Fireworks, them horrible things

   Hullo, y'all! Yes, I am back from the grave with new, useful (I think?) information! Yay!
   I realize I should have made this post BEFORE new year's eve, but honestly, I had forgotten all about this blog, so here I am now, and I shall talk about FIREWORKS.
   You see, I'm not exactly big on hate. We could say I hate hate, but that would be a bit paradoxical. Hate is a bad thing, and it's not healthy to hate, so I try not to. But I cannot HELP but hating fireworks! Those dreadful, horrible things! But WHY do you hate fireworks, you ask me, after all, they're so SHINY AND SPARKLY AND PRETTY!!! Well, I'll tell you WHY I hate fireworks! They might be SHINY AND SPARKLY AND PRETTY, but here's what they ALSO are: NOISY. Fireworks are VERY VERY NOISY. And now you might be thinking "why is she whining so much about noise, it's not as if it were deafening or anything of that sort! And besides, there are noisiest things!". Well, here's the truth: I am not particularly bothered by the noise, after all, there really ARE noisiest things, and fireworks really ARE very pretty. But here's something most dog owners know and you might not: We, humans, aren't particularly bothered by this noise (not most of us, at least), but I'll tell you who IS: dogs (most of them, at least). Some more, some less, but in general, dogs are not only bothered, but they are TERRIFIED of fireworks!
   Here I'll talk about MY dogs, and I'm sure other dog owners will also relate to what I'll say (or in fact, write). My dogs are usually calm (even though one of them barks to basically everything that moves), due to they're old age. But every time they hear the sound of a firework, they start barking and/or howling like mad. Every New Year's eve it's the same stress, where we have to stay outside with the dogs, petting and calming them. My dogs are not so hysterical at the sound of fireworks, but I have heard of dogs who run to find somewhere to hide, sometimes even getting lost or accidentally hurting themselves, all of that because of that sound.
   So I am PLEADING to you: next time you want to celebrate a special occasion, such as New Year's eve, think about the poor doggies and consider celebrating in another, less prejudicial to others, way, such as with CAKE, a marvelous option for celebrating anything!
   But since we cannot rely only on people's good will and compassion, some genius in this world invented an incredibly easy way to protect our dogs and calm them down a bit during fireworks. Here's where most of the information to follow came from. The rest is knowledge I acquired before I started writing this post (a.k.a before I started worrying about remembering my sources).

   So this method is called a "half wrap" (there was another, more technical name to it, but I can't seem to remember OR find it anywhere. If anyone knows what it is please tell me), and it consists in wrapping your animal in a firm, relatively wide (and long, depending on your dog's size) strip of cloth, as showed in the picture:

image source

   I myself have never tested this trick (I tried to this New Year's eve, but I used pharmaceutical bandages, which weren't wide and firm enough), so I can't testify that it works, but it doesn't cost anything to try, right? 

   Hope I have helped at least a little bit to solve the Firework Drama (even though everybody has probably already seen the information I'm giving somewhere else, so...)! But seriously, people: less fireworks, more compassion!

Puppy Mills

Hey, people! First of all, I wanted to say I'm SO SORRY about not having posted anything in such a LONG time! When I started this blog, I said I would try to post something everyday and, well... That's not what happened. But I promise I'll keep trying!
So, today I'm gonna talk about... Puppy mills! Well, the name's already pretty scary, 'cause you read "puppy" and you think "cute!" and then you read "mills" and... well... not so cute. Before I start talking about puppy mills, I want to say that all the information I'm presenting (apart from personal opinion) comes from THIS link and THIS other link (ASPCA). So, what exactly ARE puppy mills? Well, according to ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) a puppy mill is "a large-scale commercial dog breeding facility where profit is given priority over the well-being of the dogs". One word to sum it up? BAD. But what does it MEAN to "give profit priority over the well-being of the dogs"? Well, basically, people who own puppy mills don't really care about what happens to the dogs, as long as they keep profiting from them. Just to have an IDEA of the evilness of it all, they take every opportunity of breeding females, with little or no time at all between litters, and when they reach a point when they can't reproduce any more, they're often killed. The dogs are kept in cages that, not rarely, are stacked in columns and have wired floors that hurt their paws and their legs. There's very little regard for genetic quality, so the dogs can be born with congenital (developed by them) and hereditary (gotten from there parents) conditions, such as heart disease, and, since they're bred so carelessly and without any adequate veterinary care, they can develop many serious illnesses. Finally, they are sold when they're about eight weeks old, they are sold, and because they're separated from they're mothers so young, they can also suffer from psychological problems, such as fear and anxiety, and can even become aggressive, which makes me SO MAD, because it's not they're fault that they were born in such horrible places, but if they attack someone, it's they who get sacrificed!
You must be asking yourselves "well, how do I know if the dog I'm buying comes from a puppy mill?". I already said (in another post) I'm all for ADOPTING dogs instead of buying them, because of multiple things (I listed them in the other post), but if you really, really, REALLY want to buy a dog, then I can't do anything to stop you. Puppy mill puppies are normally sold to pet shops or online, directly from the puppy mill, and that's why you can NEVER EVER buy a dog online or from a pet shop, and if you already did, my one advice is: take care of him/her. They deserve it. Also,don't get fooled by the pet shop owner who says the dog comes from "licensed USDA breeders" (for people who live in the U.S.), or "local breeders", because, for a breeder to sell a dog to a pet shop in the U.S., it HAS to be licensed from the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture), so the only thing that proves is that the dog really DOES come from a puppy mill.
So, that's all for now, please do share your questions/opinions in the comments (unless you're a puppy mill owner, then the only thing you should be doing is apologizing) and I REALLY recommend for you to go to the ASPCA website (https://www.aspca.org/), even if you don't live in the U.S. (like me), it's a very interesting site with a LOT of important information about dogs.

