I didn’t come to this conclusion because of my book learnin’ but because of my street smarts.
You’d think that an animal living in the streets would be just as wise and follow in my pawsteps. Not so. You see, Elvis the squirrel, bit the one hand that was there to help.I hope those seeds don’t germinate. I guess I won’t really know until a twig sprouts out of my ear.
Anyway, I was reading the following story....http://boknowsonline.com/2008/10/20/loaded-horse-falls-into-pool/Times have changed. Now we’re allowed to lead blind people into traffic, solve crimes in forensic units and sniff out bombs in remote locales of the world.
But it’s not just high profile jobs we’re taking on, but mundane ones as well. Take, for instance, letting kids read to us, having old people pet us and letting vet trainees express our anal glands... http://boknowsonline.com/2008/10/14/humans-outsourced-by-dogs/
OF ALL THE GIN JOINTS IN ALL THE WORLD SHE WALKS INTO MINE…..
We met back in the early 90’s, December of ‘92 to be exact. I just had a major blowout with my first, somewhat dysfunctional family and decided that it was best for all if I just left. My foster dad gave me a ride to nowhere that ended up at a boarding house in Albany, NY. The place was great, warm with plenty of company, and their cheesy poof biscuits were to die for. On the downside, it was loud and smelly, not unlike me.
Even a lowly pug could smell her coming from miles away. It was Monday, as I recall, and the bells on the door jingled to announce her arrival. She was a beautiful blonde with a quick smile and a big heart. We’d seen this type before; they usually left with one of the pure bred puppies, but something was different about this one. My instincts told me that any canine would be darn lucky to go home with a dame like her, so I made it my top priority to be that hound.
She wandered back to where we lived. Frankly, I was a bit embarrassed about the condition of the place. Some of my cage mates were not very clean and some even took to pooping where they ate. My next cage neighbor’s lack of etiquette was particularly noteworthy as he took to eating kitty snickers (that’s slang for cat poo in the big house) openly. Sure they taste good, but you’re not getting adopted if you’re seen eating one.
As she came closer to my humble accommodations, I tried everything I could to grab her attention. When she finally got to me I made direct eye contact with her, angled my head at a 45 degree tilt and gave her my trademark BoPaw’ reach. As a bonus, my head as a pup was fully-grown, although my body wasn’t. While it would have been abnormal on any other dog, my oversized cranium actually made me cuter.
With the paw in the air and the bobble head turned just so, I stared into her eyes. I could see instantly she wanted me. Needed me. Had to have me. Hey who wouldn’t?...........http://dogblog.dogster.com/2008/10/01/adopt-a-month-happy-tails-bos-story/.
The species? African Grey Parrots. I’ve done a story or two on them before, but their penchant for colorful language gets me cracking up every time. I wish I could be so free with words, but if I were, my father would shut this blog down in a second.
http://boknowsonline.com/2008/09/16/parrot-fails-mr-congeniality-test/
Well, a labrador on the other side of the pond appears to have taken his love of the game of golf and married it up with his love of grub. Ingenious. I wonder why no other canine has ever thought of it!
A dog had to have....http://boknowsonline.com/2008/09/08/dog-eats-bakers-dozen-worth-of-golf-balls/
If you’re wondering where he was wandering around, I’d say...http://boknowsonline.com/2008/08/28/missing-a-pig-check-the-local-shelter/The Charleston Animal Society wants to reunite with its owner a stray pig found in Adams Run or find him a new home.
The adolescent male, which is tan with black spots, had been seen wandering around the area for about a week, said Kay Hyman, society director of outreach and communications.
With millions of dogs out there, purportedly man’s best friend, this guy decides to give his love and affection to an upgraded model of a burrow? There has to be more to it, and it turns out there was.
FARMINGTON, Utah - Lose a bet, kiss a horse. That’s how Davis County Commissioner Alan Hansen found himself kissing a 3-year-old sand-colored horse named Reno.
The smooch stemmed from a contest....http://boknowsonline.com/2008/08/22/commisioner-and-horse-suck-face-in-public/Well, a goldfish in the UK has spurned this world view and decided to mark it’s time on earth by doing it upside down. How it keeps from getting headaches, I don’t know, but it’s certainly turned into quite a tourist attraction at its local pub.
The fish - called ‘Aussie’ - has floated around with its white belly pointing upwards and its eyes staring down for the past four years.
Customers at the Globe Inn, in Lympstone near Exeter, Devon, spend hours watching...http://boknowsonline.com/2008/08/11/upside-down-fish-is-gold-for-pub/That’s right, we’ve got bomb sniffing rats taking biscuits right out of the mouths of dogs that would love to have that job, and don’t try to tell me this is a job a canine wouldn’t do. In fact this is one of the things every dog has dreamed of from the time they were a pup.
http://boknowsonline.com/2008/08/05/mine-sniffing-rats-on-a-leash/
A woman from Wellington and a man from Greenacres have been going at it like cats and dogs.
Now the man from Greenacres has both the cat and the dog, and the woman from Wellington has been charged with grand theft and extortion.
The Wellington woman faces two felony charges over allegations....http://boknowsonline.com/2008/07/28/cat-for-dog-swap-meet/How far? All the way to the psych ward.
After being locked in a loony bin for trying to save the feline when it got stuck in a building wall, cat lover Chris Muth has lost his home, his job and even his girlfriend.
The trouble started last week, when....http://boknowsonline.com/2008/07/28/one-flew-over-the-cukoo-cats-nest/That’s right, I’m talking about air poopies or, what many of you know it better as, farts.
