As we take better care of our pets, they live longer and our bond with them increases… so we take care of them even better. Where will it end? We spoil our doggies with massages, spa visits, clothes and even jewelry, gourmet dog food varieties and all kind of treats to show them how much we love them. In general, we see more and more dog products appearing on the US market mimicking human type products.

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Nowadays, it is getting more and more common for people to purchase their needed stuff online. With the easy availability of the internet and the vast number of online retail stores available, it is no wonder the number of online shoppers have been increasing steadily over the years.

I still remember the past when I have to get my printing supplies at a physical store. It was so inconvenient that I have to drive out to the nearest store to get my ink cartridges and printing papers when they ran out. However, that was all in the past. Now, for me personally, whenever I need any printing supplies, I just need to go online to make purchases and they will be delivered to my place within days. Isn’t that wonderful!

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Scientists at Guelph’s University, Canada, have discovered a chemical process that may explain how cats and dogs were sickened and killed by melamine-contaminated pet food in March 2007.

Only when this mechanism is elucidated we can be 100% certain that melamine is indeed the cause. Though melamine has been proven toxic in rodent experiments, levels of this substance found in the dog food samples were very low (below what is considered toxic for rodents). This was quite puzzling and demanded for an explanation.

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Teaching a young puppy to come when called starts off perfectly. The puppy learns his name and that people use it when they want to give him something fabulous like dinner or a new toy, so he comes running. Well, he soon learns it is not a perfect world. He may hear his name called to come in from outdoors just when he is having fun or while enjoying a nap.

The biggest, the number one mistake people make with this command is to say Come!” when there is no possible way to enforce it. The puppy only has to disobey a few times when he hears “Come!” and you have taught him (and he has learned) that he has an option. He can come, or not.

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As some of you may know, Maverick is the black labrador that we are training as an assistance dog. We are happy to announce that he has successfully completed the first phase of his training and is beginning the second phase. Maverick has learned all of his commands (in a foreign language) and works well both on and off-leash. He has learned to heel beside someone walking at any pace as well as someone riding in a wheelchair. Maverick has been to a great number of local businesses with us and has performed really well in some pretty distracting and demanding environments.

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I have always loved dolphins, and I think that most humans find them fascinating. Stories of dolphins helping humans have been around for centuries, and here is a recent story of a man being rescued from a shark attack by a pod of dolphins.

Surfer Todd Endris needed a miracle. The shark — a monster great white that came out of nowhere — had hit him three times, peeling the skin off his back and mauling his right leg to the bone.

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A sure sign of Spring when Corona sniffs her shadow even though the snow is still melting - at least it’s starting to, anyway - and a great start to an active season.

Loving the chance to go for a walk and have her nails "cut" naturally, Corona can’t wait for the ground to dry up enough for her to run in the park but will be happy with walking at our speed until then.

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PLEASE CROSS POST!

This is perhaps one of the most important petitions we can all sign. It calls for a boycott of all Amish products until they stop their inhumane and disturbing practices of running puppy mills.

Thanks so much to Dogster’s For the Love of Dog Blog for this information.

Here’s more information from the Boycott Amish products until puppy mills are discontinued petition.

“To: Amish & Mennonite puppy mills
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The Labrador Retriever’s keen sense of smell and ability to train have earned him a place in many police and military forces around the world. During World War II, Labrador Retrievers were used throughout Europe to scout fields for undetected land mines. They were credited with many finds and exhibited a stick-to-it-iveness not found in other breeds that were tested for the job. They have also been trained as messengers to cover terrain that is all but impassable by man.

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We often get asked about training deaf dogs and other dogs with disabilities. Usually, the question is simply “Can you train a deaf dog?” The answer is absolutely, Yes! Obviously there are some key differences in the way that you go about teaching the commands, but it can be done quite successfully. The proofing and correction stages of the training are generally about the same and you can easily have a deaf dog (or a dog with another disability) that is as well trained as a dog without a disability.

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