pet heraldry, continued...

Thanks again, Wikimedia Commons.

Goodness, what have I gotten myself into? There are currently 82, count 'em, 82 images in Wikimedia Commons: Squirrels in Heraldry. That includes the one up above here, which is the coat of arms of Barguzinsk (Buryatia), dated 1790.

Cats are proving a little less bountiful. That will take some digging. Though I did find an unusual modern variant called the (ahem) Tigger.

what would your pet mean on your family crest?

Maybe you'd like to make your own family crest. Why not, right? (They had to come from somewhere.) And why not work your beloved family pet in there? Let's see if the ancient standards of heraldry equate your dear critter with the qualities you desire to advertise.

At this page, I learned that:
Dog = Courage, vigilance, and loyalty
Cat = Liberty, vigilance, forecast, and courage
Squirrel = Lover of the woods
Rabbit (also called Conie) = One who enjoys a peaceable and retired life

Should you happen to have a pet rhino, that's = ferocious when aroused.
I laughed out loud when I came to the definition of Woman = Various meanings. You best believe it!

Have a look at your options courtesy of the page by Fleur-De-Lis Designs. This is an extensive subject and I reserve the right to look at it more tomorrow.

england, 1587: our dogs are ye best

"THERE is no country that may (as I take it) compare with ours in number, excellency, and diversity of dogs."

Not that I'd thought about it very rigourously, but I always thought the Elizabethan reference work Holinshed's Chronicles were written solely by Holinshed. Not so. He had some help - a great deal of it from William Harrison, who includes in "A Description of Elizabethan England" quite a deal of musings "Of Our English Dogs and Their Qualities."

I have blogged upon a tidbit of this before - a snarky bit on ladies' lapdogs who hang about "as meet playfellows for mincing mistresses to bear in their bosoms, to keep company withal in their chambers, to succour with sleep in bed, and nourish with meat at board, to lie in their laps, and lick their lips as they lie (like young Dianas) in their waggons and coaches."

But there's so much more! How about
"Dogs of the homely kind are either shepherd’s curs or mastiffs. The first are so common that it needeth me not to speak of them."

"Some of our mastiffs will rage only in the night, some are to be tied up both day and night. Such also as are suffered to go loose about the house and yard are so gentle in the daytime that children may ride on their backs and play with them at their pleasures."

"Besides these also we have sholts or curs daily brought out of Ireland, and made much of among us, because of their sauciness and quarrelling. Moreover they bite very sore, and love candles exceedingly, as do the men and women of their country" (you should read the rest of THAT anecdote).

It's a bit long but very diverting - why not look it over? (Thanks to Bartleby.com.)

long ago: a pet squirrel in virginia

Once upon a time in 18th century Virginia, Elizabeth Ewell married her second husband. He was a French gentleman by the name of Galvan De Berneau, and as the excerpt below will prove, he must have been very fond indeed of her and her pet squirrel.

* * *

Of De Berneau Dr. Jesse Ewell wrote, 1869:

"He was a Frenchman of great vivacity and intensely frenchified. He could never acquire the true pronunciation of English. He had a residence near Dumfries called 'Rural Felicity', but he could never come nearer to the name than 'Fed-tr-al-city.' He was devoted to his wife and called her 'Honey.' I never saw them but I have seen Mrs. De B.'s portrait. She had a majestic figure, beautiful features and noble countenance. My childish fancy was much interested in a squirrel sitting on her shoulder in the portrait, and 'thereby hangs a tale."

"In those days ladies wore side pockets of large dimensions and in hers the pet squirrel nestled. On one occasion not finding his accustomed nuts he amused himself by cutting up the old man's gloves and also a piece of the lady's apron. She pronounced sentence of death against the pet but he pleaded for pardon and vowed that he would 'write one poetrie." After a long time he produced this which he read with great complacency :

'"How happy is de Bunny who lives upon de honey,
He find among us all his friend
He chaw in de pocket vidout distinctshon
His massa glove and his misses apron.'

"I do not remember how long he survived his effort but think the old gentleman, the old lady, and squirrel all died soon after without issue."

