Second Chance and Underwater Dog Photos

Seth Casteel is the photographer of the fantastic “underwater dogs” photo series, which you can see at his website Little Friends. Check out these great images of dogs diving for toys underwater! Wired Magazine posted a profile and interview with Casteel here.

On February 9th, the photos mysteriously landed on Reddit, Facebook, Google+ and then Warholian, becoming one of the hottest trends amongst viewers on at least five or six continents.

More than 1,000 people all over the world have subsequently asked him to shoot photos of their pets. He’s got a line of publishing houses fighting to get the rights to his forthcoming book of underwater dog photos, and he’s made appearance on, or in, most major American news publications from the The New York Times to Good Morning America.

Casteel’s website also drives donations to the non-profit rescue site Second Chance Photos, whose mission is to create professional shots of adoptable dogs in order to give them a better shot at finding a home. You can see some compelling and heartbreaking before and after pictures at their site.

Apps to Keep Your Dog Healthy, Active and, Maybe, Quiet

This was a great article in the New York Times sent to us by Izzy’s mom! Enjoy!

by Bob Tedeschi

I’m part owner of a nervous little dog with a bark like an ice pick through my brain and a tendency to use that weapon at random, several times a day.

Pippi, who is officially my wife’s dog, also has a fondness for dark chocolate. And when we make the mistake of leaving it within her reach, her behavior approximates that of a barking cocaine addict. During those moments I sometimes wonder whether she might actually expire.

Smartphones can now answer that question with great precision and perform many other dog-related tasks because of apps like Pet First Aid ($4 on iPhone, $3 on Android) and PupTox ($1 on iPhone).

Others, like iSqueek ($2 on iPhone), Squeaky Fun Time (free on Android) and Dog Whistler (free on iPhone and Android) are meant to interact directly with your pet and may even help shorten your dog’s barking jags.

A third category of apps is meant to give your dog’s social life a little boost (as in the free Dog Park Finder for the iPhone) or let you leverage your pup to strengthen your own social network.

Here, DogBook is the one to watch. Free and only for the iPhone, this is the mobile version of the DogBook service on Facebook, which lets dog owners post profiles of their pets and connect with other canine lovers.

The app is promising, but flawed. You can search for Facebook friends who have also joined DogBook. But when I searched the list, very few had actually posted profiles of their dogs.

The app displays the profiles of your friends’ pets, but if my friends are any indication, these profiles offer limited (and not very entertaining) information. You can also view profiles of dogs who live near you, but because they belong to strangers, the information is even less interesting.

The search feature is marginally entertaining, though, because you can search for specific dog names and breeds and see how many people within a certain geographic area own animals like yours.

A more useful tool for socially minded dog owners is Dog Park Finder, which puts the content of DogGoes.com into a mobile-friendly format. The free version of the iPhone app shows the location of roughly 2,600 dog parks, including those closest to you. Dog Park Finder Plus ($2) adds about 2,500 dog-friendly hiking spots and beaches. (Hey Walkies, a highly rated and free iPhone app, offers similar features, but is limited to New York City users.)

What if you’re out with your dog and it eats something toxic, like, perhaps, someone’s stash of dark chocolate?

Here is where PupTox and, to a greater extent, Pet First Aid come in handy. The apps can save you from a frantic trip to the veterinarian’s office.

Pet First Aid offers users a list of hazardous substances for household pets and points out toxic elements you may otherwise overlook. Avocados and antifreeze, for instance, can be toxic for pets.

The list includes a section on chocolate, where you can calculate the lethal dosages for dogs of certain weights. The app further differentiates between milk chocolate and pure chocolate.

Pet First Aid includes a section for adding veterinary contacts and pet identifications, and lists vaccinations and other information. One of its developers is also the publisher of PetCPR.com, which offers pet health advice.

Far bigger online publishers are also pushing their content to mobile phones, including AOL, which produces the free Paw Nation. This polished, useful iPhone app is technically pet-agnostic, but the information skews heavily in the direction of dogs.

Users can choose from several categories of stories and videos, including pieces on animal nutrition and health, celebrity pets and question-and-answer sessions with veterinarians and specialists from the American Kennel Club.

