The Poodle (and Dog) Blog

Is this another reason not to get a dog? Or why we should read beyond the headlines

 
Recently these headlines or some variations appeared in news sources:

Man's worst friend: Average dog causes 2,000
family arguments in its lifetime
Source

Dogs cause 156 family arguments every year
Source

Dogs cause three family arguments every week
Source

 

Wow…dogs must be the worst thing ever to happen to family life if we are to believe these headlines.

According to a study by a UK pet insurance company, arguments range from what to do with the dog while going away, who should walk the dog, whether the dog should be allowed on the furniture, what kind of discipline should be used, how much money is spent, who should clean up the messes, and destruction caused by the dog.

Sadly, 26 per cent of these dog owners have at some point considered getting rid of their dog,

But wait…

There’s more.

Buried in some (but not all) of the stories is this sentence:

The study also revealed while the majority of family arguments are more likely to be about the children than the family pet, 14 per cent of owners reckon they row about the dog more than their children.

So--- buried in a subordinate clause near the end of some of the stories, we find that the majority of family arguments are about children, not dogs after all. Apparently 86% of the people questioned didn't think the dog was that much of a problem.

Most of the stories just omitted this fact about the study.

Ah, the ethics of professional journalists.

The only real conclusion seems to be that there are simply a lot of family arguments. But that probably wouldn't be "newsworthy."

The Dogs of President Eisenhower

Before becoming the 34th president of the United States, Dwight Eisenhower was a five star general. During World War II he served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe.

Eisenhower grew up in a poor family on a farm near Abilene, Texas. He was the third of seven brothers, all of whom were nicknamed “Ike.”

He is pictured between his parents and two younger brothers with his little childhood dog, Flip, looking on.

At one time, paraphrasing Mark Twain, he said,” What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight - it's the size of the fight in the dog.” He may have had this dog in mind.

Because he didn’t have enough money for college, Eisenhower joined the military and graduated from West Point. After he retired from the army he served as president of Columbia University before being elected president of the United States in 1952.

While in the White House, Ike and his wife, Mamie, kept two pets, a parakeet and a Weimeraner named Heidi.

Weimeraners were quite rare in the United States during this time. The breed had been developed by the Court of Weimar in the early 1900’s as one of Germany’s top sporting dogs and companion animals.

The breeders were very selective about who owned one of their dogs. For many years any Weimeraner sold to an American was sterilized to prevent a breeder from changing the basic attributes of the breed, their hunting skills and  pleasant, loyal dispositions.

When World War II began, the breeders were concerned about the safety of the dogs. If a kennel were bombed, the breed could be wiped out forever. So before and after the war breeding pairs of Weimeraners were allowed to go the United States.

Heidi was a gift to the Eisenhowers from friends, Arthur Summerfield and his wife. Eisenhower sent this letter to them:

”Heidi is definitely an asset to life in the White House. She cavorts on the South Lawn at a great rate, with such important projects as chasing squirrels and investigating what might be under bushes.

"She is beautiful and well-behaved (occasionally she tends toward stubbornness but is then immediately apologetic about it). And she is extremely affectionate and seemingly happy. I am constantly indebted to you both for giving her to me . . .” Source

All the Presidents' Dogs

Washington   Jefferson  Lincoln   Harding  T. Roosevelt  Coolidge   Hoover  FDR   Truman  Nixon   Kennedy    L. Johnson   Ford   Carter  Reagan  Clinton

Humans and dogs—best friends for 33,000 years?

Two recent discoveries of dog skulls, one in  Belgium and one in Siberia suggest that the domestication of the dog may go back much further than we had thought.

The discoveries further suggest that humans domesticated dogs at different geographical locations rather than at a single place as was previously believed.

The skull found in Belgium (left) is thought to belong to a large canine that lived 31,700 years ago and ate horse, musk, ox and reindeer.

The Siberian skull (right) dates back 33,000 years and the dog is believed to have resembled the Siberian Husky (what else?) but was somewhat larger.

The discoveries push back the date for the earliest dog by 17,700 years.

 

Rescued Afghanistan puppy joins wounded soldier

Smoke the puppy became an instant sensation when this photo of him in the backpack of Donny Eslinger appeared on the cover of Army Life magazine.

Eslinger had rescued the friendly puppy last August and stashed him in his backpack for a hike back to a checkpoint in Afghanistan where he was stationed.