* * *

-- from Joanna Glassell, Virginia Geneaologies: A Genealogy of the Glassell Family Scotland and Virginia..., Joanna Glassell, Rev. Horace Edwin Hayden, M.A. (Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania: self published, 1891), p. 336.

Buyer Beware When Purchasing Fish

This is such a pet peeve (pardon the pun) of mine, but why does Wal-Mart sell live fish? Everytime I go to any Wal-Mart with tropical fish, they look sick, many having ich (white spot disease) or even worse - dead floating in the tank.

But still, they always have rows of tanks full of dying fish. And they keep buying more from distributors since the tanks are always full of semi-alive fish covered with ich or fungus.

Adding unhealthy fish to your community tank can effectively wipe-out all the other fish in you have. Before adding any fish to your tank, inspect it closely for torn fins, fungus, and white spots. Make sure the fish is alert, active, and swimming around while not at the surface gasping for air.

Most likely, you won't find any fish like this at Wal-Mart. And even adding one unhealthy fish to your aquarium can introduce diseases that can destroy your community.

prince rupert's devil dog, thanks to parlance

Yes, great thanks indeed to Parlance. Some of you may have seen her very recent comment and followed the link to Nicola Cornick's post, "One Man and his Dog," at WordWenches.

If you haven't I invite you to do so now. Little is needed from me in the way of introduction. Nicola has provided the backstory on a few of the portraits and anecdotes she has come across in her work. She speaks primarily of Prince Rupert of the Rhine, a most fascinating figure of Charles I's time, and his poodle. Along the way you'll hear a bit about the actress Kitty Fisher and Lady Caroline Lamb, and the creatures who completed their lives and images.

I do think you'll enjoy yourself immensely. Read "One Man and his Dog."

Caturday funnies

(via izismile.com)

diego has a pet deer

Remember my buddy Diego the Pomeranian?

Diego has a buddy of his own, as you see. That would be Spot, back there rocking the spots.

Spot hangs out at Diego's farm on WA State's Key Peninsula. He's part Sitka deer. A bit far south for Sitkas, but Spot is descended from a Sitka buck that was imported, I guess I'd call it.

Just thought you'd enjoy something fresh and personal on a summer Friday.

Looking for a Dog?

Buy a dog or and adding it to your family is a difficult task to handle and you have to handle this event with carefully. You should have to spot out the right dog for your family, I mean to say the dog that suits your family the best. If you need an advice, you can easily take it from your friends or relatives who has already adopt a pet into their house.

Choosing the right Breed: Actually its depends on the various thing including on personal choice. The the points comes to temperament breed size and obviously to your family also. Lets discuss the all issues:

Personal Choice: Today people are preferring the particular dog breed before they are looking to buy a dog. For a example, when you were a child, you might have wanted a Husky. I don't say that this is the ideal breed but you can start the journey from here.

For Family: If you are planning for a family in near future or you already have a child, then you should have to be a choosy for buy a dog. You have to consider some facts. Some dogs are fitted well for the family, like Golden Retrievers, Cocker Spaniels ans Labs. Some like German Sheperd and Huskies are well for single adult owner.

Your House Size: When you planning to buy a dog for your family, then you should have to consider the size of your house. If you people are living in a small house and have a big sized dog, then your pet dog feels uncomfortable in your house, as it needs more space inside the house for run around. If you have small children in your home, then it is not an ideal one to buy a large dog as it would be a tough one to handle the dog. And one thing that I must include that puppy's grow faster than a children, so please keep this in your mind before going to buy a dog.

And you have to decide that what you want from a dog? You are looking for a companion, or a playmate for your child? or a running partner for your wife? So decide it first.

There are certain health issue that are happening with the dogs. As a dog owner you should have to aware of that what type of health issue are common health problem for which kind of dogs?

All the above details and proper answer should have with you when you art looking for a dog - the newest member into your family.

kitten calendar, with extras

So.

Got another kitten calendar.