“Bo, why must you bring this up in a family oriented blog?” my readers will ask.
To which I must respond, “Because farts make me laugh.”
So check out this article....http://boknowsonline.com/2008/07/21/cow-fart-collecting/I can already see what’s going to happen next. There will be fish adoption days at Petsmart, catfish toys taking away valuable shelf space from dog toys at Wal-Mart, and beautiful parks designated for catfish only. The end result will be that Catfish owners will think the moist slab of fish cuddling up with them on the couch is better than a dog. This is straight from the pages of the “Cat World Domination” playbook.
PINELLAS PARK — Residents in a Pinellas County subdivision found...con't @
The animal, named Nick Boing, has a purpose-built bungalow in the back garden, but prefers to spend his evenings watching television in the family home.
Favorite show? Baa Baa Black Sheep of course.
Nick, who was rescued by David Palmer as a newborn lamb...con't http://boknowsonline.com/2008/07/15/sheep-rules-the-roost-er-home/
It appears his owner, Jokin’ Jonny Moocow, is giving up the open fields of upstate New York to try to become the spokescow of Huck Finn’s Warehouse.
The competition is down to three finalists with Jokin’ Jonny the only bovine in the competition fighting it out against a teddy bear and a human. The teddy bear isn’t real, and doesn’t even move its lips when talking, and the human is, well, he’s a human... con't @http://boknowsonline.com/2008/07/10/talking-cow-needs-your-help/A Wal-Mart shopper looking for a deal in the garden department found more than he bargained for when he startled a poisonous pygmy rattlesnake hiding in some plants.
The foot-long rattler jumped out and bit him, striking his right hand in between his thumb and index finger.
”[The bite] wouldn’t have been been fatal with an adult male. But you could lose...con't @ http://boknowsonline.com/2008/07/07/special-free-rattlesnake-bites-at-wal-mart/Officials say a 375-pound male black bear was seen roaming a residential neighborhood near Alligator Point, a neighborhood of about 100 homes on a small peninsula about 40 miles south of Tallahassee.
The bear was hit with a tranquilizer dart, but he managed to bolt...con't @ http://boknowsonline.com/2008/07/02/bear-ly-saved/When you take your dog along for a ride, but prefer not having it inside the car…con't @ http://boknowsonline.com/2008/07/01/sad-sack/#more-571
This year was the 3rd Annual Loews Coronado Bay Resort Surf Dog Competition at Imperial Beach in California.
These canines bring a whole new meaning to the term sea dog.....http://boknowsonline.com/2008/06/30/hang-five/
In an era of McNuggets and McChicken sandwiches, this bird brings new meaning to the term “fast food.”
A brown hen has taken up residence outside a McDonald’s in Temecula and, try as they might, neither the employees nor the customers can catch her.
That’s like a dog hanging out in front of a Chinese restaurant in Peking. Sure everything seems OK, until they catch you. Next thing you know, you’re the number 12, extra spicy, on the menu.
It has been almost four months ....con't http://boknowsonline.com/2008/06/27/mcdonalds-roosteraunt/#more-566
OK…I feel I need to step in here. Please take a look at the picture accompanying this article. Does that look (con't @ http://boknowsonline.com/2008/06/25/dogman-caught/)TOKYO (AFP) - A Japanese animal-lover on welfare went to extremes to provide for his many pets by robbing convenience stores while wearing the mask of a dog, police said Monday.
Takaharu Kawata — branded by Japanese media as “The Dogman” — was caught on a surveillance camera wearing an oversized black-and-white canine mask while brandishing a knife.
A breakdown patrol man who came to the rescue of a woman motorist has managed to get her car started using her dog.
How do you start a car with a dog? I guess you can stick its tail in the ignition and see if it starts or maybe attach the car to the dog like a rickshaw and pop it into gear when it gets rolling fast enough. What other solutions could there be?
Juliette Piesley, 39, had changed the battery in her electronic key fob but...con't at http://boknowsonline.com/2008/06/23/salt-and-vinegar-immobiliser-chips/
Dogs on the scene...(con't @ http://boknowsonline.com/2008/06/17/when-funny-faces-arent-funny/)Jayna Hutchinson, a 33-year-old Vermont woman, was charged with cruelty to animals and resisting arrest after a police officer caught her staring at his dog in a “taunting/harassing manner.”
Nobody has to worry about me making a good first impression. Just let me know if you want me to pee or poop first. It’s up to you, I’m easy going that way. Somehow I think that the ‘expert’ writing this may have...con't @ http://boknowsonline.com/2008/06/16/working-for-the-man/Take Your Dog to Work Day is June 20, which leaves you little more than a week to convince your boss to let you spread a little interspecies cheer - not to mention dog hair - around the office.
If you do get the green light, remember that you only have this one chance to make a good first impression - and create the possibility of an annual company tradition. Here are some tips for success:
LOS ANGELES - Three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame have gone to the dogs, so why can’t Cheeta the chimp get some love? The animal actor, whose credits include the 1967 comedy “Dr. Doolittle” and the “Tarzan” movies, is trying for the seventh time to get a sidewalk star and become the first monkey to get the honor.
If fame is the measurement, then you know who should get a star instead of Cheeta? Clyde from Every Which Way But Loose fame. C’mon, any ape willing to kiss Ruth Gordon on the lips deserves a star.
