Blog About Animals

I stayed in a house over the summer that had two very big poodles. I am not sure what variety they were but they were very intelligent and had lovable almost child like personalities.

So it was no surprise when Darla from At The Westwod Ranch submitted her little Pepe and mentioned that he was the child of the family now the nest is empty of humanoid children.

Here is what Darla had to say about Pepe:

For a couple of years I had begged my husband for a house dog. I guess after repeating my request over and over again, he realized I was serious. A co-worker of his told him about a little poodle (Pierre, a mere 9 months old) that belonged to a couple who were, sadly enough, divorcing. They needed to find a new home for the dog. The poodle was being housed in, yet, another family members back yard with two big labs.

My husband calls me at work and “pops the question”…. Do you want a poodle? After the screaming, he could finally understand that I replied “yes”. He told me the sad little story of the dog on our way to get him that very afternoon. I was already falling in love with this little guy before I had even met him. We were to meet the “foster” parents of the poodle at a service station in between our two homes, which were about 25 miles apart.

“Oh, look honey, this must be them! I see a little dog in the arms of a small girl. Will she let me have him? She won’t change her mind, will she?” I was scared the two little girls in the back seat of the large truck would cry upon handing the precious little poodle to me. Boy! I couldn’t have been more wrong!

The precious little poodle was a stinking, filthy, mess! His fur was matted and he stunk to high heaven! I kid you not, when I say, I held him, almost straight out with my hands until we could find the nearest groomer! Oh yes, this stinky little white fur ball was not going into my house smelling like this! Luckily, there was a PetsSmart (Shop at PetSmart) a mile or so away. The understanding young lady at the groomer’s station said that normally they don’t take any pet without a shot record on file, but she could see that he desperately needed grooming and my husband and I were just trying to better his life. Without blinking another eye, she took him in.

About 4 1/2 hours later, our cute little bundle of white fur was ready for pick up. Only, I didn’t recognize him! They had to totally shave him from head to toe! His fur was matted that bad! And he smelled so much better, too! I have been in love with this little guy, who we’ve renamed Pepe ever since. He is a sweet little dogie and we love him dearly. Our children are all grown and Pepe has taken over as the baby of the house. He’s sweet and lovable. I can’t imagine going to bed at night without him lying at my feet. He has been everything I’d hoped he could be and then some.

I’m sending you a picture of Pepe after his visit to PetsSmart (Shop at PetSmart) , the very first day we got him. The second picture is our adorable little Pepe as he is today. Thanks for letting me tell you my story.

Our first day with Pepe Sept 4, 2004

Pepe wearing his Underdog shirt Dec 07

I am very glad that Darla managed to bully her husband into submission and save this poor little guy from becoming homeless as a result of the divorce. I really think that there are enough pets in trouble to supply anyone who wants a new pet, so believe that people should always try and adopt first.

Darla’s blog At The Westwod Ranch is another great example of a personal blog with interesting writing and dry wit. I enjoyed reading a few of the posts on her first page very much and have now subscribed so that i can keep up.

Thanks very much for showing us Pepe.

Want your pet to feature in the Bloggers Pet Series?….. submit your critter here.

Click here to view others in The Bloggers Pets Series.

(please note: I have added my affiliate link (Shop at PetSmart) next to the instances of the word PetSmart. I have never shopped there personally but have been told on good authority, my girlfriend worked there for 5 years, that they are an ethical company when it comes to animals so have decided that I would like to promote them).

Blog About Animals has reached it’s one month anniversary!

I think the picture shows you just how happy I am

I never expected the blog to do so well. Sadly I don’t get to spend all day on it but none the less the first months statistics have still been impressive.

At time of writing we have had:
Page Views: 3,020
Unique Visitors: 2043
Subscribers: Currently 27, this varies a little.

Now I think they are pretty impressive stats for the first month of any website so I just wanted to extend a big thank you to all of you readers.