Just like all the other kitten calendars. Nothing original or funny or anything, just the mere presence of kittens and flowers and blankies and zzzzzzzz......

But, if you are the genius with a Sharpie behind Kitti Graffiti, you don't have to take it any more! And suddenly those kitty calendars get way more entertaining. Got a Sharpie?

It's like kitten Dada. (See L.H.O.O.Q.)

Thanks for putting this in the latest newsletter, b3ta.

"Altered"

We recently took Kelso, our male Lhasa Apso, to get, as they say, altered. The term struck me as funny, but I guess in the long run, that is exactly what they are doing to him, altering. I remember growing up, and we used to always say the dog was being "Fixed." But when you say fixed, in a lot of ways you are saying that maybe there was something broken to begin with?

I would have thought the term of spayed or neutered would be used by our vet, but when the paperwork came to us, it stated the surgery as our dog being altered.

There really isn't an easy way to describe what is being done to dog...especially if you're a guy!! But the good news is, no matter what you call it, Kelso did fine, and is now recovering. He's been whining a bit since the surgery, and I'm sure he's still a bit uncomfortable, but in a few weeks, it will all be a distant memory.

a classic: the cat came back

"You've never seen 'The Cat Came Back'?" John at the corner coffee shop said.

"No," I said. "You have to," he said. (John is a big Museum fan.)

I knew the song, of course. The cat came back the very next day, the cat came back, they thought he was a goner. . . There's a cartoon now, is there? Well no wonder I don't remember it. It's from Canada, created in 1988. And hopefully I'm not telling all of you stuff you don't already know, but the scene opens on an old gent practising his tuba when he hears a tapping on his door. Things go downhill from there - and the ending was a fresh enough take on the whole idea that I laughed out loud.

Getting rid of one yellow cat? How hard could it be?

**Thanks John!**

a potbellied pig rescue

Remember when potbellied pigs came on the scene as cool new exotic pets? I do. It was around the mid-eighties. I recall wondering which I'd rather have, a miniature pig or a miniature horse. (The answer: Neither, though they are both swell. I'd rather have a miniature cat.)

The first breed was originally brought over from Vietnam for zoos by a man named Keith Connell, and were bigger than the usual pet pig size you see today. Two other breed lines were established here in North America, and the result is the handy variety of low-slung porkers available today. There are actually a number of varieties in Vietnam itself, such as the "Heo Moi." You can get the short but sweet info on that in this article.

Alas, people grow tired of their pigs, or suffer misfortunes, or coldheartedly traffic in them, and the pigs take the brunt of it. They are abandoned or poorly cared for, like so many "inconvenient" pets these days (an intense peeve of mine, since I've spent my whole adult life choosing housing that would take my pets). Luckily, there are kind souls out there for everyone, including a low-slung oinker down on its luck.

Just such a place is Ironwood Pig Sanctuary of Tuczon, Arizona. They have a good site full of pictures and stories, if you'd enjoy learning about the hearts & souls of a few pigs - and I think you would.

Suggestion for Making Homemade Raw Food for Your Dog

There is various options are available in the market for your dog food. You can have canned food, dry and raw food also. So as a pet lover and owner, you have to choose the best options for your dog feeding. The best solutions to avoid the market based dog foods are to made the home based dog foods. This is best option and many pet lover are choosing this one.

It is not a difficult one to make the home based raw food for your dog with the things that you have already purchased from the market. Here are some suggestion to make the home based dog food.

• When you are prepared to make home based for your dog, then it would be better to prepare the item in huge amount. You can keep the same into freeze and give the same again future.
• When have made a large amount of dog food, please keep the food into zip lock bag and freeze it. It will keep your dog food fresh and better one.
• When you have several zip lock bag with you, then you can use it with different mixes and use it for future food for your dog. Actually this tricks is for rotate the different food habit and avoid the same taste.
• Dogs are good lover of internal organs of animals. Offal is the ideal one and it will give your dog proper nutrients. So try to mix this offal into daily food items.
• Do you know what type of food habit will give the proper diet for your dog? No other than fruits and vegetables. What you are preparing for your dog food at home, please mix up with chopped or pureed vegetable to this food item.
• Do you know what are the good source of calcium for your dog? eggshells. Yes. So please try to mix eggshells next time when you make homemade raw food for your dog.

