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Posted on March 11, 2010
Yes, I do have a good reason for slacking. My husband is about to deploy. I will be back to the regular posts shortly after.
Posted on March 1, 2010
Remember Charli?
I posted her pictures last week. We took her in after Animal Control picked her and another boxer up somewhere in town. I was told that she is scared out of her mind and just needs to get out of the shelter until a rescue picks her up or we can find an adopter. She obviously has had one or more litters before, so they assumed she came from a puppy mill.
I have never dealt with or heard any details about dogs from a puppy mill before, so what I expects was a shy dog. Not this! We’ve had her for a week now and if I get her out of the door into the backyard on my first try I’m excited. I’m going to be honest, it is frustrating. And after I get mad at her and realize it is not her fault and getting mad just makes it worse then I get mad at whoever did this to her. REALLY mad. Like I want to cry and hurt that person. A LOT.
For everyone who also has not dealt with a dog like this before, let me give you a couple of examples. Charli has no idea that this world out there is fun, that other dogs are to play with and that people want to love her. She runs almost every time we approach her, if anyone else comes over she hides only God knows where. She is scared to walk on our kitchen floor, because she learned right away that she will slide in case she has to run away really quick. She won’t walk out of the back or front door unless we all (meaning me and all other dogs) go out there. She won’t come back in if anyone is standing within ten feet of the door and definitely not if that person is turned toward her or is looking at her. When we take her on walks (after she didn’t throw herself around like an alligator anymore) she only walks behind ALL of the people that come with. Once in a great while she will attempt to run with the other dogs only to look back after a few steps and realize that she ran in front of us and has to get back into her place ASAP (makes me wonder if the theory of dogs having to walk behind their owners just means the dog is scared out of his mind about what would happen if he doesn’t). And she has absolutely no idea what praise is. Kind words and treats are lost on her and she likes to be petted but first you have to get close enough to be able to touch her.
If I would have done a little more research on puppy mill dogs before, I probably would have spared me the frustration… or at least expected it. Here is what the ASPCA write about what to expect if you adopt a puppy mill dog: “It’s not uncommon for an unsocialized dog to hide under a couch or table for days or even weeks at a time, only coming out to eat and drink at night.” Compared to that Charli is a brave little soul.
So how can you help fight puppy mills:
1. DO NOT EVER BUY FROM A PET STORE unless you know the dogs are coming from a rescue group. And if they do they will NOT cost several hundred or even thousands of dollars.
2. Adopt!
3. If you want to buy from a breeder, make sure he/she is responsible.
4. Be careful about offers on the internet. Instead check petfinder.com where tons of humane society advertise their dogs.
Find more details about how to fight puppy mills on the ASPCA website.
More information about puppy mills can be found here on the ASPCA website.
Posted on February 28, 2010
There were two hints today that make believe very strongly that Spring is on its way. And please don’t tell me otherwise, because I need to get out of this winter depression!
So, in search of good news I bravely went to weather.com today and found clue no. ONE: several days with sun and 50 degrees in our near future. And then clue no. TWO: after a long time of only one paw on the daily “Comfort Index” for pets I finally saw TWO. And I have proof. Please allow me draw your attention to this unshapely red circle I drew for you over there on the right!
I’m simply going to ignore that the comfort index for Weatherford, TX, where I lived only a year ago, is four paws…
Want to get the PetCast for your town? Go here and enter your zipcode. It is also going to tell you the best times to walk your dog. What a handy feature for the hot summer! (or cold winter, but we are not using this word anymore!!!)
Posted on February 21, 2010
Last night I got a little decorating idea, which included cleaning up and painting the area where I feed the dogs. So this morning, as I have to get up at EIGHT AM to supervise my dogs and the new CRAZY skittish foster, I went online to look for dog bowls that fit my idea. And I came across this website that some might see to be a little over the top, but I think it is still acceptable (if you ignore the dog strollers). Expensive, as in: I will loningly stare at most of their items, but super cool! The website is called The Premium Pet, check it out sometime. I’m gonna go back to drooling all over my keyboard now.
Posted on February 17, 2010
I know I suck… I missed the Tuesday pet product post. And I promise I even have something to write about, I just did not have the time to do it. Because I took a well needed four days off from my computer and went skiing in Colorado. So much fun! And then I come back here to all of the cold but none of the snow. The dog parks are still deserted. My facial muscles move r-e-a-l-l-y slow. And I remember that deep down i am a summer child. My office is painted yellow and I reminisc over picture like the one below. I love snow, but that is pretty much all I like about the winter. So I’m desperately longing for the first green buds everywhere. Every time the sun comes out I open all of our doors thinking THIS IS IT! Finally it’s spring! But no, of course not. It’s only February. So until we get the chance for lovely spring puppy pictures I hope this picture of pure summer joy can tide you over!