We have seen things such as a dog in a tie, a thieving seagull, a pet saved by a TV show and recently the very sad story of the stingrays at Calgary zoo, just to name a few things.

The next month I hope to try and make sure I post almost daily and get many more entries for Bloggers’ Pets. Plus I will be offering sign up to a mailing list where you will be able to get exclusive content and deals on pet and animal products.

The advertising on the site needs to be looked into. I want to make money from this site so that I can dedicate more time to it.

I would like to ask you wonderful people a few questions to help me push this site forward.

What do you think of the current layout? Too much advertising, just right etc etc.

Where do you shop for pet / animal supplies, do you use online retailers?

What features would you like to see added to the site?

Would you prefer more picture / video based posts or more informative animal articles?

Anything else that you would like to add?

Thanks again, I look forward to seeing your comments, Forest.

Image source: http://www.party-photo-favors.com/dog_birthday_cake_recipes.htm

Jenny from JennyWeber.com emailed me about her little man Javier the Chihuahua.

I had to laugh when I saw this guy. I love the way Chihuahuas look so attentive and ready for action!

Jenny emailed me some great information about Javier:

We bought Javier from a reputable breeder in Zanesville, Ohio, in 1999. Javier was born in July of that year and when I picked him out, he fit easily in one of my hands. His eyes were not yet open. He was so adorable, I fell for him on sight. His father, Danny, was a long-haired Chihuahua and his mother was short-haired. Javier and both his parents are AKC registered Chihuahuas. We had to leave Javier with his mom for six more weeks after making our selection, and we thought the time to take possession of him would never come. All the way home on the day we claimed him as our own, Javier lay in my arms and peered up at me so sweetly! I’ve been crazy about him ever since.

Javier has been a wonderful pet for all these years. He is the most loving, entertaining, and easy-to-please little dog. He does not bark incessantly as the breed is known for; on the contrary, he is relatively quiet and would prefer to sleep beside you as you watch TV or read. He does love to play though, and if you get down in the floor with him he’ll run all around and strike funny poses and generally be hilarious. He does not like his bath or any grooming activities. He simply endures them as we gently make fun of his terrified behavior.

In our family, since all the kids are grown, Javier is our baby. We talk to him like a baby, treat him like a baby, and spoil him like a baby. It’s fun. None of us can imagine life without Javier.

I always had a bad impression of Chihuahuas until my old boss got a cute little guy called Dior, and started bringing it to work. It was only then when I realized how funny, happy, perky and brave they were. I guess their bravery could be mistaken for stupidity but I think they are tougher than they look! Dior actually seemed to hate me for some reason! Most dogs love me…. honest!

JennyWeber.com is a very entertaining read indeed. Blogging was invented for this kind of blog. Witty, smart, opinionated and very sarcastic. Jenny brings tales and opinions from her everyday life and really isn’t afraid to say what she really thinks… plus the multiple teacups sends you into a tea induced hypnoses making you drink ravenously for days on end. Just try it…. it’s fun.

(Ed. Jenny whipped me into shape and informed me that they are actually coffee cups, duh!! Stupid me. My excuse is that I am British and I always think of Tea!)

Want your pet to feature in the Bloggers Pet Series?….. submit your critter here.

Click here to view others in The Bloggers Pets Series.

I heard some very sad news yesterday whilst reading CBC News. The hands on Cownose Stingray exhibit that opened in Calgary Zoo early on in the year has just witnessed a terrible mystery tragedy. 26 Stingrays died on Sunday followed by 8 on Monday and 1 on Tuesday, from an unexplained problem that led to inflamed gills and breathing trouble. The staff have been left baffled and extremely troubled by the incident. 9 surviving Stingrays are being very closely monitored by vets and they are all exhibiting signs of black and yellow blotches, similar to blotches found on the dead rays.

Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/loughgc/ 2282482267/

One distinction of the Stingray is the face that its created on it’s underbelly. It really makes them look like jolly creatures! Popular theory says that this face has developed to stop predators attacking the underbelly.

It is unknown what has caused the deaths but it is unlikely to be the food, water or disease according to experts. Many people feel that someone may have actually introduced a chemical into the water to cause such quick deaths. The investigation is being conducted and everyone hoped to have an answer in the next week or so. I think you will agree this is very sad.

Calgary Zoo has had a bad year with a Gorilla dying after one day in the zoo and a 6 year old hippo also dying. I am sure that this is bad luck and I think that the zoo is probably genuinely trying to conserve and help the natural world whilst providing us with education in an entertaining environment.

According to TheStar.com Toronto Zoo are still planning on opening their new hands on Stingray exhibit this Friday. I personally am a little nervous about the press they are going to get but they have discussed everything with Calgary and I am sure will be very vigilant.

Stingrays seem to be very social with humans, responding well to touch and interaction and I am sure that there is still place in the world for such exhibits, if managed and monitored correctly. This very sad tragedy will be a great lesson and hopefully will be used for further and, as it seems, much needed education.

More about Stingrays…

After the death of Steve Irwin, The Crocodile Hunter, rays started getting a little more press. He was killed by a Stingray barb that struck right into his heart. Many agree that this was a freak accident and that generally swimming with rays is pretty safe, as long as you are respectful of them. In fact there have only been 17 recorded Stingray deaths worldwide since records started in 1969 (source: www.smh.com.au).

Wikipedia says that there are about 70 species of Stingray but I have seen variations of this with claims of their being up to 186 (If anyone knows the official amount please let me know). They are related to Sharks and Skate and bottom feed mainly on n mollusks, crustaceans, and sometimes small fish. Attacks on humans are always reactions to feeling threatened as this creatures are rearly aggressive and normally swim away from danger.

They look beautiful in the water, almost as if they are flying with what people commonly refer to as wings. In actual fact they are pectoral fins. They are known as Stingrays due to the poisonous barbs on the end of their tails which have been known to grow up to 37 cm in length. Some types of Stingray can grow up to 4.2 meters long and 1.8 meters wide. I think you will agree , that is monstrous!

Cownose Stingrays (like the ones from Calgary Zoo) are often found in the western Atlantic and Caribbean. They are very close to being threatened so we need Zoo’s to keep conserving them This makes the recent deaths even more horrific, especially if human induced. They also grow to around 1.1 meters long and feed mainly on clams, oysters and other invertebrates. They have a special plate designed for crushing hard shells in their mouths.

I have seen this stunning creatures in Aquariums as a child and have witnessed their cute curiosity and obvious intelligence. I really hope that Calgary Zoo work out the cause and create a new safe environment for the, hopefully, surviving rays. I will be writing an update as soon as their is anymore news so please subscribe to my RSS feed or by email in the box on the top right.

Recommended further reading:

http://www.cbc.ca/cp/national/080513/n051341A.html – CBC talks about the improvement of the surviving rays.

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=
7af33ff4-921b-4cda-91d4-0d9fb76f3e10 – The Edmonton Journals take on the story.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stingray – Wikipedia’s article on Stingrays.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cownose_ray – Wikipedia’s Cow Nose Stingray page.

Well this is something new for Bloggers Pets. A multi pet post from Mark from Just a Krusen.

A bird, a dog and a cat…. I could see that mark was trying his luck by putting 3 of natures enemy’s in one home, but apparently it works out just fine. The bird sounds scary though!

Mark emailed me this about the Krusen 3:

The first is the bird. His name is Beast. I think that Beast is pushing 12 years old by now. He is a hardy son of a gun, he did have a partner _ Beauty_ but he happened to break her neck when she went to the food dish one time.
So beast is solo.
Then we have IMUS- he has been with us since Sept. He was a country kitten. He is an amazing cat. He will do a break dance type move( see the third picture) and he and the dog play so well together. It is like they believe they are one of the same.