According to Eslinger’s father, a sheriff in Florida, “[Smoke] didn’t whimper or whine. He was going into MRE (Meals Ready to Eat) heaven."

A little more than a month later Eslinger was hit by mortar fire suffering life threatening wounds, a head and chest injury, a broken leg and ribs, and a lost spleen. He underwent surgery and was kept in a medically induced coma before being transferred to Walter Reed army hospital in Maryland.There he received a Purple Heart from President Obama.

After spending several weeks at a veterans’ hospital in Florida, Donny Eslinger was returned last week to Walter Reed for more surgery. His father left Florida to join his son at Walter Reed, taking with him a companion, Smoke.

The 7-month-old puppy arrived at Orlando International Airport last Wednesday, five months to the day after Eslinger's fellow soldiers in Afghanistan set in motion plans to send the dog to him.

Smoke will be boarded with a nearby veterinarian so that he can make frequent visits to Eslinger who is expected to make a full recovery. Source

Animal rights terrorists strike California cattle ranch

Not satisfied with throwing fake blood on women and releasing defenseless animals into the wild to suffer horrible deaths, animal rights terrorists continue their senseless attacks against people and property.

Earlier this month the ALF (Animal Liberation Front) set up containers of kerosene with digital timers to set off a fire at Harris Ranch, one of the country’s largest family owned farming operations, located in California's Central Valley. The fire which started just before dawn destroyed fourteen trucks and damaged several pieces of farm equipment.

The ALF has been around since the ‘70’s. With their partner in crime the ELF (Environmental Liberation Front) and with financial support from PETA, they have destroyed hundreds of millions of dollars in personal property and terrorized families all over the world.

Like all terrorists groups, these are worse than just common criminals. They are using terror to undermine our sense of security and to change the world to conform to their own warped vision. With their extremist views they have no regard for the lives of people or animals and no regard for property rights.

Through a website that supposedly only “reports” on their activities they explained how they got the idea for the act of arson from the movie Home Alone 2 and bragged, " …we were extremely pleased to see that all 14 trucks were a total loss with some being completely melted to the ground."

The message ended with the words, “…until next time.”

I had hoped to be able to report that they had been caught quickly, but domestic terrorists are small loose-knit groups of sociopaths. They don’t carry membership cards, have conventions, or hold bake sales.

It seems that now their project is to attack the producers of the world food source.

John Harris, a kind and generous man whose family owns the farm, said it well:

We must live in a society that is safe for all and no one can tolerate violence such as this. ALF and similar terrorist groups pose a real threat, and I am confident that the many law enforcement agencies working on this case will bring them to justice soon. Source

Rocky the Boxer swallows – You won’t believe it.

I did say I wasn’t going to write any more posts about dogs swallowing stuff. But this one is just too bizarre.

It comes from a UK newspaper. I am assuming the writer wasn't hitting the lager heavily when she wrote the story.

Besides, this is Monday Mischief and whatever mischief your dogs get into probably can’t surpass Rocky’s achievement.

Pauline Dunthorne, a teaching assistant from Norwich, put down a Teflon baking sheet which was on top of a tray for Rocky, a 12-year-old Boxer, to lick up the steak juices. The next thing she knew he had swallowed the 15 by 10 inch sheet whole.

“I picked up the tray and realised the baking sheet had gone. I looked at Rocky and he just swallowed it down. I couldn’t believe it.

“I rang the vets and they said to keep an eye on him for two or three days but there was no way I could have done anything to help him.”

The veterinarian gave him two injections and the baking tray came back up.

“Out it shot,” said Mrs Dunthorne. “I’ve never seen anything like it. It would’ve killed him if I hadn’t taken him to the vets.”

Mrs Dunthorne said Rocky has been “fine” since the incident.

Crap.

San Francisco 49ers - 17

New York Giants- 20

in OT

 

Volkswagen and Star Wars—two brilliant Super Bowl commercials

The Bark Side

My dogs loved this commercial from start to finish.
This is Volkswagen’s teaser ad
for the Super Bowl.

 

The Force

I didn’t think they could outdo last year’s Super Bowl commercial,
but I think they might.

The strange saga of the therapy kangaroo in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

I’ve followed this story for several months. The story has been in newspapers and network news broadcasts, but there may finally be a happy resolution.

I’ve written a lot of posts about city officials harassing pet owners and have little sympathy for the officials. But this doesn’t seem to be that kind of story.