Cheeta’s “inclusion on the Hollywood Walk of Fame will not only give (con't @http://boknowsonline.com/2008/06/11/monkey-business/)Junior Cochran, the mayor of Rabbit Hash, Kentucky has died at the age of twelve. A little young for a mayor you might think, but that’s 84 in dog years!
Yes that’s right, Junior Cochran was a black labrador. Junior was voted mayor of Rabbit Hash in 2004 by a landslide victory after receiving over 3,000 votes, and making him only the second dog to ever become mayor of the town.
The high profile Cochran rose to fame convicting O.K. Simpson for the attack and murder of two rabbits. The notoriety he gained from the showcase trial was the springboard to his landslide victory.
cont't @ http://boknowsonline.com/2008/06/10/fangs-a-lot/
FT. COLINS, Colo. (CBS) - Soon people in Fort Collins might be able to keep chickens as pets, similar to a dog or a cat. The City Council voted 5-2 to approve an ordinance Tuesday night, but it must still go through a final reading.
Fort Collins resident Dan Brown is leading the charge to allow chickens anywhere in Fort Collins. He says egg-laying chickens are a way for gardeners like him to make more food.
You know who else makes food? My feline sister Moose. Granted they’re not eggs but the kitty snickers are fabulous, and dare I say, more nutritious.
I’d like to see Brown take his chicken on a walk in the woods, drop it off at chickie day-care or (con't @ http://boknowsonline.com/2008/06/05/henhouse-co/#more-497)Brown said. “We’re not asking for any special treatment for chickens. We’re asking them to be treated just as any other household family pet would be.”
Recently I was in PetSmart, perusing the aisles with the old man in tow when the Bubble Buddy caught my eye. Once I read the packaging, I knew I had to get one for myself. It read…
That was the promise but in practice does the Bubble Buddy meet these lofty goals?
Before I begin, keep in mind that Happy Dog recommends this product for ages eight to adult. So for any of you young Pomeranians reading this, the Bubble Buddy is not for you.
Once home, I waited with anticipation as my father opened the packaging. The gun slipped out easily enough and so did the container of soapy sizzlin’ bacon juice. There’s a small chamber on the gun to put the bubble solution in. To me, it seemed too small, but then again I don’t hold the patent to this thing, Happy Dog Toys does. Surely the size of the chamber was a compromise between form and function.
Hector the dog was left howling in frustration after he took an unfortunate turn during a mouse hunt.
The Norfolk terrier got his head wedged in an owl-shaped earthenware pot after chasing the creature into it.
Owner Molly Mapes couldn’t pull off the heavy ornament and had to call firefighters to rescue her pet.
They used hydraulic equipment - normally used to cut casualties from cars - to free her five-year-old pet, who was not hurt in his escapade.
The only casualty here was Hector’s reputation.
‘My grandson heard a (con't @ http://boknowsonline.com/2008/06/02/stuck-in-a-who-who/)It is not a drug to be taken if your owner’s primary goal is to avoid utility poles. It says so in the fine print, under side effects, right after ‘Taking this drug may result in (con't @ http://boknowsonline.com/2008/06/02/478/#more-478)DES MOINES, Iowa - A Des Moines man who was arrested for driving while intoxicated apparently took his dog’s pills by mistake.
Authorities say that Clarence Fenton had phenobarbital in his system when he crashed his sport utility vehicle into a utility pole last November. It took several months for the results of the blood tests that showed the drug in Fenton’s system.
Police say they found a bottle of pills prescribed for “Saturn” at the scene. They say Fenton admitted taking pills and that “Saturn” is his dog.
Phenobarbital is a drug used to control seizures in people and pets.
Seeing the benefits of protecting a canine’s paws on treacherous ground conditions, Chinese firefighters decided to do something about it.
The picture is of rescue dog (con't @ http://boknowsonline.com/2008/05/29/boot-camp/)Rescue dogs working with Chinese firefighters have been given leather shoes.
The deer probably beat up a poor little dog and stole its designer collar. A little lesson for you pups ...(con't @ http://boknowsonline.com/2008/05/28/oh-deer/#more-460)A deer wearing an orange dog collar kicked a child in a Santa Rosa County neighborhood, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s weekly report. After the May 8 incident, FWC officers investigated and found that the deer had been kept in a cage at a nearby residence.
A police operation has started in south west Scotland to send sniffer dogs into pubs to search for drugs. A total of 13 bars were visited by patrols in the Stranraer area as part of the initiative.
Going undercover requires the dog to assume the identity of the typical pub goer. Once it procures the confidence of the locals, it is free to search for drugs while the targets go to the wee. This appears to be a well thought out strategy and will, no doubt become a very effective tool in fighting drug crime.
A spokesman for Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary confirmed that no drug offences had been detected in the first phase of the operation. However, he said that more random searches were planned with the full backing of local licensees.
OK, so maybe it isn’t that effective. To put the spokesman’s comments in other words, “We’ll continue this until we have at least one arrest. Then we can call this bird brained idea a success.”
Sgt Jim Hendrie said the patrols, which took place earlier this month, (con't @ http://boknowsonline.com/2008/05/19/elementary-my-dear-rover/#more-432)Introducing Bowser BeerTM
Does your dog drink responsibly?
I will say that lately I haven’t been drinking very responsibly. In fact, just before I go to bed at night I load up on a bowlful of water. Then, at about 3:00am, I wake up my father so he can carry me downstairs and let me out. He looks tired, but that’s not my problem. Anyway, I’m thinking that maybe Bowser Beer can get me off the water habit and on to something better. Let’s see what’s in it:
Bowser BeerTM is made from filtered water, pure malt barley, and infused with dog-loving beef extract - without hops or alcohol. It’s low-cal, like our pretzel treats, so you can spoil without guilt.