The 4th picture is Indi. Indi was from the pound, he was Mark’s and my Christmas gift to one another. He is a pretty good dog, can be demanding, loves to play ball, cuddes and play at the dog park.

Don’t look into his eyes………

This kittie knows how to party!

Indi reminds me of Chewbacca!

I always wanted a bird but never had a chance to own one. Mark, I would like to know if Beast speaks or copies and songs or sounds at all?

Just a Krusen is a great example of a personal blog. I enjoy reading his spin on life and politics, even if I do not necessarily agree with everything. He is a very entertaining man.

Want your pet to feature in the Bloggers Pet Series?….. submit your critter here.

The Bloggers Pets Series
Plinko the puggle
Bailey the best dressed dog
Jane saved Jericho and Jericho saved Boo
Little Bit… The Huntin’ Dog…
Meet Moki
The Krusen 3

I’m actually a vegetarian, so do not condone burgers of any sort, especially panda burgers! You can see how sad it was to be made into a burger…

I actually worked in a pub kitchen earlier this year and one busy lunch I was chatting away with my boss making up the orders. I placed the slice of swiss cheese on this burger and when I went to put the top of the bun on I jumped back at the instant sight of a face in the burger!

I thought it looked like the Joker, It was because we were having a conversation about Heath Ledger dying (RIP) whilst I was making this burger, as it was the day the news broke. However general consensus was that it was a crying panda.

If you want to see another great food / animal look alike check out the Basset Hound Chicken Finger over at The Junk Drawer.

Do you have any interesting food / animal look alikes?

If a Greenland shark had mastered the use of the English language and happened to believe in Greek mythology then I would image that a comment along the lines of:

“I’m Blind, thank Poseidon”

would come from it’s many toothed mouth the moment it was blinded by a little white copepod attaching itself to it’s eye.

This lazy beast lives at great depths underneath thick ice in the cold North Atlantic Ocean and grows up to a huge 7 meters long. Being such a lazy lump of muscle this slow stoner like creature really does not have the ability to catch the prey that it manages to feed on. In fact it is so docile that people have been known to lure them to the surface with seal entrails and just drag them out of the water.

Being so lazy, that’s where the Parasite comes in. Shortly after birth a small white parasite will permanently attach itself to each one of Greenland sharks eyes creating permanent blindness. Now the deep waters are so murky anyway that the shark would not be able to see very far even with the gift of sight, so it really isn’t a big loss. It is widely believed that the little white worm like creatures actually attract the sharks next meal and chomp, dinner is served. Sharks without parasites have been observed to die very quickly.

They call this kind of relationship a symbiotic relationship and it happens with sharks and many other creatures and is found constantly throughout nature. Hopefully I will find some more interesting relationships and write about them soon.

If this amazing creature interests you then I definitely suggest some further reading:
http://www.marinebiodiversity.ca/shark/english/greenland.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenland_shark

Images sourced from: http://www.fredshark.net/Classifications/squaliformes/requingroenland.htm

This is an interesting Bloggers Pets… Moki is not too well but he is utterly adorable and is looking for donations to help save him. You can visit Save Moki for further info.

A very special and unique cat! Moki is not like other cats you see. Moki has a neurological disorder. He is happy, enjoys life and one day hopes that the doctors will discover the cause of his illness.

Such a cute looking cat. Reminds me very much of one of my cats from childhood. It’s a real shame that Moki is not well and I am sure any small donation would be well appreciated and pt to great use.

You should go visit Moki at his home Save Moki, I am sure he would love to see you there. Whilst you are there you can also read up on other kitties such as Mr Orange and a Racoon that thinks he is a cat! Plus there is a PayPal donate button if you want to help out.

Want your pet to feature in the Bloggers Pet Series?….. submit your critter here.