So? making homemade raw food for your dog is neither a headache nor a difficult one. The above mentioned tips and suggestion will definitely help you a lot.

the modern rabbit, distilled

I find today's subject delightful with a hip overlay. In 2006, Pictoplasma asked contemporary artists around the globe to submit their bunnies, and turned the resulting hundreds of images into a mandala.

Ranging everywhere from rude and creepy to baby-cute, the critters prove the inexhaustibility of individual vision and style. View the whole thing here: The Essence of Rabbit, or The Bunny Mandala Shrine. I tried to get more closeups but this is the best I could do so far.

Over Feeding Fish Could Lead to Problems

Fish always see hungry in a home aquarium. They are always going to the top of the tank whenever you walk by, hoping you'll drop some goodies in the tank. But when it comes to fish feeding, overfeeding is one of the hardest mistakes to avoid.

It can be directly harmful to both the health of the fish and the quality of their water. All that uneaten food will be broken down into ammonia and nitrite, both of which are extremely toxic to fish. As uneaten food decays, it can also cause a variety of other problems, including cloudy water, algae blooms, in addition to low PH and low oxygen levels in the tank.

Poor water quality leads to poor fish health. There is always debate as to how often to feed your fish. Some people suggest 2 or 3 small meals a day, while others suggest once a day is fine. A lot of times it also depends on the type of fish. Regardless of how often, always feed your fish about as much as they will consume in about 2 - 3 minutes. Any more could lead to problems.

Caturday Funnies

Smile, it's Friday!

catherine the great's pets

After children, dogs and animals in general were a great delight to Catherine II. of Russia, in connection with which many anecdotes have been recorded. In 1785, we are told how she took a fancy to a white squirrel, of which she made a pet, and about the same time she became possessed of a monkey of whose cleverness she would "the amazement of Prince Henry one day when Prince Potenkin let loose a monkey in the room, with which I began to play. He opened his eyes, but he could not resist the tricks of the monkey."

Her Majesty also had a favourite cat, which seems to have been a wonderful animal—"the most tomcat of all tomcats, gay, witty, not obstinate." In one of her letters she writes : "You will excuse me if all the preceding page is very badly written. I am extremely hampered at the moment by a certain young and fair Zemire, who of all the Thomassins is the one who will come closest to me, and who pushes her pretensions to the point of having her paws on my paper."

From Royalty In All Ages: The Amusements, Eccentricities, Accomplishments, Superstitions, and Frolics of the Kings and Queens of Europe (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1903), p. 261.

The Disease Giardiasis in Dogs

Giardiasis could be happen in the dogs anytime. Actually it is an infection of Giardia that is why we can call the disease 'Giardiasis'. What is Giardia? it is actually a one cell parasite that is protozoa. There is several way that a dog could be infected.

Way of Infections:
Primarily, this could be happen through drinking water that are infected already. The dogs that are infected already, can passover the parasite by their stools. If the other dogs comes closer to this stool, could be easily infected.

How do you recognize?
Here are following symptoms could be noticed if your dog gets attacked.

• Improper digestion
• Loosing weights
• Very lethargic
• And serious diarrhea

For proper diagnosis you or your vet should take the sample of the dog's stool. The vet can test the blood sample of your dog if required.

There are many medication that are suitable for this disease. It will better if you take an advice from a vet

Weddings Are Going to the Dogs

As if worrying about the potential for the little flower girls and ring boys weren't enough to you stress at a wedding, more and more dogs are getting into the act.

The craze seemed to get going a few years back when Adam Sandler dressed up his dogs in little tuxedos. But according to this article from Chronicle Books, it is a trend that may continue to grown. Check out the guest article and as always, we enjoy your thoughts

we're in a top 100!

I have just found out that The Pet Museum has been included in the "100 Best Curator and Museum Blogs" list compiled by OnlineUniversities.com. I am so excited!

