April 30th, 2010
Join local trainers in hosting Jim Barry, the country’s premier Positive Gun Dog trainer and author of ‘Positive Gun Dogs: Clicker Training for Sporting Breeds’, for a hands-on weekend of gun dog fun. Jim Barry brings effective and efficient dog-friendly training methods to the gun dog world. Let him show you how adding a little click can improve your relationship with your dog AND get you a reliable, field-ready hunting companion or family dog that loves to play field sports. This is a unique opportunity – a first for Minnesota – Space is very limited (10-12 dog/handler teams and 20 observer spots) so please register early. Details and registration information available from Inga From and Kate Anders by e-mailing PositiveGunDogsMN@ymail.com
Hours 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Saturday, May 8, and Sunday, May 9, 2010 at Stone Mountain Pet Lodge, 9935 Radisson Road N.E., Blaine, Minn.
Cost:
Dog / Handler Team – Working spot for you and your dog: $450
Team Special – Working spot for one dog and two handlers: $550
Observer – Observers will be paired with dog / handler teams and will have an opportunity to coach / assist the teams: $200
Tags: Gun Dog Training, hunting companion, Stone Mountain Pet Lodge
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April 30th, 2010
Scientists at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and the Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) hope so. They’ve created the Canine Hereditary Cancer Consortium, a program designed to study naturally occurring cancers in dogs to better understand why both pets and people get sick. Using saliva, blood and tumor samples, they want to track canine cancers and figure out how cancers work in humans. According to ScienceDaily.com, “No dogs will be harmed and many should be helped. Nearly half of all dogs 10 years and older die from cancer. Dogs will be treated as patients at veterinary clinics nationwide. The research is endorsed by the American Kennel Club and by the Morris Animal Foundation. Samples will be gathered with the consent of owners and veterinarians.” The group also wants to study hearing loss and other debilitating disorders.
Your tax dollars are at work for this. Partial funding comes from a $4.5 million federal stimulus grant. PetSmart and Hills Nutrition are also putting up money for the study.
Why dogs? It turns out that many rare human cancers are commonly found in dogs. Who knew?
Tags: cancer, cancer cure, Dogs, Hills Nutrition, PetSmart
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April 13th, 2010
Pet Care Services Journal features several articles on this subject in its March-April issue. The magazine is published by the Pet Care Services Association (PSCA), of which Stone Mountain Pet Lodge is a member. The articles explore the connection between humans and animals and trace the evolution of pets from possessions to members of the family.
There’s no doubt that animals have a healing “touch.” There are several stories of veterans of the Iraq War who are cutting back on their medications and getting their lives back, thanks to the love and companionship of a good dog.
Another place that pets are rehabilitating humans is the prison system. The Journal details the Prison Pet Partnership program at the Washington Corrections Center in Gig Harbor, Washington, where female inmates not only learn new jobs skills through the PSCA’s pet care technician program (pet grooming and care), but also train homeless dogs to be therapy animals for hospitals and nursing homes. The women also work with cats that come from hoarders or neglectful homes. Minnesota has a similar program at its Shakopee correctional facility.
It’s a win-win-win situation. Animals and people learn to trust. Animals and people learn new job skills. Animals and people rejoin the world as productive members of society.
Tags: Iraq, Pet Care Services Association, Pet Care Services Journal
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March 29th, 2010
I’ve heard of women staying in abusive relationships because of their children, but never because they feared harm for their pets. The Minnesota Senate today passed a bill that would extend domestic abuse protection to pets. The Bemidji Pioneer reported that the upper legislative chamber voted 59-7 in favor of the proposal made by Sen. Sandy Pappas of St. Paul. The bill allows judges to include pets in court orders, something that had not been previously spelled out. If the bill clears the Minnesota House of Representatives, Minnesota would become the 14th state to include pets in domestic abuse protections.
Abusers have control issues, and I suppose you can keep someone under control if you threaten a defenseless kitten. A person without conscience also lacks empathy. Unfortunately, there are not enough garbage dumps in the world for these people.
Tags: Bemidji Pioneer, domestic protection, kitten, Minnesota law, Minnesota Senate, Pets
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March 22nd, 2010
It stands to reason that if human civilization began the Fertile Crescent of the Middle East, then dogs should be of Middle Eastern origin, too. They are, after all, one of our first domesticated animals.
We’ve traced dog DNA back to wolves, so taking it one step further and finding out exactly which wolves dogs descended from would seem to be the next step. Still, Robert Wayne of the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA), has expressed surprise at the results of a study he led. The study analyzed the DNA from more than 900 dogs and 85 breeds. Not just a few strands of DNA, but all 2.4 billion letters that make up dog DNA. Then they look at the DNA from 200 wild gray wolves from Europe, the Middle East, East Asia and China. Lo and behold, most of the dogs’ DNA matched that of the Middle Eastern wolf. The results were reported in the March 2010 issue of Nature.
That dogs were of Middle Eastern origin was not big news to Israeli zoologist Tamar Dayan at Tel Aviv University. He noted that 12.000-13,000-year-old dog skeletons have been found buried with human remains in northern Israel.
If the Middle East is the Cradle of Civilization, then it should also be the cradle of wolf domestication, too.
