7 habits of wonderful pet parents

I admit it. I’m “one of those dog moms”. You know, the ones that are crazy about their dogs and love to talk about dogs, and schedule their lives around their dogs? That’s me. My dogs are my life- they’re my fur-kids and my source of joy and comfort.

After I lost my Great Dane and best friend Truman to doggie cancer, I was devastated. I never thought I’d recover and surely never believed I could love another dog. Time passed, and I fell in love again and found there really was room in my heart for a new dog. I wanted to be the very best pet parent possible, for Truman’s memory and for the sake of all the dogs I’ll love for the rest of my life. I wanted to do it better. So I set out to learn what the best pet parents do. Here’s what I found.

1. They know their dogs.

And I’m not talking about knowing what time they eat or how many times they pooped that day, these pet parents really know their dogs. If the dog is anxious, cranky, overly tired, scared, or lonely these parents pick up on it instantly. It’s almost like they have ESP and can read the dog’s mind!I later learned they were just really, really good at reading doggie body language and had observed their dogs’ normal behavior very closely in the past. When anything unusual occurred, it was a red flag for them because they were always tuned in to what their dogs were doing, even when they were busy other things.

My name is Chester

Hello, my name is Chester,

My family calls me Chet,

I am about to tell you,

The most amazing story yet,

Let me tell you about

My wonderful family

It consists of my mom and dad,

And a precious girl named Emily,

Some people call Emily special,

Others use a really bad name,

I just do what comes natural to a dog,

We love everyone the same

Emily is five years old now,

Her life started out a bit rough,

The family she was born into

Were going through times that were tough,

They said they didn't have what it takes,

To raise such a special girl,

So they put her up for something called adoption,

Thats when mom and dad entered her world,

My parents are really caring people,

The tale of Noushy

I share this because it touches my heart and I hope someone in the UK has a place for Noushka.

*****

The tale of Noushy

She is loved by people, and always well fed.

She has plenty of bones and a big squishy bed.

But one thing she longs for and try as we might

Is a forever home, to lay her head down at night

See the thing is with Noushy, through no fault of her own.

She came to the Centre so she'd not be alone.

For over two years, she's watched and she's waited.

Two years too long for her life to be wasted!

She's watched the small and the young, come in and then go.

Done her best to 'wow' people, but so far's it’s a no.

The staff know her well, her quirks and her ways.

It's been a long time for bonding, 730 days!

In the morning she sings you the most delightful 'song',

But her eyes give a look to say "what have i done wrong?"

She may be big and look somewhat hard

But she hops like a bunny all over the yard.

She'll wander the forest at a leisurely pace

But take a wrong turn, and she'll direct you with haste.

Noushy walks with all dogs, the big and the small

But give her some space, to play fetch with her ball.

She's smart and she's bored, so the staff try their best.

Every puzzle feeder and kong have been put to the test.

She is such a sweet girl with so much to give,

She's looking for her family, not just somewhere to live.

And because nobody should spend Christmas alone,

Please share far and wide ...

Let’s find Noushy her home.

If you would like to meet Noushka, please call or pay us a visit. We know she’d love to meet you!

(RSPCA Ashley Heath;

Source/contact)

Judy - No Better Friend

Judy, a purebred pointer, was the mascot of several ships in the Pacific, and was captured by the Japanese in 1942 and taken to a prison camp. There she met Aircraftsman Frank Williams, who shared his small portion of rice with her.

Judy raised morale in the POW camp, and also barked when poisonous snakes, crocodiles or even tigers approached the prisoners. When the prisoners were shipped back to Singapore, she was smuggled out in a rice sack, never whimpering or betraying her presence to the guards.

The next day, that ship was torpedoed. Williams pushed Judy out of a porthole in an attempt to save her life, even though there was a 15-foot drop to the sea. He made his own escape from the ship, but was then recaptured and sent to a new POW camp.

He didn't know if Judy had survived, but soon he began hearing stories about a dog helping drowning men reach pieces of debris after the shipwreck. And when Williams arrived at the new camp, he said: "I couldn’t believe my eyes! As I walked through the gate, a scraggly dog hit me square between the shoulders and knocked me over. I’d never been so glad to see the old girl!"

Science explains why hearing a dog cry can break your heart

Dog parents: If the sound of a whimpering pup makes your heart melt like a wet Wicked Witch, you’re not alone.

A new study published in the journal Royal Society Open Science found that dog parents find the sound of a crying dog equally as sad as the cries of a human baby.

For the study, 500 young adults listened to the sounds of dogs whining, cats meowing, and human babies crying. What researchers found overall was that people who lived with a cat or dog were more sensitive to the sounds of dog crying than those who didn’t, and that both dog and cat parents rated the sound of whimpering dogs more negatively than the sound of meowing cats.

In fact, all participants regardless of whether they were pet parents or not rated dog cries as more negative than cat meows.

How much do rescue dogs remember from their pasts?

You know your rescue dog had a life before you walked into the shelter, but how much of that time do they actually remember? Would your dog recognize their old owners or where they used to live? Can they recall specific experiences whether they were good or bad? For some rescues, forgetting a painful past might be a good thing, but is that even possible? Here’s a closer look at how your dog’s memory works and what scientists think they can remember about their past.

Breaking Down Memory

The question of whether or not rescue dogs can remember their pasts has to do with the power of their memory. We all know dogs have decent memories—how else would they know what to do when you say “sit” or what it means when you get out their leash? The act of remembering, however, is more complicated than we realize. There are different aspects of memory, and the way in which dogs remember is still unclear.