Want to see? (Look in "Miscellaneous." Wink!)

tax reduction and budget bureau: calvin coolidge's lion cubs

True. President Calvin Coolidge and First Lady Grace Coolidge had at one time lion cubs named Tax Reduction and Budget Bureau. They also had scads of cats and dogs and a few other critters, well loved or at least indulged, such as their collies Prudence Prim and Rob Roy. Read about them in this detailed and attentive article.

(It does contain an unfortunate story of Coolidge teasing the gentleman shoveling his snow one winter, which I didn't like so well, but Coolidge was a taciturn man and perhaps he just wasn't good with people that day.)

Puppy's Life Gets Easier with Dog Accessories

Have you a pet dog at your home? or you are looking to buy it? What ever, if you are looking to buy a pet dog, then you should have to buy some essential dog accessories for the smallest member of your family get feel safe and comfort. As a pet owner you need to take the best care of your dog. So, to take the best care of your dog, you need to buy some essential items. There are several dog accessories are available in your local market. Some of them are basics - that are required for your dog, and some are advanced. So, as a pet owner, you can take the decision for the accessories that are required for your dog.

The essential dog accessories includes the following - food and water bowls. If your pet is bigger, then you can watch a simple tendency, that you pet will definitely move when it takes its food. Actually this will not a noisy one but you will have to looking or search the bowl all time you make feed your dog. So, to avoid this situation, you should have to looking for the bowl that are quit heavy to move from one place to another. For that reason, ceramic bowl would be the ideal one. It is heavy and and difficult to move. But there is one problem with this bowl. These type of bowl are breakable. Then what would be the best option? Nowadays strong plastic bowl are available in the market which are covered with rubber bits. These are heavy enough also. It will definitely prevent your pet dog to move and you pet will enjoy its food.

The second essential accessories for you pet dog would be the dog leash. This one important and essential accessories for puppy's and as well as for new dog also. There are various design available for dog collars, you should take the best design for your dog that suits your dog better. You should have to consider the size and length of you dog while selecting a dog collars. You can add a identity tag to it which contains your name and address details. This tag will help you to get back to you if you have lost it.

And except these small type accessories, you can get a dog house or kennel. This will help you dog to feel safe, secure and happy within the house. When you create or buy a dog house, you should have to consider the following thing:

• Size of your dog
• Length of your dog
• Proper ventilation within the dog house
• Enough Space

And one item that many people think that this accessories - 'booties' are not the important one. But if you believe me, I would like to suggest you to have the accessories with you especially if you are in the region where climates are hot. Actually this accessories will help your dog's pad from the rough and hot surface. It is not important for cool climate region but could be the ideal for desert regions.

There are several other accessories that will help your dog to feel safe and comfort with you. You should choose the accessories according to your taste.

artist: sarah cloutier

Image copyright Sarah Cloutier, 2007.

Once when we were in Florence during the summer months we walked out from the city center, further than we usually do. We found ourselves in a quiet residential block of gray stone buildings and a greenish-gray, dusty park. The park's trees were large and gently sheltering - I think they were umbrella pines, though I can't swear to that - and along the wide paths elderly gentlemen in black slowly walked little dogs in the warm afternoon.

And that's what I vividly remembered when I came upon this serene painting by Sarah Cloutier, "Dog Walking." You may enjoy her other work too at her DeviantArt webpage.

Note: The Curator is disgusted with herself to have at first given the name incorrectly as "Susan." Do please look for the artist as Sarah.

Caturday funnies

(via izismile)

50 dogs, one hunter - a classic tragedy

And I mean "classic" in the old sense: this is a post on the dogs of the hunter Actaeon of Greek mythology. It was he who, hunting with his pack of dogs in the woods, came across the goddess Artemis (Diana, in the Roman version) bathing. She was the most chaste and modest of goddesses, and forbade him to say any word or call any attention to the situation. But speak he did, and in her anger she changed him into a stag, whereupon his dogs did their job and tore him apart.

