Category Archives: Dogs
Dog Guides Blind Runner
This Golden Retriever Smile is one reason these dogs are so adorable. Their ability and willingness to work as aides to the blind and disabled is another.
Running a cross country race is a daunting task for anyone. But think of trying to run that type of grueling race course if you are blind. Being a blind runner would be very difficult.
Ohio teen Sami Stoner doesn’t let a little lack of vision stop her from doing the running she loves. But she can’t take all the credit for putting herself in the races, her Guide dog named Chloe gets credit for Sami being in the running too. In fact, without Chloe this blind runner would have little chance of competing.
From MSNBC;
“I don’t run for time or place or anything, I just run because I love it, and I’m glad I can share my love of running with Chloe now,” says Sami, a junior at Lexington High School who’s on the junior varsity cross country team. “I love having Chloe. She’s helped me so much.”
Now in her fourth year running cross country, Sami won a waiver from the state high school athletic association that allows her to compete with a dog. The golden retriever puppy, who guides Sami through the crowded hallways at school, also takes her safely through the running trails of Ohio.
“She watches out for roots and she tries to pick the clearest path for me,” Sami says cheerfully. “The ways she moves, I can feel it in her harness, so she has little ways to signal which way to go and what to do.”
We all need to remember that none of us us are perfect. Some of us have things that are quite evidently wrong and can be seen just by looking at us. Others have things that are wrong too, but they are not where you can see them so are not so evident.
Whether it is your body or your spirit that is less than whole, the thing we must all remember is we need to just find a way to work through and around our disabilities. Help will come to us when we least expect it and in ways we never imagined.
Chloe is a working dog and does her work extremely well. Watch for dogs like Chloe and give them and their people room to get past. Remember not to try to engage the dog or pet them unless you clear it with the person the dog is guiding or aiding. When these dogs are working, their focus is entirely on the job at hand and they don’t need outside interference from people wanting to pet them, give them treats or divert their attention in any other way.
Hungry Dog Jumps from Building
Whoa! did you feel that wind?
How hungry and desperate would a dog have to be to decide their only alternative was to jump from a third story window? Was the dog seeking help or was she really trying to end her pain and misery?
It really doesn’t make any difference at this point what the dog was seeking, because what she found was help and a lot of it. A police officer was just pulling over a car for a traffic stop when he looked up and saw the dog jump. Due to the officer being there, aide was dispatched and received quickly.
From our friends at Care2;
Miracle broke her hip and hind leg in the fall, but the officer was there to immediately help her.
Miracle’s amazing leap led Animal Control officers inside the apartment where they found a small malnourished puppy hanging onto life. The puppy, now named Gracie, was too weak to stand.
No food was found in the filthy apartment, but the dogs had managed to survive on a “water source” they found.
Animal Control Officer Emanuel Maciel described the apartment. “It was flea infested – feces all over the floor. It was devastating to see the conditions these animals were living.”
Miracle is certainly an appropriate name for this dog. I wonder though if she saw the police officer and realized now was her chance. Many animals do recognize the flashing lights, the sirens and the uniforms as representing help. City animals re particularly good at recognizing police, paramedics, etc. because they have been exposed to them before.
This incident was written about on Care2 in October, so it had to have happened in the Fall. Fluffy Feet called the Vet’s office today to see how Miracle and Gracie progressed and perhaps find out if they were adopted.
Of course the office wants to check us out before releasing the info for us to put on the site. If they call us back we will be sure to update you. In the meantime lets all think good thoughts for Miracle the dog and Gracie the puppy. They definitely deserve a better home than what they had before.
Pet Adoption Christmas Window
I'll be ready to take home before you know it. Will you take me?
The Department Store Macy’s is famous for their Christmas window decorations. I’m sure many of us have delighted at the wonder of the beautiful Christmas scenes.
This year as they have for the past six years the SPCA and the Macy’s store in San Francisco have come together to fill their Christmas windows with pets who are up for adoption. Together the partnership has found homes for over 2,000 animals and raised over $320,000.00.
Imagine being a child going up to the Christmas display window, pressing your face tight to the glass so you will be sure to see it all and then a puppy or kitten scampers over to gaze at you through the glass. What a wonderful surprise!