The Bloggers Pets Series
Plinko the puggle
Bailey the best dressed dog
Jane saved Jericho and Jericho saved Boo
Little Bit… The Huntin’ Dog…
Meet Moki
The Krusen 3

I have been hearing recently that bed bugs are back on the scene and infestations are appearing in certain areas. I even worried that I had them….. I think the kitty cats just had fleas though, so now they are being treated.

I knew nothing about bed bugs, so thought I would do some research and pass my knowledge in a simple, easy form in regards to detection, preventing and treatment.

Firstly, What is a bed bug?

A mini version of the monster under the bed, these vampire creatures come out at night and suck your blood!

Bed Bugs are insects that have developed to live in human created conditions very well. Originally from caves and feeding on the blood of animals and our ancestors these scary buggers now live in our house. They get in through the smallest crevices, attracted to us by our carbon dioxide output, and settle in our beds and furniture. Most active at night they come out, inject us painlessly and fill themselves up with blood.

Bed Bugs Detection?

One of the first signs you may see is bites on your poor defenseless body. As you can see from the images below, bites can vary from very minor to very severe.

The look hard, to me, to distinguish from other bug bites. But it seems that generally they last longer than mosquito bites and can cause more itching. You pretty much have the privilege of getting the nasty bites exclusively at night and they sometimes come in clusters of three, like the first image.

They tend to hide in your bed or furniture nearby, although they can travel 100 feet for feeding! So if you are looking for them it’s suggested you check on the darkest nooks and crannies in your room and house. Pay particular attention to creases in mattresses and furniture, gaps in the bed posts and behind any uplifted wallpaper. They are very small and very shy of the light so can be hard to find.

Some places suggest checking your room with a flashlight an hour or so before dawn, when they are all fed, slow and most importantly awake.

Another good tip for detection involved setting a insect glue trap or using double sided carpet tape around your bed to catch themas they walk past. You should be able to identify if the trapped bug is a bed bug as there are plenty of pictures on the web.

Bed Bug Prevention

Prevention is key…. now if you are reading this from a search engine then you may think that you have them. Don’t worry, the treatment section is up next!

They can get into clothes and suitcases so if you are visiting a hotel, check your bed, headboard and the room carefully for bugs, especially before putting your cases down near the furniture. In your own home you just have to be vigilant. If you suspect any bed beg activity then investigate immediately and treat them before they become an infestation. Also if you hear of a problem in your local area then there are human safe sprays that you can get to stop them settling in your home. These sprays can also be used in your hotel room, luggage and clothes.

I have a coupon discount on one eco-friendly spray available on line at the end of this post.

Finally…. Bed Bug treatment

The use of DDT in North American pretty much eradicated bed bugs but many think it also eradicated many other things too, so it was banned. Since the banning of DDT bed beg treatment has been a more difficult job.

First up is cutting them off and washing all linen and night clothing in hot water to try and kill the eggs and any bugs contained in those areas. You can attempt to cut them off by moving your bed away from the wall, putting sticky carpet tape around the legs or, resting each leg on a plastic tray containing water. In some cases bugs can feed off and survive off other vermin, such as mice or household pets, so be careful about these situations.

You can also find mattress encasing products to stop them getting out. I would not spend the money until I was sure that was where they were.

You can also either rub Neem oil on surfaces and some of your clothes or a natural bed bug pesticide to spray almost everything and try and kill them off before an infestation comes.

These bugs are hard to kill so you may have to persist or go to extreme measures such as call in the Terminators to spray your home and possibly take away furniture for deep freezing.

I hope you found this article informative. It is by no means a complete guide as there is too much to tell about these critters in one article. I have provided a few more information resources at the very end of this post.

If you are looking to purchase bed bug products I suggest looking on ebay for Neem Oil or Bed Bugs to find a whole lot of products.

I also have a special discount code on K4 natural completely eco-friendly bed bug sprays. Simple enter the code Wanda20 during check out to receive a 20% discount of your next purchase.