An infusion of dog-loving beef extract? Sign me up for a case of the stuff.
So what’s the best time to enjoy this hearty, beefy drink?
[While] watching sports on the couch or after a long, dusty walk … Put some party in your animal!
Or I could just drink some before my 6 hour nap, and then some more after I get up to pee. And, hey, nothing says party like a drunk 103 year old canine with an attitude. I just hope this stuff doesn’t make me argumentative.
I hope the bottles are twist offs. I hate bottle openers because I just can’t get a grip (con't @ ttp://boknowsonline.com/2008/05/16/the-high-life/#more-422)Bowser BeerTM comes in a handy 6-pack of 12 oz. bottles […and you can] personalize your beer with a picture of your favorite dog!
Buddy the lap dog is back in Mark Hench’s lap after a months-long odyssey that included a dognapping in California and a mysterious reappearance in Texas.
Hench? Most likely short for Henchman, me thinks. So when dealing with Henchman is it really that surprising that a dognapping occurred? I think not.
“He is a wonderful dog, just a complete joy and very well-behaved,” said Gloria Pollock, the last of a string of volunteers who brought the Bichon Frise to Hench’s doorstep in Fort Collins on Saturday afternoon.
Hench had the bed, the food, the dish and the leash ready for Buddy and immediately reattached to the dog he considered “my little son.”
Hench was living in Ventura, Calif., last year, when he bought Buddy from an animal shelter.
“I had him for about three months,” Hench said. Then one day someone riding a bicycle grabbed Buddy and pedaled off, according to an account relayed by a neighbor.
Is it me or is there something strange about a bicyclist grabbing a dog and pedaling away with it? Seriously, who was the dognapper, Lance Armstrong?
For three months, Hench scoured the streets of Ventura, looking for any sign of Buddy. Hench then got sick and had to move to Fort Collins to be near his daughter. Months later, Hench was in a car when his cell phone rang.
An animal control officer from Fort Worth, Texas, said a microchip scan of a moppish little dog had identified Hench as the owner. Could he swing right by and pick up the dog?
So there is an upside to bagging and tagging us dogs. And all this time I thought it was just so Big Brother could watch our every move.
Well, he [Hench] was about 750 miles away and disabled.
So, Rescue Angels on Wheels got involved, alerted a few volunteers on their database and arranged a car transport from a Texas foster home to Colorado Springs, then to (con't @ http://boknowsonline.com/2008/05/14/lap-dog-dance/#more-409)
This story is unbelievable. So much so that I had to make sure it wasn’t posted on April 1st. Take a read, or if you’re already feeling like the dog days of summer are upon us, just watch the video at the end.
To come upon a hippopotamus in the wild would be sobering and cause for serious alarm, but a South African family has become surrogate parents to a hippo in their house as their pampered pet. Jessica the hippo prefers her home creature comforts to a life in the wild as she wanders around their house, eats at their table, drinks sweet coffee, and even gets a massage before she goes to bed. Shirley and Tonie Joubert rescued the abandoned hippopotamus from a river bank on their property in Hoedspruit, Limpopo, South Africa after a devastating flood when she was merely hours old, and still had the umbilical cord attached to her in March 2000.
Traumatized and in dire need of her normal milk, the former game ranger created a substitute for the orphaned hippo.
The Jouberts’ hand raised her - not wanting to leave her to dire fate of being eaten by crocodiles or starving to death - fully expecting her to return to the wild as soon as she was old enough. They’ve spent the past 8 years raising Jessica, and the world’s only tame hippo has never left since.
Hmm…they’re kinda like cats. Give them an opening, next thing you know, they don’t know when to leave.
“I don’t know whether she thinks I’m a hippo or she thinks she’s a human. But we have the most fantastic bond.” When Tonie calls her name, Jessica honks out her own greeting in return.
Jessica seems to believe she’s part of the family and regularly forces her way into the house. “We try to keep the door closed, but she pulls down the handle and lets herself in.” Shirley adds.
Imagine having a hippo around the house. You’ll never have to worry about how you look. It’s like if you’re a little overweight, you don’t want to be hanging out with the fit Jack Russell in the neighborhood. Nope, hang with your chubby Cocker Spaniel buddy and you’ll always look great.
The monster mammal gets sweet potatoes and a bowl of wheat bran for breakfast, her favorite meals of corn on the cob and cabbage, regular snacks of dog biscuits which she shares with the Jouberts’ English bull terriers, drinks up to 20 liters of weak coffee a day which Tonie bottle feeds to her, and is even allowed to eat from the kitchen table.
Wheat bran and coffee for a hippo? That can’t be pretty.(Con't @ http://boknowsonline.com/2008/05/13/hippo-hop/)
Bo (woof) In Commentary:
Much like our owners, we don’t have much input in selecting our names. At least we’re getting closer to being named as if we were a member of the larger family than in days gone by. I can’t complain about my name, but my sister may have a beef since I haven’t heard of many kids named Copper. Here’s an article on trends in dog names based on surveying owners in the bay area of SanFrancisco.
They’re not just Fluffy, Rover and Fido anymore.
As dog and cat ownership has expanded to nearly 2 out of 3 American households and spending on pet pampering products has exploded, Bay Area residents have taken to giving their animals more human-sounding names - such as Max, Lucy, Samantha, Charlie or, in the case of one San Francisco papillon spaniel, William III.
