Big City Pet

This Dog Knows Math

admin — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 22:56:15 +0000

I found this 3:39 minute video on youtube and it’s amazing. This little dog named Maggie knows how to add, subtract and multiply numbers. Definitely worth showing your toddlers to encourage them to learn math. Afterall, they don’t want a dog to be smarter then they are.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJlV7CT86aU

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World’s Ugliest Dog Contest

admin — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 22:47:12 +0000

Gus captured the hearts and votes of judges tonight at the 20th Annual World’s Ugliest Dog Contest held at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma. Gus was rescued from a bad home in FL and is now suffering from skin cancer, Gus’ story was compelling, but he won based on his looks. A Chinese-Crested, he has no hair, only three legs (one amputated because of the skin tumor) and is missing an eye lost to a tomcat in a cat fight. Despite his tough background, Gus is loved by mother and daughter owners Jeanenne and Janey Teed, who brought him all the way from Florida to enter into the contest.

A total of twelve entrants came from Florida to New Jersey to Arizona to Petaluma. The contest has four levels of competition. Winners are chosen from both the Pedigree class and the Mutt class. Those winners then compete against each other to become the 2008 Ugly Dog winner. Gus won the pedigree class and went up against Reggie who had just won the Mutt Class. Winning that competition gave Gus the 2008 title, but then he had to meet the Ring of Champions, which included winners from past years’ contests. That’s where Gus met former champions Elwood (the 2007 winner), Archie (the 2006 winner) and Rascal (the 2002 winner). Gus takes home two trophies and $1,600 in prize money.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-YTy2KeAzI

In the past few years, winners have been dogs that have been abandoned or neglected before being adopted by people who love dogs and usually have several dogs whom they have rescued. Gus was adopted by Jeanenne and her 16-year-old daughter Janey through word of mouth after they discovered he was being kept in a crate in the garage of someone’s home.

Said Jeanenne, “I’m just in shock. We came so far and are so happy that we can put the winnings towards Gus’ radiation treatment. We’re just thrilled.”

We certainly hope the treatments Gus receives work because we think he’s just beautiful.

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Pet Survival Story

admin — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 00:42:18 +0000

You’ve all heard about the recent rash of tornadoes that have ripped through many areas of the country. Did you stop to think about the pets that were in the tornado paths? Me neither, but check these pets and their stories out!

After the tornado - Greensburg, KS

The story begins with the rescuers finding this poor little guy they named Ralphie. Someone had already taken him under their wing but weren’t equipped to adopt;

Ralphie, scared and starved, joined his rescuers…

I wouldn’t think anything could live thru this… but we were wrong.

The little lady below also survived that wreckage.

Here she is just placed in the car - scared, but safe.

and then…they are no longer alone!

Instant friends, they comforted each other while in the car.

Add two more beagles found after that… the more, the merrier!

Oh boy, a new traveler to add to the mix… (note: the cat coming over the seat needing shelter…) now just how is this going to work??? - and remember they are all strange to one another

I hope this gang of survivors get homes the homes that they’re deserving of!

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Nubs and Marine Major Brian Dennis Are Reunited

admin — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 05:23:34 +0000

Marine Major Brian Dennis, an F-18 pilot, bonded with Nubs, an Iraqi dog with stumpie ears while he was in Iraq and they were recently reunited in San Diego.

This pet love story made me think of my dad because the one thing he always seemed to love the most was his dog. Whether it was Hobo, our German Shepard, or Sassy, our first black lab, or Dux, our Westie, he always showed his love for our dogs more easily then he could for his own family.

Pets are so special and this story is but one more example of that. To read the story about Nubs and Major Dennis click here: Nubs

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Neuter Your Pet or Do Time

admin — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 02:00:40 +0000

On Tuesday Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa signed one of the nation’s tougher laws on pet sterilization, requiring most dogs and cats to be spayed or neutered by the time they are just 4 months old.

The law is aimed at eliminating the thousands of euthanizations conducted in Los Angeles’ animal shelters every year. “We will, sooner rather than later, become a no-kill city and this is the greatest step in that direction,” said Councilman Tony Cardenas said as he held a kitten at a City Hall news conference.

The ordinance does exempt animals that have competed in shows or sporting competitions, guide dogs, animals used by police agencies and those belonging to professional breeders.

The average pet owner, however, must have their dog or cat spayed or neutered by the time it reaches 4 months of age without a note from the vet.