Further sources:
Wikipedia Bed Bug Article
www.bed-bug.org/

Sandee runs a great comedy blog that I read almost everyday, ComedyPlus.blogspot.com, and she has very kindly sent me this great story about her dog Little Bit.

I think you will agree that Little Bit is a great name for this dog!

The images are fantastic, Sandee’s husband Zane submitted this great story…

Please meet Little Bit who came into our lives on February 26, 2003. She was four months old and had been abandoned shortly before we met and was about to be thrown away the second time. Sandee was with a group of fellow employees and Little Bit sat in front of her and said, “If you don’t take me I won’t live for a month more. I promise I’ll be the best dog you’ve ever had.” So you can guess what happened…

She was a little bundle of joy who would howl when she lost us in our home (which meant we were out of her sight) and could barely get up the stairs to the second floor. She had a good nose and I decided to try to train her on bird hunting. I bought scent and a retriever sock and we went to work. We hunted chucker at a local bird club for about three seasons and she loved it. There was one occasion when she flushed a chucker but the bird wouldn’t fly high enough for me to take a clear shot without the likelihood of hitting Little Bit, so I simply watched while Bit chased the bird. Suddenly Bitter jumped into the air five feet high and brought the bird down. That memory is still etched in my mind. It was a wonderful sight.

For exercise we run every morning. In the summer of 2004 we were on a local canal bank at some almond orchards and we came across a dead dog that someone had simply thrown down the bank. For one month Little Bit investigated this deceased dog and on the thirtieth day she gathered some leaves and dirt with her nose and covered the deceased dog’s face. Then she gently patted the dirt and leaves and was satisfied. I watched this scene in amazement. It could only have been an act of burial and recognition on Bit’s part of her own mortality. We then began calling her “Buddha Dog.”

One year later we came across a dead cat which she investigated for one month. On the thirtieth day she looked at me and said, “Watch and I will again show my Buddha nature as it relates to cats.” Gently she straddled the deceased cat, squatted and p’d. So now you know how she feels about cats.
And she loves to fish.

We have an express cruiser moored on the California Delta where we are fortunate to spend about a third of our time. We bake bread during the week to feed the fish off the back of our boat and Buddha Bit will spend hours watching the perch, carp, striped bass and black bass. Of course this requires me to get up and feed the fish over and over and over again. About three seasons ago while watching bass fishermen on their very expensive bass boats she made the connection between the fishing poles and the fish. Now whenever there is a fishing pole she simply has to go with them as you can see by the picture of Bitter and Mike fishing.

We attended a yacht club function on the Delta and were concerned that she would bark when we left her on the boat to go to the meeting in the restaurant so we bought a bark collar that sprayed citronella if she barked. We put the isinglass screens down but left the zippers open so she could be cooler on the back of the vessel. During the meeting the wait staff came and told us that our big black dog was in the back parking lot. I went and looked but immediately knew that she was not there. So I walked back in and toward the front door only to find her thirty feet inside the restaurant looking for us. After that we began to call her “Buddini, the enlightened escape dog.” But you couldn’t be mad, she wasn’t barking!

She is the most expressive dog that I have ever known and can tell us exactly what she wants and she has turned out to be the “best dog we’ve ever had.”

The images and story really give you a great overview of this fine looking, well groomed dog. Sometimes dogs, like people, just need a little taking care of and encouragement before they come out of their shell an show how great they really are

ComedyPlus.blogspot.com is a fantastic daily read. It reminds me of the type of site that people used to read on a daily basis. Things have got complicated in recent years but comedy plus simply keeps you laughing every day.

Want your pet to feature in the Bloggers Pet Series?….. submit your critter here.

The Bloggers Pets Series
Plinko the puggle
Bailey the best dressed dog
Jane saved Jericho and Jericho saved Boo
Little Bit… The Huntin’ Dog…
Meet Moki
The Krusen 3