There were, by legend, fifty of them. And in 1898 E. Cobham Brewer, in his Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, actually listed their names (I do not know why the apostrophes, though I imagine it's an old-school nicety of translation):

Alc (strength), Amaryn’thos (from Amary’thia, in Eubœa), As’bolos (soot - colour), Ban’os, Bor’eas, Can’ach (ringwood), Chediæ’tros, Cisse’ta, Co’ran (cropped, crop-eared), Cyllo (halt), Cyllop’ots (zig-zag runner), Cyp’rios (the Cyprian), Draco (the dragon), Drom’as (the courser), Dro’mios (seize-’em), Ech’nobas, Eu’dromos (good-runner), Har’pal (voracious), Harpie’a (tear-’em), Ichnob’at (track-follower), La’bros (furious), Lacæna (lioness), Lach’n (glossy-coated), Lacon (Spartan), La’don (from Ladon, in Arca’dia), Lælaps (hurricane), Lampos (shining-one), Leu’cos (grey), Lycis’ca, Lynce’a, Mach’imos (boxer), Melamp (black), Melanche’t (black-coat), Melan’ea (black), Menele’a, Molossos (from Molossos), Na’pa (begotten by a wolf), Nebroph’onos (fawn-killer), Oc’ydroma (swift-runner), Or’esitrophos (mountain-bred), Ori’basos (mountain - ranger), Pachy’tos (thick-skinned), Pam’phagos (ravenous), Pœ’menis (leader), Pter’elas (winged), Stricta (spot), Therid’amas (beast-tamer or subduer), The’ron (savage - faced), Thoös (swift), U’ranis (heavenly-one).

Smile, it's Friday!

Should It Be Law to Neuter Your Pets?

Do you think it should be a law to spay or neuter your pets? Vote here in The Pet Place Poll

So far, there are a lot of votes into this poll, and the no's are leading by an overwhelming majority.

What's your thoughts on the issue?

Asthma Disease among dogs

Studies have shown that the asthma is very common disease for dogs like among human. And it is more frequent for all stage of dogs life. Attacked dog's life could be changed just like humans.

Have you ever seen any attacked dogs? Its really hard to watching. They were facing a big problem if this disease attack to them.

Reason for this disease?
This disease could be occurred by some reason, but most of the time it attacks as the dogs are allergic to something. This is very similar or common reason for human asthma attack also. there something allergic to the dogs in the air, like smoke, perfume smell or air pollution also.

Some symptoms could seen:
If this disease occurred to your pet dog, you can easily notice some symptoms among them. So here is some common symptoms to be seen...

• Lose the appetite
• Coughing
• Movement are very lethargic
• Dogs will loose their weight
• Their tongue could be blue some time...

If this disease attack to your pet, then don't waste your time, take him to the vet immediately and he will take the best care of your dog with proper medication. The vet will tests your dog's blood and will prescribe for the x-rays of the dog's chest and will look after for asthma treatment.

Know about Lyme disease

Lyme disease has been recently discovered in north and as well as western United States of America. So we can say it is just a new disease for dogs. The alarming features of this disease is that the disease could be transmitted from dogs to human body quit easily.

Infection Type:
The white tailed deer and white footed mice hosts this disease primarily. When the mice or deer are in the wood or plants area, the tick will attached himself to the body part of the hosts. And they can't fly or jump out. So they were waiting for some one carry out from one place to another.

Type of Attack of Ticks:
A tick can attack everywhere of body parts of a dog. It can attach ear, neck, head etc. A tick attack not a painful one but just like a bee sting. And you can not see any distress among the dogs if they infected.

How do you know?
It is very hard to notice such symptoms for this disease. So you have to check the byte areas of your dogs time to time and definitely have to take care of this. But some symptoms would be : pain, temperature and joint swelling.

Proper Treatment would be?
If you have spotted this disease into your dog, then don't waste your time to take your pet to a vet. Advantage stage of this disease could make your dog paralyzed. The serious result of this disease could be chest muscle attack, front and back limb attack. This infection could be transmitted to you if you waste your time to take hem to a vet.