Some recent features include advice for giving dogs ibuprofen and Benadryl, tips for owners of snoring canines and guidance on why a dog’s ears can get smelly. (Tips: smelly ears can be cured with medicine, but you’re more likely to need a surgeon to get rid of snoring.)

App developers haven’t built programs for your dog to play with your device, as they have done with cats. But iSqueek and Squeaky Fun Time are close, in that they can at least attract your dog’s attention.

ISqueek, for instance, includes interactive photos of 18 different squeaky toys. The toys were true to life and annoying. Perhaps predictably, Pippi was quickly drawn to the sound when I tapped the toys. Squeaky Fun Time offered uninspired graphics and less sound control, but it was free and the closest thing to iSqueek that I could find on the Android platform.

The app that held the most promise for me was, likewise, free. Dog Whistler emits high-pitched tones that you can tweak in various ways, especially on the iPhone version, so you can train your dog to, for instance, not threaten your sanity with incessant barking.

The app receives mixed reviews, so I was prepared for the worst. (As one iTunes reviewer wrote, “It doesn’t work on the dog, but it really annoys my brother.”)

I opened Dog Whistler and waited for my daughter’s school bus to unload in front of our house — a trigger for Pippi’s most frantic barking. When it did, and Pippi started growling, I pointed the iPhone at her and hit the whistle.

Man, did it hurt my ears, but it didn’t keep her from barking.

The Dog Who Knows 1,000 Words

“For one amazing dog, the words “sit,” “fetch,” and “roll over” aren’t the limits of her language — they’re only the beginning. Six-year-old female border collie Chaser has been trained by her owner to understand more than 1,000 words, along with simple sentences.”

Chaser and Neil deGrasse Tyson

“Chaser’s owner, John Pilley, has spent years training and testing the limits of her intelligence. The 82-year-old psychology professor used children’s toys and other objects to teach Chaser nouns, and she’s still learning new things.”

“The flexibility we see in dogs seems to be very similar to what you see in young children at a very important age in their development,” said animal researcher Brian Hare at the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences.

“Hare studies primates, including chimps and bonobos, which have shown the ability to learn sign language and solve sophisticated problems. But their learning is slow compared with Chaser’s ability to quickly learn and recall new words.”

Text from ABC: World’s Smartest Dog

See a GREAT video with  Neil deGrasse Tyson on NOVA Science Now

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Dogs and Fear Of Strangers

Dr. Sophia Yin

There’s a really well-written article on Dogster this month about how dogs perceive strangers and react to them. Particularly, the article is geared toward dogs with a fear of strangers (as well as aggression toward them) and how we as humans can help to shape and modify that fear response. Dr. Sophia Yin is the guest blogger, and even if your pup isn’t fearful or aggressive toward strangers, it’s really a great piece on stimulus and perception in dogs.

Here’s an excerpt and link:

Many humans can’t understand why their dogs would be afraid of them when they’re obviously making friendly human gestures. Turn the tables around and the picture becomes clear. Say you’re afraid of spiders and your friend shoves her pet tarantula in your face. If she simultaneously reassures you, “She’s a friendly tarantula. See her amicable expression?” or “She can’t cause harm, she’s just an innocent baby,” would you suddenly feel safe?

Dogs and Fear of Strangers

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Bunnies Made of Cheese

How to Teach Physics to Your Dog

Stumbled across this picture while looking for blog-stuff…. I like cheese, too! It’s from the blog of Chad Orzel, the author of How to Teach Physics to Your Dog, which looks like a very good dog/science/physics read.

http://scienceblogs.com/principles/2008/08/bunnies_made_of_cheese_the_sec.php

http://dogphysics.com/book_info.html

What’s That Dog Saying?

Ever wonder where some sayings come from? We recently picked out a bunch of saying related to dogs and tried to find their origins. Like, who knew ‘Three Dog Night’ is about curling up in bed with Siberian Huskies!? Here’s a few examples and links to lots more… post your own in the comments section!