Those who don’t comply with the ordinance will serve time. Community time that is. First-time offenders will receive information on subsidized sterilization services and be given an additional 60 days to bring a neuter note from the pet doc. Still fail to comply and they could fine you $100 and order you to serve eight hours of community service. Another offense could mean a $500 fine or 40 hours of community service.

Los Angeles animal shelters took in over 50,000 cats and dogs last year and euthanized approximately 15,000 at a cost of $2 million, according to city officials.

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Seizure-Alert Dogs

admin — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 03:42:23 +0000

My brother has had epilepsy for over at least 30 years now and recently had a serious accident after having a seizure while waiting for his wife to pick him up at work. He fell flat on his face and unfortunately the local government he works for has a taj mahal so the floor was marble, or as hard as marble. He was in the hospital until today and will be dealing with the repercutions of this fall for some time.

So when I got the email from my sister about “seizure-alert dogs” it definitely caught my attention. The case for having one of these dogs goes something like this:

Seizure-alert dogs, as implied by their name, are dogs that can sense and notify their human companions of an oncoming seizure. This alerting behavior has been reported to occur several seconds to 45 minutes or more before the onset of the seizure. The dog does this by exhibiting marked changes in behavior, including close eye contact, circling, pawing, barking etc.

Although the article goes on to dispute some of the beliefs held by others it doesn’t seem far fetched at all to me. I’ve known since childhood that dogs (pets in general) have senses far superior to ours that can be useful in many situations. Besides what is the downfall to having one of the dogs? Maybe my brother would have been busy petting his buddy and that simple act may have been enough to keep his mind engaged and away from the seizure zone.

If you’d like to read more about seizure alert dogs check out the article at epilepsy.com.

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Anti-depressants for Pets

admin — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 03:15:17 +0000

“I ain’t nothing but a hound dog and I keep crying all the time.”

I came across an article in an Australian newspaper about pets being prescribed anti-depressants.

PETS at risk of self-harm are increasingly being prescribed anti-depressants because they cannot discuss problems in their lives with others, a leading veterinarian says.

Go figure. I thought when I saw a commercial for a new drug for “restless leg syndrome” (for humans) that the last straw had been broke nand we’d see sanity return to our planet. Depressed pets!? What about a treat? Or perhaps a walk around the block? Anything but a prescription!

This has got to be just another way for vets and pet psych’s to make more money off of increasingly naive pet owners.

If you know of any situations where a pet would need a psych drug please send in a comment because I’d love to hear about it. IN the meantime just stop abusing your pet and be sure to not abandon them all day long while you’re at work. Get ‘em a play mate or radio.

Click here if you’d like more information on pet psychology.

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Dog Years - The Movie

admin — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 06:03:55 +0000

A great short film narrated by a dog. If you’ve ever wondered what your dog would say if he could talk then this movie is a must watch. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZR17rlXNWw

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A Slain Soldiers Dog Comforts His Family

admin — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 20:40:55 +0000

Maybe the fact that I was an Army brat and my first dog, “Hobo”, was a German Shepard caused me to notice this story in the first place. Either way, it’s another powerful example of how important these pets can be to us and our families.

This family lost a son and brother when shrapnel from a mortar killed him and injured his military dog, “Lex”. The family felt that having Lex become part of their family would help them deal with their loss a little better as they knew how close the two were.

I know their son, Cpl. Dustin Lee, is looking down on his family and Lex comforted knowing that his right-hand man Lex is helping to watch over his family.

I’m sure Lex will get more hugs then ever as the family works through the tough days of grieving that lie ahead.

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For Prospective New Pet Owners

admin — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 05:10:50 +0000

This video that should be watched by every person thinking about getting a new pet. It’s the “ugly side” of our love of pets. If you take a look at the highlights below you’ll have a pretty good idea of what you’ll see in the video. Don’t watch it if you cry easily and don’t feel like crying or if you’re easily depressed.

We wish everyone had a pet, and we wish every pet caretaker was responsible, which is why we added this depressing video to our Big City Pet site. We hope you understand we’re only trying to help prevent the situation from getting even worse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0KucYppXO0

Some of the highlights:

Many puppies sold in retail pet stores are purchased from puppy mills
Up to 25 million animals become homeless every year
Up to 27% of purebred dogs are homeless
9 million homeless animals die in the streets every year
16 million homeless animals are taken in by shelters where they’ll be euthanized
It is estimated that 50% of the animals in shelters were taken there by their “caretakers”

Getting a pet is a major commitment that isn’t unlike having a child. Think hard about what kind of home and life you’ll be able to provide for the animal before you run out to buy a pet.

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