But the most commonly loved pet of all, according to a Chronicle review of more than 60,000 pet licenses, is a Labrador retriever named just plain Buddy. He lives in at least 89 different Bay Area homes, the data show.
My old man likes to call me Buddy too, as in “Buddy, stop licking yourself”, “Buddy, take the cat’s head out of your mouth”, and “No Buddy, I don’t want to watch Air Bud again.”
The Chronicle looked at animal license records from San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose to find the most popular pet names - and the most perplexing.
The computer review showed that people are naming their pets like children. Seventeen out of the top 25 tags for dogs and cats are typical people names. Six pets were named Jennifer, seven Marcus and four Kevin.
Beagles are likely to be Bailey. Boxers often are Rocky. Dachshunds are Oscar. And Jack Russell terriers are, of course, Jack.
That’s borderline breedist, no? What if this article were about humans, do you think they would observe: Italians are likely to be called Joey Bag of Donuts, Germans are likely to be named Wolfgang and Canadians have propensity to have last names of Eh?
I’m with him. I like to name my humans after food names too. I refer to my father as (con't at http://boknowsonline.com/2008/05/12/a-rose-by-any-other-name/#more-396)“Personally, I don’t understand it,” said Spivak, who first worked with the San Francisco Society for the Preservation of Animals and now is a part of Maddie’s Fund, a new family foundation dedicated to saving the lives of shelter animals. “I like food names myself - like Honey, Peaches and Cookie.”
COPENHAGEN, Denmark, May 7 (UPI) — A member of Denmark’s Queen’s Guards said he required three weeks’ sick leave after he was attacked by a royal dachshund while patrolling the palace grounds.
Nikolaj Fogh, 20, said his superiors tried to keep the royal pooch attack quiet, the Copenhagen Post reported Wednesday.
If Fogh had any sense, he’d keep it quiet too. C’mon, it’s a dachshund that bit him, not a great dane or a lab or even a cocker spaniel.
“Of course you are entitled to sue the royal family, but we’d prefer it if you didn’t,” Fogh quoted a high-ranking officer as saying after the incident.
Maja Fogh, the guard’s mother, said it is unfair that the royal family’s dogs get special protection from the law.
“Any other dog would have been put down,” she said.
And if humans were put down, her son would be the first one pushing up daisies today.
For All Your Dog Bloggin Needs www.boknowsonline.com
NORWALK, Conn. - A New York woman has filed a $100 claim against Norwalk saying a family outing to the Maritime Aquarium was ruined by dog feces.The woman claims her child’s shoes, along with the entire outing, were ruined when her 1-year-old stepped in dog feces outside the Maritime Garage.
Sweet. So not only were the shoes ruined, but the outing was ruined as well. It makes one wonder about the size of the offending feces.
City attorney M. Jeffry Spahr says the official response is that her claim is denied and in his words, “poop happens.”
Kelly DeBrocky of Mahopac, N.Y., wants the city to reimburse her for $54 she spent replacing her toddler’s ruined shoes and the expenses for parking and aquarium admission on April 5.
Parking -$5
Tickets to acquarium - $41
Shoes - $54
Another annoyed human adult…Priceless
That’s why I like this story about Hike, a border collie, taking the vacationing thing into his own paws and heading off for a little seaside get away.
A missing border collie was reunited with his owner after catching a bus to the seaside more than 20 miles away.
Worried owner Emma Ward printed posters and contacted dog wardens, unaware Hike was on the number 11 Arriva bus near her home in Connah’s Quay, Flintshire.
But four-year-old Hike was discovered 40 stops later under a seat after making the 23m (37km) journey to the coastal resort of Rhyl in Denbighshire.
Under the seat, huh. Apparently Hike wanted a vacation but didn’t have the means to pay for it.
Ms Ward said: “I was over the moon to get him back.”
Must be Ms. Ward is an astronaut. For you pups out there too young to remember, the first astronaut was actually a dog, Laika. No not Luka, that’s the lady that lives on the second floor.
She added: “I live in between two pubs and there’s an alleyway which I let Hike go out into.
“Everyone round here knows him and he’s always somewhere close by, just doing his own thing. He always comes back when I whistle him. But this time he didn’t come back and I knew something was wrong.”
She also contacted the dog rescue home where she spotted Hike two years ago, and alerted local dog wardens.
“I had phoned everyone, including the vets in case he had been knocked down. But then the call came from a dog warden to say he was absolutely fine and had got the bus to Rhyl.
“I was so relieved to see him. But when I got there to pick him up, he was playing ball with the driver - he didn’t have a care in the world.”
Of course not, he was still on vacation. I suspect however the growing knot in his stomach signaled the end of his time off was near.
(For all your doggie bloggin needs visit www.boknowsonline.com)
BELFAST, Maine - Just like their human owners, dogs suffer from stress.
“The big reason for stress in dogs is our inability to understand what they are saying,” Don Hanson told about 50 pet owners gathered at the Abbott Room of the Belfast Free Library on Saturday.
As I like to say to my father, “What part of woof! don’t you understand?” Apparently, all of it.
Hanson, a dog behavior consultant, pet trainer and owner of Green Acres Kennel Shop in Bangor, was invited to discuss dog behavior by the dog park subcommittee of the Friends of Belfast Parks.
Hanson told the dog lovers that close observation is required to detect signs of stress in their pets.
Identifying behavioral signals given by dogs during group play could have a role in the success of the dog park.