DOG DAYS (of summer):  (Latin: diēs caniculārēs) are the hottest, most sultry days of summer. The name comes from the ancient belief that Sirius, also called the Dog Star, in close proximity to the sun was responsible for the hot weather. (2) (3)

DOG DAY AFTERNOON: this title is a derivation of the above. And maybe the best Al Pacino movie. Attica!

A DIRTY DOG:  The French say, Crotté comme un barbet (muddy or dirty as a poodle), whose hair, being very long, becomes filthy with mud and dirt. Generally speaking, “a dirty dog” is one morally filthy, and is applied to those who talk and act nastily. (1)

DOGS OF WAR:  The horrors of war, especially famine, sword, and fire. “And Cæsar’s spirit, ranging for revenge, With Até by his side, come hot from hell. Shall in these confines, with a monarch’s voice, Cry ‘Havoc,’ and let slip the dogs of war.” (1)

HAIR OF THE DOG THAT BIT YOU: When a man has had a debauch, he is advised to take next morning “a hair of the same dog,” in allusion to an ancient notion that the burnt hair of a dog is an antidote to its bite. (1)

DOG TIRED: is an old English phrase. It derives from an old tale of Alfred the Great who used to send his sons out with his extensive kennels of hunting dogs. Whichever of his sons, be it Athelbrod or Edwin, were able to catch more of the hounds would gain their father’s right hand side at the dinner table that evening. These chases would leave them ‘dog-tired’ yet merry at their victory! (4)

MY DOGS (feet) ARE BARKING (tired): “feet,” 1913, from rhyming slang dog’s meat. (5 ) Also: Dogs – usually plural, a person’s foot or feet, as in “shake one’s dogs” meaning dance or “barking dogs.” Citations from T.A. Dorgan, in N.Y. Eve. Jour., 1913: “Waitin’ for my sore dog to heal up.” And dogs as shoes, 1914: “He’s been (shining) those old dogs for an hour now.” Another citation: “A Marine never calls a foot anything but a dog. 1919, Ladies Home Journal, September. 1966, “My dogs are barking.” 1966, “T. Pendleton,” Iron Orchard. From “Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang, Volume 1, A-G” by J.E. Lighter, Random House, New York, 1994. Page 616. (6 )

EVERY DOG HAS HIS DAY:  In Latin, “Hodie mihi, cras tibi.” “Nunc mihi, nunc tibi, benigna.” In German, “Heute mir, morgen dir.” You may crow over me to-day, but my turn will come by-and-by. The Latin proverb, “Hodie mihi,” etc., means, “I died to-day, your turn will come in time.” The other Latin proverb means, fortune visits every man once. She favours me now, but she will favour you in your turn. “Thus every dog at last will have his day— He who this morning smiled, at night may sorrow; the grub to-day’s a butterfly to-morrow.” (1)

THREE DOG NIGHT:  So cold you would need three dogs in bed with you to keep warm. Many sources suggest that the origin is from the Australian outback.  A more academic source (and therefore perhaps more authoritative), Climate Change in Prehistory published by Cambridge University Press, names the Chukchi, “who live in the far east of Siberia” and who are “renowned for having bred the Siberian husky” as the originators. Also, the band of that name had three lead singers. (7)

A WHOLE BUNCH OF DOG PHRASE ORIGINS: http://www.metaphordogs.org/Dogs/contents.html

SOURCES:

1. http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Brewer%27s_Dictionary_of_Phrase_and_Fable/Dog

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_Days

3. http://maps.thefullwiki.org/Dog_Days

4. http://www.cpaphilblog.com/2010/02/postcard-friday-55-sleepyhead.html

5. http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=dogs+are+barking&searchmode=none

6. http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/59/messages/486.html

7. http://www.metaphordogs.org/Dogs/entries/threedog.html

Why Dogs Love Us

Saw this article in PAWS Chicago magazine ( http://www.pawschicago.org/ ) and thought it had a lot of great information.

The author is Robert J. Bliwise and the article originally appeared in DUKE Magazine

http://dukemagazine.duke.edu/

Here’s an excerpt and a link to the full article:

http://www.dukemagazine.duke.edu/issues/010210/hare2.html

“Dogs love us,” Hare says. “They’re obsessed with humans. They’re fascinated with us, and they’ve been bred to be so. It’s a little bit artificial for me to have a social interaction with a chimpanzee and make conclusions about its social cognition. With a dog, the best social stimulus you can have is a human.”