Blog - Anime and Manga

Hey, I know that till now I have only posted things about dogs, and that can be understood, because, after all, this is a blog about dogs! But in this post I would like to give a break and talk about another blog, that isn't about dogs. My friend, Raven, is crazy for Japanese cartoons and comics, that are called anime and manga. It's a really cool blog and I highly recommend it to people who like those things and would like to know more. So here goes the link: http://mangaeanimereviews.wordpress.com. I hope you give it a look!

Can Dogs Smile?

In this blog, I will reveal the answer to your most profound question: "Can dogs smile?". Here it comes (suspense)... Yes! What?! Yes, dogs CAN smile! That's right! Let me explain this: One day, a very nice doggy called Missy wrote to me, and here's what she said:
"Hi my name is Missy. I live in Sacramento, California USA. I couldn't help reading your blog about dogs and just had to weigh in. I am a very happy pooch. I have nice parents who give me everything I want even though they don't always completely understand me. I try to communicate with them by looking at them with my big brown eyes, trying to smile and wagging my tail they don't always get it. I try to smile but for some reasons dogs don't smile (problem with facial muscles or something) do you know why? If you do let me know and I will try it out. Hoping to hear from you soon, your faithful canine correspondent here in America. Missy"
Isn't she a nice dog? Well, I really wanted to help her discover if she could smile, and if not, why, but that was kind of hard, because some said dogs could smile and others said they couldn't. So one day, I was searching that and I found a website that seemed to have convincing arguments, and it said that dogs have a body language to express their feelings, and when they're happy, they tend to loosen up a bit, and that includes the mouth area, so if your dog has his mouth's edges a little higher than usual, that may mean that it's having a good time. Other signs that help to identify a dog's happiness are a hanging tongue, a slightly open mouth, a wagging tail and a body rolling around the floor. Sometimes dogs also position their ears upward to show happiness or attention. He knows something, if not fun, exciting will happen. You have to be careful, though, because some signs can be easily mistaken. What does that mean? Well, since the post is mostly about dog's ability to smile, lets start with talking about that great facial expression that permits you to see weather someone is happy or not happy (if you just asked yourself something like "What?" I was talking about the smile): The thing is, there is more than one type of smile, each of them slightly different from the others. Apart from the happy smile, there are the anxious smile and the subordinate (fancy word, huh?) smile. Now I will describe those types of smile:

Anxious Smile: When a dog has a mouth open just a tad, and a smiling expression (the mouth's edges higher than usual), he may seem to be happy, but believe me, he isn't. When a dog has that smile on his face, he may be anxious, nervous or in distress. Other signs of distress include heavy panting with the tongue inside the mouth, whining and teeth chattering. In that case, you should consult the vet, even if your pet doesn't show all the signs (but I recommend waiting for at least two of them to show up: you don't want to waste money on a vet just because your doggy was whining for attention).

Subordinate Smile: According to the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), sometimes, when the dog finds himself in a subordinate situation, that is, if he (or she) finds himself (or herself) threatened by any other animal (that includes humans) which the dog feels is more powerful, stronger or higher in ranking, he may try to show his subordination by baring his teeth in a non-aggressive way (dogs know the difference), that looks like a smile, but the poor thing is actually scared. In that case, look for other signs of subordination, such as pulled back ears, crying and a hanging head. So if you're shouting at your dog and it starts smiling, you should really stop it and pet it a bit, because not even the naughtiest dog deserves that.

