Many of us still operate under the old adage that all dogs age seven years for every one year that a human ages, but recently we’ve heard that this is now regarded as less than accurate, or “bunk”, as we like to say. So how do we try to estimate our pooch’s age to better access and treat potential health problems?
Photos courtesy of NY TImes and Reuters
This recent article from the New York TImes sheds some light on the matter, by summarizing new information from Web MD’s dog age calculation chart. For example, dogs mature at a faster rate than children during their first couple of years, so the first year of a dog’s life is probably equal to 15 human years, rather than seven. And as most of us already know, a dog’s size and breed also influence the rate at which a dog ages. Read the full article here: well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/03/calculating-the-real-age-of-your-dog/?scp=1&sq=dogs%20and%20cats&st=cse
Parental Unit just used that chart to calculate my “real” age and I’m still in my early thirties! I look raring to go, don’t I?
Photo of me by Rachel Lauren Photography
Even though this story is terribly tragic, it’s worth bucking up and reading the full article. It made the front page of today’s New York Times, and I’m sure it’s already made the rounds on the Internet.
You might recall that earlier this year, Parental Unit shared a Times story that featured the hero military dogs from Afghanistan that were able to return to the U.S. with the soldiers they had bonded with in war. Please revisit that post here: boccibeefs.blogspot.com/2010/09/four-legged-heroes-from-afghanistan.html
Well, there’s a tragic end to one of those hero dog’s story. Her name is Target, and she was happily living with one of the soldiers who had witnessed her bravery (Target unnerved a suicide bomber and saved the lives of 50 soldiers). That soldier, Sgt. Terry Young, is an army medic and helped treat several of the dogs and soldiers who were wounded in that aborted attack. Target received a hero’s welcome when she finally was transported to the U.S., and even appeared on the Oprah show.
Late last week, Target somehow escaped from her yard, but Sgt.Young managed to track her down at the local shelter. He paid the retrieval fee online, but mistakenly thought the shelter was closed for the weekend. When he arrived at the shelter on Monday, he received the horrifying news: just that morning a shelter worker had mistakenly euthanized his beloved Target.
Read the full article here: www.nytimes.com/2010/11/19/us/19dog.html?_r=1&ref=us
Now, we all know that this was a terrible mistake, but the real issue we must focus on is the millions of dogs and cats that are needlessly euthanized each year. Do allow us to get on our soapbox for a moment: we must band together to support spay and neuter campaigns, stop “shopping” for our pets at pet stores and with breeders that we can’t verify as reputable online (this will help dry up the puppy mill market), support as many shelter and rescue adoption campaigns that we possibly can, and finally, lend our singular support to no-kill rescues and shelters.
Apparently, Target has her own Facebook page, originally set up to chronicle her new life in the U.S., but Parental Unit is having trouble locating the link-we’ll pass it on to you all as soon as we locate it. Her Facebook page is now being used to help rally support for the “no-kill” movement. If any of you know the link to Target’s Facebook page, please pass it on to us!
As always, thanks for your support!
Well, if it wasn’t mine, why am I wearing this stupid hat and posing in front of Bella’s birthday present?
It was really our cat, Bella’s, 6th birthday (October 9th is the day Parental Unit found her in a Walgreens parking lot when she was just a wee kid of two months. The legend has it that she was hiding under the gigantic wheel of a truck, the man had just gotten back in and started the engine when Parental Unit screamed and bent down…little Ms. Prissy ran to her and jumped in her arms and the rest is my tortured history).
So here’s what happened the other day: Parental Unit borrows a little party hat from our neighbor and tries to put it on Bella, at the same time posing her on top of the prize that she won at the recent BlogPaws conference: a really cool “Litter Robot” – an automatically cleaning litter box-see picture(s) above and below.
Now…you can imagine trying to convince little Ms. Prissy to: (a) wear a party hat, (b) stay on top of this box, and (c) celebrate her birthday (we did get treats for our efforts).
So here’s the result: Bella with hat askew, trying to flee!
So what did Parental Unit do while she had the camera out? Yep, you guessed it-she put that dang hat on me and snapped away. Here I am after I’ve given up…
Now, we did want to tell you a bit about the “Litter Robot” in case you haven’t heard about it. As you can see from the picture, the kitty enters her litter box from the dome -shaped structure, does her business, and then exactly 7 minutes after she departs, the “Robot” cleans the litter by sweeping the clumps to the waiting litter bag below: no fuss no muss, and no more cleaning out litter boxes! Just remove the biodegradable bag and toss. If you want to learn more about the Litter Robot, check out their website here: www.litter-robot.com
And let’s end this birthday post with a picture of Ms. Prissy (I mean Bella) shortly after Parental Unit first brought her home.
We have no idea if you’re fans of Geico commercials, or have seen this recent commercial that has aired for only a few weeks, but we guarantee that you’ll get a hearty laugh (whether you save money on your car insurance is another matter).
As you’re planning your weekend, we hope you pause to enjoy this 30 seconds of hilarity courtesy of Geico.
And many thanks to all of you who entered our “Timmy in trouble” contest. Check back bright and early tomorrow to see who won this week! And don’t forget, you may enter this contest weekly, so get your creative juices flowing for Timmy’s next dilemma. Each weekly contest closes at high noon on Friday-tell your friends and family!
Cat Breeds – Profiles – Genetics – Breeders -
Learn about cat breed profiles; breeding and genetics; breed photo albums; breeder listings of popular breeds of cats; breed rescue organizations; …
Windows Live
Cat breed – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A cat breed is an infrasubspecific rank for the classification of domestic cats. … The whole concept of cat breeds is a relatively new one. …
Found on Yahoo! Search, Ask.com
Cat Breed Information
Checkout your favorite cat breeds on Catster, a place for cat lovers.
Cat Breeds Browse 43 different cat breeds Petfinder
Cat breeds: Browse our list of 43 cat breeds to find the perfect cat breed for you, and then find adoptable cats close to you.
Animal Planet :: Guides :: Cat Breed Selector
Check out your cat’s illustrious history and description, or browse around for your perfect pet.
Found on Google, Yahoo! Search
List of cat breeds – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
… list includes established breeds recognized by various cat registries, new and … The Validity of “Breeds” Detailed list of cat breeds …
Found on Yahoo! Search
Category:Cat breeds – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This category contains breeds of cats, members of the Felidae family. See also Category:Cat types.
Found on Windows Live