But humans haven’t necessarily been adept at understanding dogs, a phenomenon that presents a scientific opportunity. “Where dogs have been selected to be obsessed with humans, humans have not been selected to be obsessed with dogs,” he says. “When I’m with my dog, he’s watching me constantly. He wants to be in the same room. He wants to know where I’m going, he wants to know what I’m doing, he wants to know what I’m touching. I’m not watching him that way. That means I miss a lot of stuff that he’s doing.”

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Dawg House Fall 2009 Newsletter

In this issue:

• New Dawgs
• HSSA Adoption Center Grand Opening Party 
• Can dogs get the H1N1 swine flu?
• Good Dog, Smart Dog
• Holiday Dog  Hazards
• Dawg House Boarding On-and-Off-Site

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It’s New Dawgs Time! Let’s hear it for all the wonderful new members of our pack: Rayne (Lab mix), Nova (Great Dane), Pierre (Poodle – Chloe’s new brother!), Paris (mix), Nation (Pit mix), Quincy (Golden Doodle), Uli (mix), Hairy (Jack Russell), Silver (Siberian Husky), Lizzy (Aussie), Khaki and Onyx (Great Danes), Pinto (Aussie), Carter (Pit mix), Izzy (Yorkie / Maltese), Star (Lab mix), Chaco (Lab mix), and Matti (Cockapoo). WOOF! Welcome to the pack!

 If we forgot you, please let us know!

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The Humane Society of Southern Arizona has been rescuing, protecting, and saving pets in Tucson for over 65 years. Now, for the first time ever, HSSA has expanded with a new satellite location. We are proud to introduce our new Adoption Center and pet merchandise store at Park Place Mall with a grand opening celebration Saturday Nov. 21st.
 
Please join us in celebrating our new location, where fashion and shopping meets furry friendships, at Park Place Mall in the South East corner near Sears. The celebration starts at 11:00 a.m. and continues until 5:00 p.m. 

Dawg House will have a booth at this event, so come down, support the HSSA and say hi! We’ll see you there.

http://www.hssaz.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5851&security=1021&news_iv_ctrl=-1

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H1N1 and Dogs

So far, there are documented cases of ferrets, turkeys, pigs and a cat who have contracted the H1N1 (‘Swine Flu’) virus from humans. The cat recovered; there was one reported ferret death. There have been, however, no reported cases of dogs with H1N1 yet.

That doesn’t mean they might not get it, eventually, so normal precautions should be taken if you have any sort of illness in your home. Viruses compromise immune systems in all living organisms, so you want to be careful when sypmtoms arise in you or your pets. Many of the sites we visited for research on this topic recommend that at home you should be washing your hands, covering your face when you sneeze and cough, and if you are ill, you should try to keep your pets from sleeping in your room or on your bed (if that’s possible!)

From the American Veterinary Medical Association Website:

So far, there haven’t been any reports of dogs infected with the 2009 H1N1 flu virus. Based on what’s been reported, ferrets and one cat – and probably dogs, if they can become infected with the virus – have shown signs of respiratory illness. These signs can include lethargy, loss of appetite, fever, runny nose and/or eyes, sneezing, coughing, or changes in breathing (including difficulty breathing).

Keep in mind that dogs currently have their own flu virus, the H3N8 influenza (canine influenza) virus, going around. So far, this flu virus has only been spread from dog to dog. Dogs infected with the canine influenza virus show the same symptoms as dogs with kennel cough – fever, lethargy, loss of appetite, coughing, and maybe a runny nose.

http://www.avma.org/public_health/influenza/new_virus/new_flu_virus_faq.asp

Similar information is posted on the ASPCA website:

http://www.aspca.org/pressroom/press-releases/042909-2.html

Here’s a link to the CDC (Center for Disease Control) post regarding dogs and H1N1:

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/canine/

And several others:

http://vetmedicine.about.com/b/2009/09/18/can-my-dog-or-cat-get-swine-flu.htm

http://consults.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/can-pets-get-swine-flu/

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1934826,00.html

http://www.dogster.com/newsletter/index.php?i=166

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illustration by Ross Macdonald

 A recent article in the New York Times caught our attention. “Good Dog, Smart Dog” by Sarah Kershaw presents a ton of great insight in a short article about service dogs, dog intelligence, and research focused on a deeper understanding of how dogs perceive the world.