From our friends at Care2;
As the production supervisor for Macy’s Visual Windows puts it in the video below: “It’s really one of the nicest things that we do.”
The Care2 link has a video you can watch too.
This is such a great idea. I wish more retailers would do this and not only at the holidays. I really think a lot of great pets could find forever homes if they were just out there to be seen by animal lovers as they go about errands and do their shopping.
We need to put pet adoption right out there so people don’t get so busy with other things they forget about it. Pet adoption should be the best way to acquire an animal as a pet.
When we showcase adoptable animals, invariably almost all of them find homes. Pet adoption just needs to be put right up in people’s faces so they do it. We need to make it popular and what all the in people do. That way, people will follow and do the right thing. Until we no longer murder so many cats, kittens,dogs and puppies we have to go on the offensive.
2011 Top Ten Dog Names
I really do think spot would be a very proper name for this beautiful guy.
At the end of every year humans look back to make note of what happened and what was most popular, what world records were set or broken, who was born or died, etc.
2011 of course, is no different. There is a lot to look back at over this past year because of the financial turmoil and citizen unrest in the world.
This site is about animals and pets of all kinds, so whatever else happened, we are interested in what took place with our furry kin. Today we have a list of the top ten dog names for the year 2011. What do you think was most popular? Will your dog have one of the top ten names?
Without wasting further time and space, here is the list of the top ten dog names for the year 2011;
10. Rocky
9. Charlie
8. Coco
7. Molly
6. Lucy
5. Bailey
4. Daisy
3. Buddy
2. Max
1. Bella
Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/top-dog-names-for-2011.html#ixzz1gSlWkrmU
If you go to the Care 2 link above, you can see the entire list of the top fifty dog names for 2011.
What I want to know is where have all the Fidos and Spots gone?
Okay, now imagine you have just brought your new puppy home from the animal rescue. What will you name them? Dog names should be easy for the dog but you want them unique for your pet. So what will it be?
Dog Buried Alive is Rescued
All dogs deserve to be treated with kindness. There is no excuse for abuse and cruelty.
I have heard of and seen a lot of cruelty and abuse toward animals in my time here on Earth. But seldom have I seen a case of cruelty as bad as this one.
A hurt or disabled stray tan and white hound started hanging around a South African school. I suspect he was looking for food and just maybe a little comfort and companionship. No matter why he hung out there , was it reason enough to have the dog buried alive?
However, it seems the caretakers at the school took offense at the stray dog’s barking and vowed to bury him alive on the school playing field as punishment. They did just that and they left the dog buried alive to suffocate underground.
But an anonymous call saved his life and rescuers managed to dig the animal out just in time. I’m happy it isn’t every day they have to rush to dig out a dog buried alive.
From Daily Mail UK;
Animal welfare boss Christina Pretorius said the dog was saved by a local vet and his assistant who received an anonymous tip-off about its live burial at 8.30am yesterday.
She said: ‘They rushed to the school and apprehended two caretakers on the school field. The men initially claimed the dog was dead, but on further questioning admitted the animal was still alive when they buried it.
‘They said one of the school’s senior supervisors had told them to get rid of the dog as it was being a nuisance by hanging around the classrooms.’ The dog was discovered at the bottom of a pit which had been dug five foot deep.
It was rescued by officials and taken to a local veterinarian practice for an examination.
Experts said the animal was disabled, although it is believed that it could have been injured during a previous road traffic accident.
Follow the link to see pictures of the dog who has now been named Warrior. The name seems fitting to me. I cannot imagine what these men were thinking. Even though their supervisor supposedly told them to do this act of cruelty, they should have known it was wrong on its face and also against the law.
Whatever the reasoning, this is cruelty at its worst and these two men along with their supervisor deserve punishment. It was just luck that the dog was rescued in time to keep him alive.
At this point we can only hope for the adoption of Warrior into a loving forever home. We also hope he recovers from his injuries.
Thanks to the rescuers who worked to get Warrior out of his premature grave and special thanks to the anonymous person who called in the alert so he could be rescued.