A few behavioral signals and their meaning:
Lifting of back leg while tilting forward - “If you don’t get out of the way, you will be my property”
Laying with belly exposed - “Good touch, no bad touch”
Flashing teeth - “Check out how well my Crest Whitestrips are working”
Direct eye contact while growling - “Are you available for dinner?”
Sitting while pawing the air - “I’d like a taste of your ice cream cone”
A pug with a gun - “Your candy or your life”
Construction of the park is on hold while committee members and the Belfast Little League iron out some problems. The fenced park will be built next to the baseball field, and league organizers are concerned about safety and smells.
I understand the concern, boys can be rather smelly.
Committee member Carol Good said that the group has raised $39,000 for the park and that the fence and other materials had already been purchased. Good thanked those who supported the project and said additional funds were needed to complete the first phase of construction.
Hanson said the biggest problem when dogs are stressed is aggression. He said some dogs can cope with stress well while others handle it poorly. He said pet owners had to learn how to recognize the “calming signals” dogs revert to when they are stressed out and owners should attempt to remove the dog from that particular situation.
Who doesn’t get stressed out after going 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts? The only way I get over an outing like that is a stop by the local Bruster’s for a hot fudge sundae. Without the hot fudge…because that can kill me.
“Your dog has a part of the brain for rational thought and learning. When your dog is really stressed, the operating system for learning is turned off,” he said. “Stress can become chronic, and when it becomes chronic, it becomes an issue.”
Excessive sniffing, yawning, averting its eyes, licking its nose, squinting and scratching are among the most easily recognized calming signals, he said.
Based upon the amount of time I lick my privates, I must be on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
“Humans are really ignorant of the needs and ways of communicating with dogs. We expect a dog to come into our house and understand English,” Hanson said.
C’mon, humans should know by now that we only speak Latin.
(For all your dog bloggin needs go to ...www.boknowsonline.com)
In the interest of giving my parents some bragging rights, I decided to take this Canine IQ test. Let’s go question by question and see how I fared.
Test 1: Food under can
This is a test of your dog’s problem solving ability.
How to do the test1. First sit the dog, if it won’t stay you’ll need someone to hold the dog by the collar.
2. Show the dog the tidbit of food and let it sniff it.
3. With the dog’s full attention, slowly place the tidbit on the ground about two meters away and place the can over the tidbit.
4. Start timing and encourage the dog to get the food.Scoring: If the dog knocks the can over and gets the tidbit in 5 seconds or less 5 points; 5 to 15 seconds 4 points;15 to 30 seconds 3 points; 30 to 60 seconds 2 points; [over 60 seconds and it’s still looking for the treat? Then we’ll give the dog a point for being able to breath on its own]
No need for a stop watch on this one. I’ll sit and wait until my owner picks up the can and gives me the treat underneath it. No energy exerted, maximum treat scored = genius but the scoring on this test will give me:
+0 points for being lazy
Test 2: Dog under towel
This is another measure of your dog’s problem solving ability.
How to do the test1. Your dog should be awake and reasonably active
2. Let the dog sniff the towel
3. With a quick smooth motion throw the towel over the dogs head so its head and shoulders are completely covered (you may want to practice this without the dog first). Start timing and watch silently.Scoring: If the dog frees itself in 5 seconds or less 5 points; 5 to 15 seconds 4 points;15 to 30 seconds 3 points; 30 to 60 seconds 2 points
I think the test results on this one are hinged on ‘your dog should be…reasonably active’. At my age, if someone throws a towel on me it’s because I’ve wet myself not because my teacher sprung a surprise quiz on me. I’ll gracefully bow out of this question. That way I don’t have to worry about someone throwing a towel at me and ‘turning out the lights’ as I’m walking toward a stairwell. Canine IQ score for this question:
+0 points for being safety conscious
Test 3: Can your dog recognize a smile?
This is a test of social learning.
How to do the test
1. Pick a time your dog is sitting about 2 meters away from you
2. The dog must not have been told to stay or sit
3. Stare intently into your dogs face, when your dog looks at you, count silently to 3 and then smile broadlyScoring: If your dog comes with tail waging 5 points; If your dog comes slowly or only part of the way with no tail waging 4 points; If your dog stands or rises to a sitting position but does not move toward you 3 points; If your dog moves away from you 2 points; If your dog pays no attention 1 point
Why should I start wagging my tail if I see my owner smile? The only reason I can think of is if he’s got spinach or pesto between his teeth that he’s going to let me pick clean.
A more appropriate test would be to see if, after a dog farts, his owner’s facial expression changes. If Rover wags his tail in less than 10 seconds, not only is he capable of social learning but he’s also the proud owner/operator of a highly efficient fart power plant. Resulting Canine IQ score:
+0 points for being emotionless
Test 4: Retrieving from under a barrier
(con't @ http://boknowsonline.com/2008/04/25/canine-mensa/)How To Give A Cat A Pill
1. Pick up cat and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as if holding a baby. Position right fore-finger and thumb on either side of cat’s mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill In right hand. As cat opens mouth, pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow.
2. Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process.
3. Retrieve cat from bedroom, and throw soggy pill away.
4. Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm, holding rear paws tightly with left hand. Force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right forefinger. Hold mouth shut for a count of ten.
5. Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of wardrobe. Call spouse from garden.
6. Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, hold front and rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted by cat. Get spouse to hold head firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth. Drop pill down ruler and rub cat’s throat vigorously.