“By giving dogs language learning and other tests devised for infants and toddlers, Dr. Coren has come up with an intelligence ranking of 100 breeds, with border collies at No. 1. He says the most intelligent breeds (poodles, retrievers, Labradors and shepherds) can learn as many as 250 words, signs and signals, while the others can learn 165. The average dog is about as intellectually advanced as a 2- to 2-and-a-half-year-old child, he has concluded, with an ability to understand some abstract concepts. For example, the animal can get ”the idea of being a dog” by differentiating photographs with dogs in them from photographs without dogs.”

It’s no secret that dogs have certain senses and abilities that we as humans do not. They see the world in a completely different way than we do, and yet we often judge their intelligence on how it compares to our own. We put very little effort into interpreting the world as dogs perceive it, but how much effort do we make to comminucate with dogs on their terms? How mute we must seem to them sometimes, when we don’t smell what they smell, hear what they hear, or show them the patience in all things that they show us. Dogs are smart, but they are also wise.

More on this article and subject in a recent post from one of our fave blogs:

http://thedogcomeswith.blogspot.com/2009/11/my-dog-thinks-like-2-year-old-human.html

The original NYT article:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0DE1DC1731F932A35752C1A96F9C8B63

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Holiday Hazards for Dawgs

Each year we try to outline some of the holiday-related toxins that dawgs should stay away from. It’s tempting to give our pets lots of treats (especially when we’re getting so many!), but the fact is, certain people foods (and other holiday items) can be hazardous to their health! 

 The usual dog-toxin suspects we list each year include: 

• Bones (no Turkey bones, Ham bones, Chicken bones etc.)  They can lacerate or obstruct your pets insides–use them for making stock, not as a treat for your pet.
• Animal Fat (undigestable); plus too many fatty, rich or new types of food can give your pet pancreatitis or gastroenteritis; two medical conditions that can be painful and even life threatening.
• Gravy / Butter / Dairy (a little turkey broth is OK!)
• Chocolate / Nuts
•  Garbage / Tin Foil / Plastic Bags (always tasty but toxic)–they can also cause a bowel obstruction.
• Poinsettas, Holly, Mistletoe, Cedar (trees) – all toxic
• Alcohol / Coffee
• Onions/Onion Powder (often found in stuffings, will destroy red blood cells and cause anemia 
• Raisins / Grapes contain a toxin that can cause kidney problems in both cats and dogs.
• Also make sure your pet has a quiet retreat during the hectic festivities that may be overwhelming–give him/her a break if they appear stressed.

More detailed info can be found online:

http://www.petclassroom.com/toxictodogs.shtml

 http://www.vetinfo.com/dtoxin.html

http://www.dogster.com/newsletter/index.php?i=167

http://www.nsalamerica.org/pet-tips/thanksgiving-pet-tips.html

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Dawg House Boarding

It appears that Dawg House is FINALLY ready to offer onsite boarding, starting at the beginning of December.  We will continue to offer in home boarding as well, but even our onsite boarding will be pretty cushy. We will limit the boarding to no more than 10 dogs, which gives each dog a lot of specialized attention.

Dogs that are being boarded onsite at Dawg House (we have a WHOLE section of the building that most of you haven’t even seen!) will include the dogs being in daycare during the day, and will stay in a Great Dane sized crate overnight, which should be perfect for them to collapse into after they’ve played all day!

This gives our clients comfort, knowing that they can check in on them during the day on our webcam, and knowing that they won’t be locked up in a run for extended periods of time.

We also will continue to require that you supply food from home, so your pup won’t have any gastroenterological disruption (bad tummy!).  Plus, you are always welcome to supply whatever else you would want your pup to have while he/she is away from you—their favorite teddy bear, their bed, a kong.