I'm #3! (guitar solo)

Just a quick post to express my glee at being chosen dare #3 at The Cat Realm's I Dare You All #5 contest! I'd also like to congratulate Diamond Emerald-Eyes with his "eastern egg hunt played with mousies" and Milo and Alfie with their "NUDE charity Calendar for cats." They tied for first. Hooray, what fun!

And how shall I celebrate? Why, with some feline-flavored heavy metal. Won't you stick your earplugs in and flick your concert lighters for the high decibel yowlings of "Hiss of Death," by Litterbox?

PS: it's ok if you can't get through it. I can't either but it's fun as long as you can take it.

A Fundraising Site for Shelters

I was recently contacted about a new site who's goal it is to support not only the pet community, but animal shelters as well. Here is some information from the press release:

Roseland, N.J., June 22, 2009 – Shop ‘til you drop in support of animal shelters, then get together with friends to share stories, advice and even pictures – all online. That’s the goal of the newly launched www.bringpetshome.org. The fundraising Web site also offers exclusive content for cat and dog owners which includes information on pet care and safety, information on animal shelters, as well blogs, groups and open forums.


The site’s primary purpose is to raise money to help shelters care for homeless pets. It serves as an online portal where visitors can access more than 150 major online retailers, like Amazon, Sephora, Wal-Mart, iTunes, and many more. To raise money, online shoppers register at www.bringpetshome.org to select a shelter to support, then click-through to the merchant of choice. Each retailer specifies a percent commission on the Web site and donates that percentage of the purchase to Bring Pets Home. There is no additional cost to the consumer.

Every year, six to eight million animals enter U. S. shelters. According to the ASPCA, as many as one million additional dogs and cats are in danger of losing their homes in 2009, at a time when fewer donations are coming in. All need food, shelter, and medical care, so that they have the chance to be reunited with their original owners or adopted into caring, permanent homes.

“Bring Pets Home is a great way for pet lovers to raise money to help homeless animals without ever leaving home—and at no cost to them,” says Linda Block of Bring Pets Home. “More pets are entering shelters, but donors’ purse strings have tightened. Anyone can help by simply remembering to visit http://www.bringpetshome.org to click-through to a favorite online merchant whenever shopping online.“



About Bring Pets Home

BRING PETS HOME is a not-for-profit animal charity that raises money to help animals in shelters across the country. 100% of the money raised will go directly to animal shelters to provide food, shelter and medical treatment to pets in need. All operating costs of BRING PETS HOME are covered by Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health. There is no additional cost to the consumer. To learn more, visit www.bringpetshome.org.

Ready for lunch?

Now That's Nifty has gathered some canned food items and prepared a picnic lunch for us.

So, if you're ready, let's eat!

Are You A Pet Product Inventor?

PetSmart has teamed up with innovation portal Edison Nation (www.EdisonNation.com) to host a “Live Product Search” specifically asking people to submit their innovative ideas for interactive pet toys and products that help keep house pets of all shapes and sizes entertained while owners are away.

Edison Nation, will present product concepts to PetSmart following the July 9th close of their “Live Product Search.” PetSmart will then choose which concepts to research, develop and potentially add to their product offering.

Individuals whose products are selected for development by PetSmart will receive a $2500 advance and percentage of future product sales for up to 20 years.

The direct link to PetSmart's Live Product Search opportunity on Edison Nation is: http://www.edisonnation.com/petsmart.

With only one week left in the search, this offers readers the chance to jump on the ideas that have been scribbled on a sticky note or just thoughts in their inventive minds.

A recent American Pet Products Association report revealed that whereas most retail sectors are struggling to simply stay afloat, the pet industry is actually thriving, as one of the fastest-growing sectors with projected 4.9% increase in spending to $45.4 billion in 2009.