And for next Tuesday I promise a double post of my two new favorite etsy stores. Believe me, you will want to read it, because I believe I found a treat pouch close to perfect!
Posted on February 14, 2010
So I finally decided to decorate my office with a few doggy pictures. And the first one is Max, the super sweet English Bulldog. I was really excited to get my large print this week. Because the time when the only way to display beautiful photographs was in frames is so over! My favorite, very simple and very elegant option are mounted prints. This one, on 2mm styrene, is the thinnest mount you can do on this size (20″x30″). I hope I’ll be able to show you the bigger options, too. They are all beautiful and ready to hang up. To be honest, I hang the styrene prints with simple double sided power strips. Easy to hang, easy to remove and no holes in the wall.
Posted on February 10, 2010
One of my favorite doggy supply websites is SitStay.com! Hands down. Because before they sell anything, especially dog food and treats, they will talk to the manufacturers to make sure it is good for the dogs. They test and tri before they sell and whatever they wouldn’t give to their own dogs they won’t sell either. How about that for feeling good about what you buy?
But SitStay.com does not only sell great dog products. Besides their forum and newsletter, they’ve also got a great blog, written by Darcy Turner. She is the president of SitStay.com and has had her share of experience with dogs and dog products for many years. In fact, her blog was one of the influences that made me question the dog food I feed and after some more research I was led to change Mac’s food to the better. Yesterday she shared her opinion on the dog treat Pup-peroni. I personally am in love with baking my own treats, but if you don’t have the time to do so pay SitStay.com a visit to find plenty of great treats that your dog will love!
Here’s Darcys opinion:
“Dear Darcy, What do you think of Pup-Peroni? (name withheld by request)
Hi Everybody, In my opinion, it’s not a good thing to put into a dog’s body.
Clever and heart warmingly emotional advertising works, we all know that. But will people who love their dogs bet their dog’s life on it?
I’m glad to see that most online pet food makers and supply stores have recently started adding ingredient lists, even the biggest stores are doing it now. You know that they are hoping the majority of pet owners stay in the dark and uneducated about what’s in that stuff and what it will do to a dog or that they won’t care and they’ll keep buying it.
Not all food and treat makers are made of the same cloth. Some really do care about the health and quality of your dog’s life and use only the best ingredients that they can, those are the ones you’ll see at SitStay.com. Ingredient lists will tell you so much about character, ethics and morality.
If you feed your dogs junk, you will be giving your money to the vet to try to make them well again, even to trying to save their lives from infections, kidney disease, heart failure, aggressive behavior, obesity, tooth decay.
Google.com the words “Pup-Peroni ingredients” to see first, who sells it and promotes it, and second, what is being reported about it. I was shocked to find which websites are promoting Pup-Peroni, I didn’t think it of them. Some of the stores who are selling it have always sold this kind of stuff so no surprises there but really, some of those sites who I thought were really here for the dogs seem to have caved to the almighty dollar. It’s simply hard for some to turn down a lot of money no matter the outcome. I find it very sad.
Del Monte’s Pup-Peroni Ingredients: Beef, Meat by-Products, Soy Grits, Sugar, Liver, Salt, Propylene Glycol, Garlic Powder, Caramel Color, Natural Smoke Flavor, Potassium Sorbate (used as a preservative), Sodium Nitrite (for color retention), Red 40, BHA (used as a preservative), Onion Extract. Guaranteed Analysis: Crude Protein 24%, Crude Fat 12%, Crude Fiber 2%, Moisture 24%
Del Monte spend $8 million dollars to get you to buy Pup-Peroni. Added sugar, Onion, Sodium Nitrite, flavors, colors, BHA. Ack. Don’t we all know by now that these things are not good for dogs? After Del Monte had to recall food in the 2007 recalls, I’d think they’d research and go the good direction, it was a perfect time to reinvent themselves as the good guys. You’ll have to write to Del Monte to ask if they use the 4D meats: dead, down, dying and diseased in their foods. I can’t find anything that will prove for or against that. Susan Thixton, in an article speaking of Pup-Peroni, wrote: “Meat by-Products. This is a rendered meat ingredient commonly used in ´grocery store´ type pet foods and treats. The FDA determined this ingredient to be a probable source of pentobarbital, a lethal drug used to euthanize animals. Thus, this pet food/pet treat ingredient more than likely contains rendered euthanized animals and the lethal drug used to kill them.”