We also, of course, will give (or apply) any medications that the dogs will need during their stay free of charge.

The pricing structure for our boarding will be as follows:

For our in home boarding: The price will remain at $35 per 24 hour period, and that includes daycare.  We will continue to only board dogs that we know well (regular daycare clients), and also will continue to limit the number to ensure their happiness and to ensure that we have enough room in our house! 

For on site boarding: The cost for will be: $30.We will board dogs that aren’t regular daycare clients, but because they will be in daycare all day long with our regulars, they will have to pass a temperament evaluation, be spayed/neutered by 6 months of age, and provide full vaccination records. 

If the dogs are picked up before 9:00am on they day they are going home, no daycare rate will apply. After the 9:00am pickup time, the charge will be either half or a whole day of daycare on top of the boarding charge.

We’re really excited about getting this started and we look forward to offering this extension of our services to you all.

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“If you would understand this secret, you must first understand the distinction between training an animal and educating one. Trained animals are relatively easy to turn out. All that is required is a book of instructions, a certain amount of bluff and bluster, something to use for threatening and punishing purposes, and of course the animal. Educating an animal, on the other hand, demands keen intelligence, integrity, imagination, and the gentle touch, mentally, vocally, and physically.”

J. Allen Boone, Kinship with All Life

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Thanks for reading – send your suggestions for future newsletters and posts!

Your friends,

Erica, Christopher, Benjamin and Finnegan

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More Dog Books and Articles!

We recently ran across a good book and an article about dog behavior and of course we thought of you. ♥

Inside of a Dog was featured in the NYT Book Review last week and we really liked the way it approaches dog behavior through science, and uses that information to try and describe to us the way a dog experiences the world.

Not only are we not always smelling, but when we do notice a smell it is usually because it is a good smell, or a bad one: it’s rarely just a source of information. We find most odors either alluring or repulsive; few have the neutral character that visual perceptions do. We savor or avoid them. My current world seems relatively odorless. But it is most decidedly not free of smell. Our own weak olfactory sense has, no doubt, limited our curiosity about what the world smells like. A growing coalition of scientists is working to change that–and what they have found about olfactory animals, dogs included, is enough to make us envy those nose-creatures. As we see the world, the dog smells it. The dog’s universe is a stratum of complex odors. The world of scents is at least as rich as the world of sight.

 Inside of a Dog by Alexandra Horowitz:

http://insideofadog.com/index.php

 

In Time Magazine,  Brian Hare, assistant professor of evolutionary anthropology at Duke University is featured in ”The Secrets Inside Your Dog’s Mind,” a fascinating look at how we have co-evolved with dogs:

Once dogs became comfortable in our company, humans began to speed up dogs’ social evolution. They may have started by giving extra food to helpful dogs–ones that barked to warn of danger, say. Dogs that paid close attention to humans got more rewards and eventually became partners with humans, helping with hunts or herding other animals. Along the way, the dogs’ social intelligence became eerily like ours, and not just in their ability to follow a pointed finger. Indeed, they even started to make very human mistakes.

This is a terrific overview of that field of study, and on the website there are lots of great videos and links to other dog articles: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1921614-1,00.html

Good stuff for your brain!

NPR Going To The Dogs

There was a good interview last week on NPR’s Fresh Air with Michael Shaffer, the author of a new book about dog culture. Here’s some info and a link to the stream/podcast on NPR. We thought it was pretty good. Enjoy! 

From the Fresh Air podcast, April 1, 2009 :

In his new book One Nation Under Dog, Schaffer takes a close look at the $43 billion industry that’s grown to help enable that obsession, explaining how that booming market reflects our evolving ideas of consumerism, family, politics and domesticity. But One Nation Under Dog is no dry industry analysis: It’s a book, as Schaffer explains, that’s meant “to say as much about how contemporary humans live as it does about the modern lives of dogs and cats.”

Schaffer has worked as a writer and an editor at the Washington City Paper, U.S. News and World Report and The Philadelphia Inquirer.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102594087

http://michaelschaffer.net/