Remembering Past Training With Semantic Memory

11 things big dog lovers understand

They say there are two types of people: those that love big dogs and those that love little dogs. Okay, that’s probably an over-simplification. Most of us love all dogs, but most of us have a preference when it comes to size. For those of us that have a penchant for the bigger breeds, you’ve heard and seen it all before. Here are 11 things you can definitely relate to.

1. They start small, but they grow fast.

Fast is an understatement. All dogs begin as puppies, but big dogs don’t stay little forever. They may be soft, squishy little pups in the beginning, but they grow to be massive. One night you’ll have a little guy tucked between your legs, the next morning you’ll wake up with a dog taking up half the bed. How did that happen? Big dogs like loads of food (we’ll get to that later…) and they grow quickly.

2. Clear the table.

Just by nature of their size, big dog breeds tend to stand taller. So their tales are at the perfect height to “clear the table” of anything not nailed down. One minute you’re enjoying a glass of wine. The next – Gus has bound through wagging his tail and knocking your glass clear off the table. This is why I like dark carpet. It hides the stains better.

Pet detective tells what NOT to Do if your pet becomes lost

Barbara ‘Babs’ Fry lives and works in San Diego. She is a real estate agent and founder of the nonprofit A Way Home for Animals, Inc. She is also a real life pet detective whose assistance has made it possible for hundreds of lost dogs to be reunited with their families. This work is her passion and she does it for FREE.

Babs started her nonprofit as a means to disseminate life saving information to people who have lost their dogs. She has a skill set and method that she has fine tuned over the past several years finding lost dogs. And it obviously works. She has brought hundreds of dogs back home. She is contacted by around 500 people PER DAY for help finding lost dogs. She is able to help 6-12 per day in one way or another.

Dogs are great in many ways (12)

(Source: Facebook)

There are dog owners and there are dog parents

There are dog owners and there are dog parents.

You hear a lot about how dog parents aren’t the same as human parents, because they can’t truly understand caring for someone so much.

Let me tell you that no one thinks loving a child is on the same level as loving a dog.

But you can parent a dog. You can love him with your whole heart. You can value him, and see his worth. Your heart can be filled with so much love that it aches at times.

You bathe him, and make a game out of drying him off always sneaking in kisses as he makes a mess in your bathroom, all the while not minding because you love this sweet nugget. You read all of the nutrition facts and research the best food for him and always ensure he has more than enough, even though there are cheaper less-nutritional options.

You worry about if he has friends, and always makes sure he can have playdates or another little buddy to pal around with so when you’re not around you know he is content.

You train him. You teach him how to eat, how to play, how to be potty-trained, and feel a pit in your stomach when you have to chastise him for not following the rules.

Adopting a pet

(Source: Facebook)

Empaths

(Source: Facebook)

Teach all children to respect all dogs

(Source: Facebook)

Top 10 reasons to adopt a black dog

 

(Source: Facebook)

A Father's Day poem from the dog

You feed me when I'm hungry,

You keep water in my dish,

You let me sleep on anything,

Or in any place I wish.

You sometimes let me lick your hands,

Or even lick your face,

Despite the fact I've licked myself,

In every private place.

You taught me how to come when called,

You taught me how to sit,

You always let me go outside,

So I can take a sh... Stroll.

You'll always have my loyalty,

Up to the bitter end,

'Cause after all, it's plain to see ...

You are a dog's best friend!

(Author unknown)

Dedication

We come in every shape and size. All with one thing alike.

We love our furry four legged friends, no matter what breed or type.

Hearts of gold are what we have for giving free homes to these pups.

While we take on more overtime, as the cost of feeding them goes up.

What is it that drives us to take them in, and let them rule our homes?

It must be those eyes, or the tilt of the head, while they feast on that new marrow bone.

Tribute to a War Dog (Chapter III)

It's been over a month now, since I lost my very best friend.

The one I failed to protect up until the end.

I miss him so much it kills me. It really crushed my heart.

He was always beside me, right from the very start.

A lot of things have happened that I just don’t understand.

I will try to explain it the best way that I can.

There was this box; in it was Mike’s smell.

And a framed picture of him, that I knew all too well.

Tribute to a War Dog (Chapter II)

Well, it's been 6 weeks now since I took one for the team.

That's what everyone is saying, I don't even know what that means.

All I know is I was doing my job, but I must have made someone mad.

Then that bullet went into my arm and made it hurt real bad.

I learned a lot about Mike that day. He was there shielding me,

from taking any more bullets, he is my handler you see.

After initial observations, the Doc said I’d never work again.

That made me so depressed, I need to protect my friend!

Tribute to a War Dog (Chapter I)

They took me from my Mom at eight weeks or so,

and brought me to this real secure place, but I really didn't want to go.

While other pups back home got to romp and play,

I was busy learning things like, Sit! Down! and Stay!

There was one guy they called my handler, I think his name is Mike.

He wore the same thing every day, on his arm was sewn five stripes.

He came and got me every morn before the sun was up.

Out of this place called the kennel, it was me and five other pups.

School Daze

It's the strangest morning ever; not really sure what's up.

Trying to figure this whole thing out. I sure am one confused pup.

Everyone went to bed early last night; the kids were all in a bad mood.

Mom is up super early fixing everyone breakfast food.

Not really sure what is happening or what might even lay in store.

I am going to stay under the table and wait for bacon to hit the floor.

The kids are all wearing new clothes and brand named shoes on their feet.

Mom just tossed me some scrambled egg for an early morning treat!