee and other points in Texas shelling pecans from his own trees. I believe Evelyn finds this simple tradition comforting. As she put it in her recent letter: "Dull is GOOD."

I've found the furry goldmine of cat links: Carnival of the Cats! If you are a fan of all things purring, stop by and thank the hostess for her work.

Cosmetic surgery. It’s not just for people anymore. Mika Brzezinski reports on owners of neutered dogs who opt for Neuticles - testicular silicone implants - that make Butch look butch again.

Some men love dogs, some prefer cats. You could definitely count Matthew M. Martin as a member of the second group.

When I talk with people about pet insurance, some of them confess that they are not that familiar with all the different features of a pet insurance policy. And why should they be? Less than one half of one percent of cat and dog lovers have pet insurance so it's not part of our everyday pet knowledge - yet!

I thought that if we could get some definitions down pat, then we'd all know what we are talking about. That is what this series is about - to develop a glossary of pet insurance terms that we all agree on.

There are a number of dog breeds that are often called pit bulls, most with no more claim to the name than having a short coat. Bullmastiffs, boxers, shar peis, Boston terriers, even many square-headed Labrador retrievers or greyhound mixes are often mistaken for pit bulls. A dog was killed a few years ago in England under its pit bull laws, all expert testimony and the dog's owner as well holding the dog to be a Great Dane/greyhound cross. So looks are indeed deceiving.

My younger sister got a chinchilla, and it's pretty awesome. It is very fast and for an exercise routine of sorts, I let it out and try to catch it as it runs around the house. The cats enjoy chasing after him as well, except they're indoor cats and aren't aware that they could hunt him.

We’ve seen all sorts of animals around the property this spring. There are a number of broods of baby quail. These families are a trip. The