Tail-Wagging: As I said before, tail-wagging, such as smiling, is a body sign of dog happiness, but it may not mean what you think: Dogs sometimes wag their tails in a quick, stiff motion if they're anxious, uncertain or apprehensive.
So hey, Missy, you can't smile? Try a little more, I'm sure you'll do it!

Font: http://pets.thenest.com/dogs-actually-smile-11434.html

Image 1: http://www.thewire.com/national/2013/03/yes-hes-happy-dog-proven-science/63257/

Image 2: http://pets.thenest.com/dogs-actually-smile-11434.html









                                 
                          

Pooches

Hey, there! In this post, I'll talk about pooches. First of all, I'll declare that they're the type of dog I like the most and, honestly, the type I most know about, since both my dogs are pooches. "Pooch" can be another word for "dog", but it's normally used to refer to the so-called "stray dogs", but that's not a very good term, so to define better what type of pooch I'm talking about I'm gonna use "a dog that does not have a pedigree or a defined breed". Got it? Yes? Good! No? Then comment your question and I'll try to eliminate it! Okay, now that it's all clear, let's continue. Now, I'm gonna say some of the reasons I really LOVE pooches: the first is that they're extremely resistant to sickness. But before I explain why I think that, I'll remember everyone: every dog is different, even though a certain group of dogs has certain resemblances (I think that's the word), there's always an exception. So let me explain why I think pooches are the most resistant dogs: I have a bitch (hey! Not what you're thinking! The other type!) that, when she was a puppy, got a serious disease of witch the name and all the exact symptoms I can't remember right now, but the thing is: she could have died, but, instead, she lost most of her teeth, and the few that remained are totally yellow, but the bright side is: she survived! And she's not a super sick dog that never get out of bed because she can't. On the contrary! She's super healthy (or at least she makes a real good impression of it), and if she spends a lot of time lied down, the only reason for that is her extreme laziness. The thing is, it isn't scientifically proved that pooches are more resistant than other dogs, but I have an hypothesis that says they are, and I base it in the fact that most pooches live in the streets (I said most, not all), so they have to adapt to diseases. But maybe I'm totally wrong, because I'm not a scientist (2017 UPDATE: Though I am still not sure if my hypothesis is correct, a most significant reason for why pooches are normally more resistant to certain illnesses than breaded dogs is that, as I explained a bit superficially in my post about 'puppy mills', normally when breeding dogs there is little concern for their "genetic quality". That is, breaded dogs, in account of having supposedly "pure genes" of their breed, are not genetically diverse, and, because of that, are more inclined to have certain weaknesses or diseases characteristic to their breed, whilst pooches are very genetically diverse, in account to being "mixed" and not "purebred", and, as a result, are less susceptible to weaknesses and diseases. This might sound a bit confusing, and to be honest I have to do more research on the subject, so I might write a brand new post about it after I have researched a bit more into it). Now, the second reason I like pooches the most is that you can't sell them! What I mean is, if you have a pooch and she has a puppy, you're forbidden to sell that puppy, so if you don't want to keep all the puppies (which is normally the case) then your only option is to donate it. As everyone knows, I'm against selling dogs, so I think that's awesome (repeating, I'm just saying my own opinion, if anyone has a different opinion feel free to say, because I don't have any problem with it, as long as you have a good argument). The last reason I like pooches is only the fact that, as I said before, my two dogs are a mixture of different breeds, so I am naturally inclined to prefer pooches. Okay, so I said my position in relation to pooches, if anyone has any doubts about the subject please comment and I'll see what I can do about them (the doubts).

I'm not sure if all the dogs in these pictures are pooches (the ones with no defined breed), so if you figure out any of them isn't, please say.

Pitbulls (2)

A Little More of what I Think about Pitbulls:
Last post I said that pitbulls were sometimes aggressive because people train them to. Well, I've been doing some research lately (National Geographic) and I discovered that that's not the only reason (of course). The other reason I discovered is that people are normally not used to dealing with a pitbull. What does that mean? For example: I have a pitbull. I live alone, with it as my only pet. It's very docile with me, but one day, when I invite my friend to visit me, it nearly bites his leg off (the pitbull nearly bites my friend's leg off, not the other way around). Or, one day, when I'm trying to take him for a walk, he starts running after another dog (I mean, in some countries you have to put some dogs in a nose band, but in others you don't). Why? Well, as I said before, "I" live alone, so my pet isn't used to other people or animals, so when he sees one, he imagines it's an "enemy" and his first reaction is to "protect" me. That's cool, but the only problem is: I don't want to be protected! I want to be able to have a social life where I don't have to worry about my dog eating another person or animal's head off! What can I do? Well, it's never to late to call a dog trainer, though it's best to treat your pet when it's still young. Just make sure you supervise the training, to know if the trainer is treating your dog badly. But the best thing is for you to know all these things when you go to adopt your dog so, if you fall in love for a pitbull, it's best that it's a puppy, so you can start educating it and getting it used to people and animals right from the start, to make sure you don't have any problems. But if you do, don't get scared and, most of all DO NOT AT ANY CIRCUMSTANCES ABANDON YOUR PET, because he (or she) really needs you. The best thing to do after a nasty moment is to call the best pet trainer you know (though it has, of course, to be one that you know you can pay). I just made this post to inform innocent people (by "inocent" I mean people who don't have some sort of mental illness and don't train they're dog to attack other living beings) of which they're dog (s) attacked any person or animal and that can't figure out what they wronged at to make this happen.