According to the FDA, the drug pentobarbital used to euthanize animals follows the animal all the way through the process of making dog food out of them and into your home and into your dog. Drugs.com states: “Pentobarbital is in a group of drugs called barbiturates (bar-BIT-chur-ates). Pentobarbital slows the activity of your brain and nervous system. Pentobarbital is used short-term to treat insomnia. Pentobarbital is also used as an emergency treatment for seizures, and to cause you to fall asleep for surgery. Pentobarbital may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.”
Here’s a survey and aside from all the disclaimers keeping the FDA out of trouble with manufacturing, it’s a lot of worrisome info: FDA Survey The FDA concluded at some point that your dog ingesting foods and treats that have pentobarbital in them are unlikely to cause adverse health effects. Hmm. I find that so interesting. Just how much would they have to eat and over how much time until there were adverse health effects? There is some research on the amounts but what about my individual dog? How much is okay for him? There’s no conclusive proof that I can find that tells me it’s safe and will help keep my dog well. Far from it.
Check out the makers making it and the stores selling it and see if you still want to do your business with them. Character of a company means so much. – Darcy
P.S. Del Monte also make Kibbles ‘n Bits and Milk bone. Here’s the OMG!
Kibbles ‘n Bits Ingredient list: corn, soybean meal, beef and bone meal, ground wheat flour, animal fat (bha used as preservative), corn syrup, wheat middlings, water sufficient for processing, animal digest (source of chicken flavor), propylene glycol, salt, hydrochloric acid, potassium chloride, caramel color, sorbic acid (used as a preservative), sodium carbonate, minerals (ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, manganous oxide, copper sulfate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite), choline chloride, vitamins (vitamin E supplement, vitamin A supplement, niacin supplement, D-calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement), calcium sulfate, titanium dioxide, yellow 5, yellow 6, red 40, BHA (used as a preservative), dl methionine.
Milk Bone: Ingredients: Wheat flour, wheat bran, beef meal and beef bone meal, wheat germ, beef fat (preserved with tocopherols), poultry-by-product meal, lamb meal, salt, chicken meal, dried beet pulp, dicalcium phosphate, bacon fat (preserved with BHT, propyl-gallate, and citric acid), brewers dried yeast, whey, artificial color (includes red 40, yellow 5, blue 1), vitamins (choline chloride, dl-alpha tocopheryl acetate [vitamin e], vitamin a acetate, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, vitamin b12 supplement, d-activated animal sterol [/source]), malted barley flour, iron oxide, casein, natural flavor (source of peanut butter flavor), sodium metabisulfite (dough conditioner), minerals (zinc sulfate, calcium carbonate, copper sulfate, ethylenediamine dihydriodide [source 1="iodine" language="of"]), soy lecithin.
As an added bit for people who will read the bad news, Google the words “FDA pentobarbital”. Apparently to this day, and it doesn’t surprise me or others in the know, some dog food companies are still adding animals who have been euthanized with pentobarbital to their foods. Pentobarbital follows from the live animal into death and into food, intact. Generally before an animal is enthanized, it was ill or diseased and full of drugs and antibiotics to try for a cure. Then the pentobarbital shot to end the suffering.”
To stay updated on Darcy’s blog, just became a friend of SitStay.com on facebook!
Posted on February 3, 2010
If you are a dog owner in or around Manhattan, KS, the Manhattan Aquarium Co. needs to be on your list of visits for this coming Saturday (Feb. 6th). As every other Saturday, the Riley County Humane Society is holding their adoption day from 10am to 2pm. But on top of that Hagin Photography is taking Valentines pictures with your pet and we are selling home made dog treats for which your best friend will give you two paws up!
All proceedings will go to the Riley County Humane Society. We will be there from 11:30 until we run out of treats or 5pm at the latest. So mark your calendars and come see us!
Posted on January 27, 2010
Okay, all of you who live in and around Manhattan, I need your help!
I am in touch with some people who are planning to build a dog park in Manhattan. And it could already happen THIS year! The only problem are some people who cannot decide on a location. And that is where I need your help: There is a great location at the Cico Park (off Kimball Ave.). The ball park there is not being used anymore and would provide a great area for a dog park. It already has fencing, bathroom, parking lots, irrigation, a playground, picnic shelters and lighting (for night fun!). Plus, the pool nearby is being redone this year as well, so this could turn into a great area for families!
Now I need the voices of people who want this park there, too! Especially you guys who live close to this area (Northview area, and anything west of Tuttle Creek Blvd.). If you want to help to get this done asap, comment below this post with your email address (which will not be published) or email me directly to nadja@modernmuttshots.com! We could have sooo much fun!
Posted on January 24, 2010
I really wanted to introduce our new foster, Josie, to you this weekend. But it looks like she has already a new home lined up for her. Good for Josie… and we will just wait for the next foster to brag about 