Tags: dog DNA, Dogs, Garden of Eden, Middle Eastern origin, UCLA
Posted in Dogs | 2 Comments »
March 17th, 2010
One of the area pet stores had a feline toenail clipping event last weekend. I’ve never cut the toenails of a cat, and I don’t think I want to. We had a cat who was raised outdoors on a farm. When Midnight came to live us, he used the lilac bush in the backyard to keep his claws in trim. Shredded the bark on a regular basis, but Mom never had to worry about the furniture. I can’t imagine holding a squirming cat long enough to nip the pointy little ends off its claws.
I had a Labrador that would allow me to do just about anything, including clipping her toenails. Although she whined and acted worried, she never withheld her paw. The dog who followed her wouldn’t allow anyone to touch her feet, even when she got balls of ice between her toes on a winter hike. The vet had to trim her toenails when he knocked her out to clean her teeth.
The Current Dog doesn’t seem to have any qualms about people messing with her feet, or her teeth, for that matter. But holding still is another matter. It’s worth the extra money at the groomer’s to get the job done without hassle.
Tags: cat, cutting toenails, Dogs, feline, groomer
Posted in Cats, Dogs, Grooming | No Comments »
March 8th, 2010
I love dogs. But they’re dogs, not people!
The latest thing in Florida and Rhode Island is dining out with your dog. Not on a picnic or camping trip, but at a table, in a restaurant. Zootoo.com reports that restaurant owners are getting licenses so they can serve dogs that come into their establishments with their owners. One Palm Beach restaurateur goes so far as to provide disposable dog dishes.
I am working hard to teach my dog some manners. Like staying off of the table, not sneaking her tongue up to lick a plate, not begging, and waiting patiently to be fed. This morning, fearless Fannie stretched her shaggy body up to the top of the kitchen counter, where she made off with a fresh loaf of banana bread. By the time my daughter caught up with her, the top half of the loaf was gone.
I don’t want to take my dog to a restaurant. I’d rather leave her home. It’s like having a date with your husband, without the kids.
Tags: dogs in restaurants
Posted in Dogs | 1 Comment »
March 4th, 2010
I don’t really understand the mentality of spammers. What are their inane “comments” supposed to accomplish?
Take this one, which was attached to an earlier post about heroic dogs: “While researching for kennel training dogs on Thursday, I came across your blog and post regarding Marc the vet : Aversive Dog Training Techniques”. This has absolutely nothing to do with dogs that save people’s lives in Haiti, and nowhere on this site do we talk about Marc the vet, whoever he is.
Or this one: “The Major Indoor Soccer Society’s Milwaukee Breaker announced brain tumor Wednesday presumptuous MarcoTerminesi has been placed on their injured hoard record”. At least three copies of this paragraph of gibberish were slapped onto Chester’s Blog in hope of being published. Sorry, that’s what a spam filter is for.
And then there are the ones that come from Russia. You can tell they’re from Russia because the Cyrillic characters have changed to all question marks and the address is .ru.
I don’t know what these people hope to gain by trying to catch a ride on our coattails, but it ain’t working! We actively monitor the comments that come to Chester’s Blog. If you have a legitimate comment and aren’t trying to make a sneaky attempt to publicize your business (what does auto insurance have to do with dogs?), we’ll publish it.
Tags: blogging, Haiti, heroic dogs, Spam, spammers
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February 24th, 2010
It seems like there’s always something going on at “The Lodge,” as we call it. The month of March is no exception.
SMPL will exhibit at the Twin Cities Pet Expo March 6 and 7 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. You’ll find us in Booths 419 and 421. There’s plenty of activity to behold, including dock-jumping dogs, frisbee-playing dogs, and dancing dogs. (You can even take a class to teach your dog how to dance, but you have to pre-register to bring Sam to the show with you.) New this year is a Pet Look-alike photo contest, and a rabbit agility exhibition. The show runs 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Saturday and 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Sunday. Come on down!
Head over to The Lodge on Saturday, March 20, for Canine Health and Wellness Day, sponsored by the Bearnese Mountain Dog Club of the Twin Cities. It’s free and you don’t need a BMD to attend. Hours are 8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Tags: Bearnese Mountain Dog, Canine Health and Wellness, events, SMPL, Stone Mountain Pet Lodge, Twin Cities Pet Expo
Posted in Cats, Dogs | No Comments »
February 16th, 2010
Did you catch the three new dog breeds that were introduced at the Westminster Kennel Club Show? They’re not really new–the American Kennel Club (AKC) just got around to “recognizing” them. Nevertheless, they made their first sanctioned appearance at this year’s show. The first was an Irish setter with a red and white coat. It’s supposedly a high-energy dog, but gentle. The next “newbie” was from Norway, a buhund. The buhund, a herding dog, has been around for centuries and even sailed with the Vikings. The last dog was also a herder, a Pyrenean shepherd. It’s native to southern France and has been used to guard sheep for ages and ages.
If it’s taken AKC this long to recognize these old breeds, how long do you think it will be before they decide Labradoodles are something other than an over-priced mixed breed?
Posted in Dogs | 2 Comments »