7. Retrieve cat from curtain rail, get another pill from foil wrap. Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered figurines and vases from hearth and set to one side for gluing later.
8. Wrap cat in large towel and get spouse to lie on cat with head just visible from below armpit. Put pill in end of drinking straw, force mouth open with pencil and blow down drinking straw.
9. Check label to make sure pill not harmful to humans, Drink 1 beer to take taste away. Apply Band-Aid to spouse’s forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap.
10. Retrieve cat from neighbor’s shed. Get another pill.Open another beer. Place cat in cupboard, and close door on to neck, to leave head showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with elastic band.
11. Fetch screwdriver from garage and put cupboard door back on hinges. Drink beer. Fetch bottle of scotch. Pour shot, drink. Apply cold compress to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus shot. Apply whiskey compress to cheek to disinfect. Toss back another shot. Throw tee shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom.
12. Call fire department to retrieve the damn cat from tree across the road. Apologize to neighbor who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat. Take last pill from foil wrap.
13. Tie the little bastard’s front paws to rear paws with garden twine and bind tightly to leg of dining table, find heavy-duty pruning gloves from shed. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of filet steak. Be rough about it. Hold head vertically and pour 2 pints of water down throat to wash pill down.
14. Consume remainder of scotch. Get spouse to drive you to the Emergency room. Sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearm and removes pill remnants from right eye. Call furniture shop on way home to order new table.
15. Arrange for SPCA to collect mutant cat from hell and call local pet shop to see if they have any hamsters.
How To Give A Dog A Pill
1. Wrap it in bacon.
2. Toss it in the air.
LAKE OSWEGO, Ore. - Ken Griggs likes his new dog, but he preferred the old one. Then again, it might be the same dog. In a possible case of mistaken identity, Griggs said the black Labrador named Callie that he left at a Dundee kennel before spring break was not the same dog he picked up a week later.
“It’s a sweet dog,” Griggs said of the impostor living at his Lake Oswego house. “It’s tough because now we’ve had the dog for 10-plus days, and the kids, especially the younger ones, start to get attached to the dog. I like it, but I want mine.”
He suspects it’s an imposter but doesn’t know for sure. Maybe Callie just had an attitude change brought on by being abandoned at a kennel with 40 other dogs, or maybe her body was taken over by alien pods?
Allison Best, owner of the Tail Wag-Inn boarding kennel, said Griggs has the right dog.
Griggs said he immediately noticed differences in the dog he picked up from the kennel. The family cat - normally friends with Callie - hissed at the dog. Callie would heel; this dog did not.
Of course Callie refused to heel, she was now a hardened canine. Off the record she let her true feelings be known. “Frankly I was disappointed with my family. Upon their return, this is what I got,” she said as she held up a collar. On it, it proclaimed, My Parents Went To Aruba and All I Got Was This Lousy Collar.
“Heel? Not a chance.”
Griggs returned the dog to the kennel and Best examined whether Callie might have gotten mixed-up with any of the other black Labradors staying there that week.
Owners of the seven other black Labs all said they had the right dog.
However, the owner of Dixie, a dog Callie shared a kennel with, said her dog had undergone a “personality change,” Best said. But after three or four conversations that day, the owner maintained she had the right dog.
So Dixie shared a cage with Callie, Dixie’s owner noticed a personality change and the local kennel called saying that Callie’s owners are experiencing the same thing. Sounds like an open and shut case.
Open and shut until humans come into the picture. Apparently the facts..Still, Best arranged for the owners and their dogs to meet March 31 for a possible exchange. The woman called saying she was late, Best said.
Meanwhile, Griggs had arrived with his family. A black Lab got excited when the Griggses approached, the kids declared it was Callie, and into the car the dog went.
It was the same dog the Griggs had just returned.
Bo (woof) In Commentary:
For all you old timers out there, do you remember how excited you used to get when it was time for a car ride? Check out this pup as he gets the question, “Wanna go for a ride? ”
Note the sounds of a jealous, car door opening challenged cat in the background....
http://boknowsonline.com/2008/04/18/wanna-go-for-a-ride/
Some vets are carrying out costly, non-essential procedures, which could be leading to increased premiums for pet owners, a leading insurer has said.
The increasing cost of claims means insurers have had to increase premiums.
Just under a quarter of all cat and dog owners hold an insurance plan in case their pets need treatment - and that figure is growing.
Wow…I’m surprised that the number of pets covered is that high. I know my parents recently tried to get insurance for me but thought it wasn’t cost effective. Apparently the average insurance premium for a dog over 16 years of age is somewhere between five and six thousand dollars per month. Based on my recent history, that’s actually not out of line.
Figures from Petplan, the biggest provider of pet insurance in the UK, show the average claim per condition has nearly doubled in five years to £715 for a dog and £501 for a cat.
Wendy Dean, from Warwickshire, said she was horrified when she was told that the insurance premiums for Jo-Jo and Robyn, her two five-year-old cocker spaniels, had risen by 58% and 68%.
You know what else has doubled over the past five years? My prostate.
“What we see is a tendency to select more expensive and elegant forms of diagnosis over something more pragmatic,” said Mr Price.
“If MRI is not clinically indicated as the necessary means of diagnosis when an x-ray would have been perfectly sufficient, we do tend to question why on earth that diagnostic technique was chosen.”
Although I suspect Mr. Price wouldn’t hold that view it if it was his health in question.
Nick Blaynay, president of the British Veterinary Association, agreed that it was becoming more expensive to insure a pet but said rising costs were for a number of reasons.