Pitbull

The term pit bull is a generic term used to describe dogs with similar physical characteristics. Usually a "pit bull" is considered one of several breeds including the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier the American Staffordshire Terrier, and the Bull Terrier or any mix thereof. In some parts of the world, the American Bulldog and Dogo Argentino are also classified as a "Pit Bull-type" dog, despite major genetic differences. Any dog that is mixed with a "bully breed" may also be called a "pit bull" including those that are descended from the English Bulldog, French Bulldog, Boston Terrier and Cane Corso.^[2] The pit bull is not a distinct breed which may make it difficult for experts to identify,^[3][4][5] and while mixed breed dogs are often labelled a "pit bull" if they have certain physical characteristics such as a square shaped head or bulky body type,^[2] visual identification of mixed breed dogs is not recommended by the scholarly community.^[3] 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pit_bull

   Thats a bit of what Wikipedia says about Pitbulls. Now you people see more or less of what are Pitbulls. And what gets me on my nerves is that every one actually believes that "Blah, blah, blah, Pitbulls are dangerous because blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.". Some people believe that the Pitbull's skull is smaller than their brain. That was also thought about the Dobermans but it was already proved wrong. There are other people that believe that Pitbulls are dangerous for no reason at all! maybe one of their friends have told them, or sometimes they even read it in a magazine (dont believe in everything you read). The thing is: That's not true! Everyone thinks that Pitbulls are dangerous because people TRAIN them to be dangerous! And then one day a Pitbull bites someone and they say: "oh, Pitbulls are dangerous!"! Oh, stop it!! THE PITBULL'S DANGEROUS BECAUSE SOME WORM-HEAD TRAINED HIM TO BE DANGEROUS!! and then they kill the Pitbull because he atacked someone and the most that the person who trained the dog has to do is pay some money and it's all right! IF YOU'RE GOING TO KILL THE DOG THEN SEND THE PERSON TO JAIL TO!!

The American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) has a strong pleasure to please. The APBT has evoked more human emotional, rational and irrational response than any other breed that exists today. By no means are these dogs people-haters or people-eaters. Their natural aggressive tendencies are toward other dogs and animals, not people. However if they are properly socialized with a firm, but calm, confident,consistent pack leader, they will not even be aggressive with them. The American Pit Bull Terrier is a good-natured, amusing, extremely loyal and affectionate family pet that is good with children and adults. Almost always obedient, it is always eager to please its master. It is an extremely courageous and intelligent guard dog that is very full of vitality. Highly protective of his owners and the owner's property, it will fight an enemy to the death. It is usually very friendly, but has an uncanny ability to know when it needs to protect and when everything is okay. The American Pit Bull Terrier can be willful with meek owners and needs a firm hand. They are generally okay with other pets if they are raised with them from puppyhood. They are very friendly, but not recommended for most people, because most people do not understand how to properly raise and treat a dog. Problems arise when one does not understand natural dog behavior, seeing the dog as having human emotions, and ends up with a dog who thinks he is the boss of the house. For a smaller, not as powerful dog, people can sometimes get away with this, however, for a powerful breed, one really needs to understand and follow this concept of keeping a dog. An excellent guide to learning how to properly treat a dog is the Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan (recommended to all dog owners regardless of the breed they own). Excellent with children in the family, they have a high pain tolerance and will happily put up with rough child play. As with any breed, they should not be left alone with unfamiliar children
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/americanpitbull.htm
                                                     Did you know...

... Pitbulls are very eficient therapy dogs?
... Pitbulls are sometimes used as search and rescue dogs?
... Sometimes authorities use Pitbulls for narcotics and bomb sniffing?
... Pitbulls were used as all-around farm dogs and were called ''the poor man's horse''?

source: http://pitbullsarea.com/2013/12/22/interesting-facts-about-pit-bulls/ and http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/americanpitbull.htm

                      en.wikipedia.org                             http://elmundodelasmascotass.blogspot.com.br/       http://bigpicture.ru/