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4 Reasons You Shouldn’t Let Your Dog Lick Your Face and 2 Reasons You Should
BONDING WITH YOUR DOG | By Cecily Sailer
You’ve just come home after a long day at the office to find that special lady who’s always happy to see you, and she’s practically jumping out of her skin with excitement because you’re home. Her tail’s wagging, her body’s wiggling, and her tongue’s flapping. This is love! And with love comes a slurp on the face.
If it looks, feels, and smells like love, a dog kiss has gotta be a good thing, right? Well, let’s keep in mind that dogs lead very different lifestyles. They don’t brush their teeth or see a dentist. They’ve never touched mouthwash or enjoyed a breath mint. But despite having a different approach to hygiene, your dog’s smooched your face hundreds of times. Can there really be any harm in it?
Though nearly everyone survives a dog kiss, there are a few health issues you might consider the next time your dog comes at you tongue blazing. First, four reasons to skip the kiss, and two reasons to accept it.
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Video: These 6 tips will help keep your pets safe in the summer heat
10 Secrets Your Dog Isn’t Telling You
Modern Dog Magazine: Ten doggy secrets you should know
#1 I’m not just taking my time
There is a reason why dogs spin around before going to the bathroom and it has nothing to do with endeavouring to make you late for work. A study published in the journal Frontiers in Zoology found that dogs poop in alignment with Earth’s magnetic field. After observing 70 dogs—made up of 37 breeds—over two years, a clear preference for an alignment with the north-south axis was documented, with the east-west avoided. Just why they instinctually prefer this positioning for defecation and how exactly they perceive the magnetic field is still unclear, but at least we know what all that spinning around is about. So patience, please. Genius at work.
#2 Different dogs prefer different types of beds
When choosing a bed for me, please pay attention to how I sleep. If I like to curl up, I’d probably love a bumper bed, but if I usually sleep with my legs sticking straight out, I’d prefer a flat bed without sides or bolsters. Also, many dogs also like to have a blanket to cover themselves up with. Just sayin’.
#3 Just because I’m wagging my tail…
…doesn’t mean I’m friendly or in a good mood. We dogs also sometimes wag our tails when we’re agitated, annoyed or angry. Pay attention to my tail’s positioning. A loose, hip-swaying, wiggly, side-to-side wag usually means I’m happy to see you, whereas a tail held high and stiff that’s rigidly wagging means I am in a state of high excitement or agitation. Also look for tense muscles, particularly in the face, dilated pupils and pinned ears—these are not signs of a relaxed dog.
#4 I like to be challenged
We dogs are smart and we like games that make us think. We would appreciate you hiding cookies around the house for us to find, giving us smart toys to play with, and taking us to new places so we have novel environs to explore.
#5 Please, please don’t overfeed me
The latest study by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention found that 53 percent of U.S. dogs were overweight or obese. All that extra weight leads to an increased risk of arthritis, heart disease, and cancer, among other ailments, so please don’t free feed us. We won’t monitor our own intake so give us an appropriately sized high quality breakfast and dinner. When choosing a dog food, look for whole meats in the ingredients list—lamb, beef, turkey, chicken—as opposed to, say, turkey meal. Whole grains are better than by-products and foods preserved with vitamin E and vitamin C, sometimes labeled as mixed tocopherols, are much preferable to those with chemical preservatives. And dogs definitely don’t need artificial colors or flavors—those are there to appeal to you!
#6 I may be old but I still need companionship and age-appropriate exercise
Yes, I sleep more (please move my bed somewhere that I have my space but am still part of things) but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be roused for an after dinner stroll. I can also learn new tricks. That old adage about old dogs? Patently untrue. Modern Dog’s Creative Director taught her ten-year-old Dachshund, Esther, to sneeze on command. It took a few minutes over a few days and is now Esther’s favourite party trick. (It’s all about capturing and rewarding the behaviour—every time your dog happens to sneeze, say “good sneeze” and give her a treat.)
#7 Access to the backyard does not replace a walk
Dogs are pack animals and like to be with their people. If left outside, we’re most likely just sitting and waiting for you to return and let us back indoors where we can be part of the action.
#8 I’m not just being bad…
I’m bored! Studies have found dogs, on average, posses the intellect of a human two-year-old, and we can all imagine how much trouble a toddler left to their own devices all day could get up to (read: disaster). So if I’m barking, jumping or wrecking things, chances are I need a lot more exercise and attention. Please unplug and take me to the dog park or spend a minute brushing up on my trick repertoire (cookies a welcome addition).
#9 If you’re a stranger…
Let me approach you. If you crouch down a short distance from me and glance off to the side, I will be much happier and more relaxed approaching on my own terms than if you reach your hand down into my face, an action that may make me nervous or might appear threatening.