One was that there were now “extremely expensive techniques” available to vets.
Extremely expensive techniques like full body scans, complete blood analysis and expressing fully loaded anal glands.
However, he strongly denied vets were doing anything inappropriate.
“The vet should always put the welfare of the animal before any other consideration. If he doesn’t, shame on him.”
You know what’s really shameful? Taking an elderly dog’s temperature by sticking a thermometer up his ass.
Forward this article on to your owners so they will understand how lucky they are to own you. It’s about a new pet that isn’t the least bit threatening to our relationship with the hand that feeds us.
THERE is something more bizarre than keeping a stick insect as a pet. Naming it “The Cardinal.”
Laurie Hayes had never seen a stick insect before he found “The Cardinal” in the front yard of his Narellan home last Monday.
He named it “The Cardinal”? Why not something like, uh, ‘Stick’. As in: “Hey Stick, did you see that wooden match on FireTV last night?”, “Stick, you dog. I see you checking out the knot holes on that tree.”, “Is that a twig in your pants or are you just happy to see me, Stick?”.
“I was cutting roses for my wife and I thought my rose bush was dying,” he said.
“I saw some magpies in the jacaranda eyeing him…so I cut the branch off the rose bush and kept him in a baby’s bath.”
I have no idea what he just said.
He then transferred the 30-centimetre-long insect to his aviary in the backyard, where it shares a dirt floor and lush plants with a few birds and some fish. Mr Hayes said The Cardinal was”more than happy” in its new environment.
I know, that’s not different than where a lot of us spend time. At least Stick has the company of birds and fish in his sanctuary. I’m sure he’s as happy as we are when we’re in our crates.
Mr Hayes said he was a bit unsure about the stick insect at first. “I was a bit wary but now he seems most contented,” he said. “He’s a friendly little fella.”
Honestly how do they know? Does the Cardinal show it by purring like a kitten, cooing like a dove or chewing cud like a cow?
Mr Fellenberg will hold a meeting on endangered stick insects on April 19. Details: 0419696691
And I’ll be holding a meeting on endangered canine treats the same day. Please join me at 1-800-Bo-Treat.
(All your doggie news needs at www.boknowsonline.com, a blog by a dog for all dogs)
A Chinese zoo says a wolf and a goat have become unlikely sweethearts after sharing a cage together.
Keepers at the zoo, in White Tower Park, Nanchong city, says the pair have become inseparable.
“If the goat is gone for a bit, the wolf will howl and run frantically around the cage until she comes back,” said keeper, Mr Xu.
Clearly a jealous wolf, he forbids her to talk with the giraffes, rhinos and most importanly the dingo’s in the neighborhood.
Prey and predator only started dating by accident a month ago, Xu told the West China City News.
“Early one morning I opened the goat’s fence to let her out to eat, and unexpectedly the wolf came out, because we hadn’t locked his cage securely,” he said.
“The wolf ran straight to the goat’s fence, and started howling when it smelled the goat.
“Hey, how you doin?” the wolf asked the goat as he eyed her from hoof to head. Never having been hit on, the goat didn’t know what to do so it just stood there, frozen.
Xu says he had to protect the goat until other employees came to help separate the animals.
Against the best advice from zookeepers and her parents to steer clear of the wolf, the goat started to open up to her suitor.
“…for the next several nights the two started getting to know each other better, and even exchanged howls and baas. You could tell they were flirting,” says Xu.
Five days later Xu and his colleagues came to a decision: “We thought, since they so much wanted to, why not put them together? It’s really rare for a wolf and a goat to be so close.”
The zoo says that since being put together, the wolf and the goat have done everything together - except share meals. The wolf sticks to his meat while the goat enjoys a vegetable diet.
That’s wolfie for you, cheap as a cat.
Although the goat is hopeful of a proposal soon, sources close to the wolf say that an engagement is not in the works. They stated “Why buy the goat when you get milk and cheese for free, and it throws in a weekly lawn mowing to boot?”
(www.boknowsonline.com, A blog by a dog for all dogs)
No one is going to call Cooktown bull-terrier cross Apollo a sissy.
The macho mutt is the proud owner of a set of silicone testicles that, after desexing, have allowed him to keep at least the appearance of his manhood.
My manhood was taken from me at a very young age as well, but no one has offered up a new set for me to sport around.
Apollo’s owner Sarah Martin parted with $270 to order the implants over the internet from the US.
And when the two-year-old was desexed, Cooktown visiting vet Rod Gilbert popped in the “Neuticals” ensuring the pup remains all-boy on the outside. Ms Martin insisted the solid silicone implants made little difference to Apollo.
I beg to differ. My self esteem went down the tubes after the procedure and it took years of counseling and bottles of prozac to get me back to the canine I am today.
“It was nothing to do with the dog, or if he’d miss them,” Ms Martin told The Cairns Post.
“I don’t think he knows the difference. It was just that I don’t like the look of it.”
There’s a woman who knows what she likes.
But Ms Martin said the replacement testicles were about half the size of his original, real ones.
Which disappointed her because this is a woman who really knows what she likes.
But Apollo, who loves to watch TV and cuddle with his 23-year-old owner, may be a trendsetter on his home patch.
Turns out he’s the only one in his area to have fake balls.
Let’s just hope he doesn’t get addicted to cosmetic surgery like getting liposuction, breast implants or heaven forbid a pug nose job.
A Blog By A Dog For All Dogs: www.boknowsonline.com