What is established is that--

Christie Carr is unable to work for health reasons and has been diagnosed with depression. While volunteering at a local animal sanctuary, she bonded with Irwin, a brain damaged kangaroo, and offered to take him home to take care of him.

Irwin had fractured his neck running into a fence and is partially paralyzed. He can’t stand or walk, but can hop with assistance. Carr changes his diapers several times a day, feeds him raw vegetables, sleeps with him, and dresses him in little boy’s clothes when they leave the house. Irwin has made appearances in nursing homes and fundraisers as a therapy animal.

She said…

Recently Carr maintained that she was afraid the city officials would take Irwin away from her if she stayed in Broken Arrow. After informing the news media of her fears, she moved to another city to live with her parents.

"I don't know if I'll ever go back to Broken Arrow," Carr said as she made the two-hour drive to McAlester. "I don't know if I can even drive through there and feel safe."

They said…

However, it seems that the city had gone above and beyond to make every effort to work with her. Like many cities there are understandable restrictions on having exotic animals as pets. Wild animals can be dangerous and unpredictable. Kangaroos can grow up to 7 feet tall and weigh more than 200 pounds, although Irwin is not expected to grow that large.

With seeming compassion for the situation, the city council voted to create an exemption to allow Carr to keep Irwin under certain conditions that would protect the animal and the community.

Also fearing a lawsuit against the city from a victim of an attack, they required her to have a $50,000 liability insurance policy to cover any injuries he might cause.

An anonymous donor paid for the policy.

City spokesman, Stephanie Higgins, said that no threats had been made to remove Irwin. Carr had not completed the application.

"She was given a draft proposal of the application last year, and she is saying she has not received anything," Higgens said Wednesday. "We have documented that we sent her the application."

Higgins said that the city re-delivered the application by hand, and that Carr still has until later this month to complete the necessary paperwork. Nevertheless Carr has moved out of Broken Arrow into her parents’ home in another city.

Several misinformed news sources tried to make this a case for the Americans with Disabilities Act. But it isn't. Irwn is not a service dog.

The good news is that when there is a place for Carr and Irwin, they have been invited to live at Wild Heart Ranch, a wildlife rehabilitation center.

Sounds like a happy ending for Carr, Irwin, and the people of Broken Arrow who don’t need the bad publicity the case has caused them.

Stop Congress from censoring the internet

Stop American censorship

 

Dogs playing fetch—three very different styles

This little dog is commanding the attention of everyone
as she persistently hunts for the ball,
obviously aware of the adoration of all who watch her.



But this poor little guy can’t find anyone to play with him
or even notice him.
Oh, well, who needs humans when you are a smart and resourceful
little Terrier.



I’m not sure what game this dog is playing.

Thanks for the videos to Bungirl, Pam, Jerry, and Ed

“…and I would have gotten away with it, too, if it hadn't been for you meddling kids!"

Scooby Doo is the longest running cartoon show on television. It began in 1969, originated by American animation studio, Hanna-Barbera.

When they first presented the idea to CBS, executives were afraid that the show might be too frightening to children. It featured four teenagers and a dog investigating paranormal activities, ghosts, monsters, haunted houses and like that.

Fred Silverman, then the head of children's programming at CBS, had the idea of making the dog the main character and naming him Scooby Doo after a line from Frank Sinatra’s, Strangers in the night. This was the comedy touch that the show needed.

Once again a dog saves the day.

The teenagers were Fred, the tall handsome leader who was named after Fred Silverman; Daphne, the pretty airhead who was always getting captured and tied up (although she did get smarter as the series went on); Velma, the brainy one (you can tell the brainy ones because they wear glasses); and Shaggy, a slacker, the owner of Scooby.

Shaggy and Scooby were “courage challenged” which added the comedy touch to the series.

In each show the group would arrive at a place where something supernatural was terrorizing everyone. Through the show they were able to prove that it was all a hoax by finding the villain and having him arrested and taken to jail.

At which point he would say “…and I would have gotten away with it, too, if it hadn't been for you meddling kids!"

Scooby Doo, a  Great Dane, is lovable and vulnerable. Unlike Lassie or Rin Tin Tin, Scooby is somewhat cowardly which has made him a favorite character with children who can identify with his fears. Both Scooby Doo and Shaggy would rather eat than solve mysteries, but they remain loyal to their friends.

Through the years some of Scooby’s annoying relatives appeared in the cartoons, making viewers wish there were a dog pound for cartoon dogs.