For more information on the Live Product Search hosted by a globally renowned consumer products company, see the official Web site for the search: http://www.edisonnation.com/global-consumer-products.

the seven swabians, starring: a rabbit

photo: A. Praefcke

A little known Grimm tale, "The Seven Swabians" tells the story of seven friends from southern Germany and their search for adventure and success. Only one thing stands in their way: they're Swabian, an area which for a long long time "real" Germans looked upon as bumpkins and generally no fun at all. You figure this out right about the time they get seriously terrified by a sleeping rabbit:

A few days later their path led them across an unplowed field where a hare was sitting asleep in the sun. Its ears were standing straight up, and its large glassy eyes were wide open. All of them were frightened at the sight of this terrible wild beast, and they discussed with one another what would be the least dangerous thing to do. If they were to run away, they feared that the monster would pursue them and devour them all, even their skin and hair.

Things don't improve from there, but I don't want to spoil the story.

The image of the seven facing off the bunny pops up in regional craft and artwork, hopefully tongue in cheek by now. The illustration, a photo taken by Andreas Praefcke, shows the scene as depicted on an oven door in Deggenhausertal.

Attack cat!

Cat Playhouse by Suck UK

Folded cardboard toys for cats! Cats love to play in cardboard boxes, and these are just about the most fun cardboard boxes you will find. Hours of entertainment for you kitty and for you. Part of the ever popular cardboard classics series.

$32.00 at greenergrassdesign

(via [BB-Blog])

a dog a day, for the grownups

Dr. Salt draws a dog a day.
Black and white dogs, doing dog things, not so dog things, and being people more than dogs ("Salman Rushdog," for example). Done with a rounded economy of line, they're pretty cuddly dogs - even when they are evil. There is some black and/or rude humor and language, so don't say I didn't warn you, but they are funny and clever and you never know what each day witll bring.

Will it be Drinking Alone Dog?
Or the Dating Dog?
Or Ballerina Dog: "Dance like you don't hear the booing." Yeah.

Every day I draw a dog.

Video: Screaming Pug Rocket!!!

A truly unique 4th of July event.



Watch video

Happy 4th of July

I'm sure there are plenty of posts on the internet about holiday safety for your pets, and I've been guilty of it in the past. So for this year, I'm simply going to say, enjoy the weekend as best you can!

Smile, it's Friday!

Source: Life
Photo: Fox Photos/Getty Images
May 01, 1937

Madame de Lesdiguieres was a lady of the 17th century French court. (I can't find out exactly if she was part of the court under Louis XIII or XIV.)
Her cat's tomb, seen in the engraving above, bears this inscription:

Une Chatte Jolie.
Sa maitresse qui n'aima rien
L'aima jusques a la folie.
Pourquoi le dire ? On le voit bien.
(A pretty cat: Its mistress, who never loved anyone Loved it madly. Why bother to say so? Everyone can see it.)

From The Book of the Cat, by Frances Simpson (London, Paris, New York and Melbourne: Cassell and Company, Limited, 1903).

Maybe that's the same cat she holds in this portrait?

** An addendum: I am currently reading Abundance by Sena Jeter Naslund, a novel of Marie Antoinette. This also takes place in the French court, though mostly in Louis XIV's time. The amount of overly-detailed etiquette, the constant intrigues, the uses and discarding of friends and allies, suddenly made me realize the probable reason both for Madame's cold reputation and deep love of her cat. As we all know, your pets love you for who you are, no matter what. Kitty was probably the only source of such love that she had. What must that kind of life be like? Isn't that sad?

Fursday Fun

(via Dogs Looking Like People)

Dog Boarding

I recently posted a contest for a stay at one of PetSmart's pet hotels. The giveaway, by the way, is still open and it is easy to enter from clicking this link.

This got me to thinking, what do others do when they go on vacation? Do they get pet sitters to come to the house? And if so, are they friends/relatives? Or someone that is hired?
Do people board their pets? Do they leave them with strangers at a kennel? There are so many options, all of which most likely cost money, or at least a trade off if you're using your friends/relatives. Or do you simply look for places that allow pets?

And that brings up another issue. If you're at a hotel that allows pets, how much can you trust the staff if you decide to go out for a bit without your pet? can you pet be left in the room? I would definitely put up the Do Not Disturb Sign.

What do you do with your pets when you travel?