#10 I am a creature of habit and I like consistency…
…particularly where training is concerned. If you let me up on the couch sometimes, I will not understand that I cannot be up there all the time. If my habits suddenly and drastically change, please take me to the vet; a sudden change in behaviour is often indicative of an underlying medical issue.
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Drill Instructor For PUPPIES
St. Louis designers and their dogs
Design STL!
BY JEN ROBERTS May/June 2018
PHOTO BY KEVIN A. ROBERTS
At home or in the office, man’s and woman’s best friend proves that two are better than one.
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Dazzling photos capture bald eagle stealing fox’s dinner
New York Post By Chris Perez May 23, 2018
This hungry fox didn’t know his dinner was “to go.”
Nature photographer Kevin Ebi captured these incredible before-and-after shots of a bald eagle swooping down and snatching up the prey of an unsuspecting red fox. The competing carnivores at one point engaged in a midair tug of war — which ended with the fox back on the ground minus his meal.
Ebi managed to get the confrontation on camera while shooting in the San Juan Island National Historical Park in Washington state.
“There is no question that bald eagles are skilled hunters,” said the 44-year-old fotog. “But they’re also masters of something scientists call kleptoparasitism: the art of stealing food from others.”
Ebi told Caters News Agency that the eagle-vs.-fox battle was “even more impressive” due to the fact that it was “played out more than 20 feet in the air.” He called the bird’s rabbit swipe “an especially dramatic act of thievery.”
“I thought the fox would drop the rabbit, giving the eagle an easy dinner,” Ebi said. “When the fox was back on the ground, my first instinct was to look at it through my lens, capturing images to see if it was injured. I was glad to see that it was OK.”
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24 Pets Died Flying With U.S. Carriers Last Year. 18 Were On United.
Department of Transportation data show that 18 pets died last year in United’s cargo program.
News that a dog died aboard a United Airlines flight on Monday has renewed interest in the airline’s track record of safely transporting animals.
According to data from the Department of Transportation, United Airlines had the highest number of animal deaths and injuries for any U.S. carrier in 2017. The data pertain only to pets that flew with the airline’s PetSafe cargo program, so it does not relate to the incident Monday in which a dog died after a passenger was reportedly forced to put her pet in its carrier in the overhead bin during a flight from Houston to New York. Pets that fly in-cabin are typically meant to be stowed underneath the seat in front of the owner.
The airline issued a statement Tuesday saying it took full responsibility for the “tragic accident” and said it was conducting a full investigation. But United spokesperson Charlie Hobart said medical experts indicate that an overwhelming number of deaths amid pets who flew in the cargo area last year were due to things beyond the airline’s control, such as preexisting medical conditions.
“Any time there’s a death or an incident, United does a thorough review,” Hobart said. “We reach out to the customer, offer our support and condolences, and we work to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.”
About a year ago, United was criticized after a giant bunny, which was expected to be named the world’s largest rabbit, died in its cargo area.
The Transportation Department numbers indicate how United shapes up with its competitors ― and the comparison doesn’t look good. The airline flew the most pets of any airline in 2017 through the PetSafe cargo program ― 138,178. Eighteen pets died and 13 suffered injuries. Clearly the vast majority of animals that flew reached their destinations without incident.
One might think that more pets flown would inevitably translate into a higher number of animal deaths. However, the rate of pet deaths on United Airlines was also more than double that of the airline with the second highest frequency of pet fatalities, American Airlines. The same report from years past indicated that United also had the highest number of pet deaths in 2016 and 2015.
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2018 Second Chances Telethon
Snuggle up on the couch with your furry friends for a full hour of inspiring stories of animal rescue, rehabilitation and recovery on 5 On Your Side (KSDK channel 5)! Join us on Thursday, April 12 as your favorite 5 On Your Side personalities bring us heartwarming stories of animal rescue, rehabilitation and adoption, made possible by HSMO’s dedicated staff, volunteers, and supporters just like you. You’ll also get valuable information about the services the Humane Society of Missouri and the Animal Medical Center of Mid-America provide to tens of thousands of people and their pets across the state of Missouri.
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Giant Dog Approaches Little Girl In Hospital Bed…
Published on Mar 19, 2018 YouTube 234,253 views
Bella and George are inseparable, and for good reason! Bella is an enthusiastic 11-year-old who was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition called Morquio Syndrome. As Bella gets older, her mobility becomes more and more restricted and there’s not a solid treatment plan that can ever get it back. Years ago, doctors warned Bella and her family that walking would soon be out of the question – but they weren’t about to give up! That’s when they looked into getting Bella a service dog and was led into the loving paws of George.
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