The Journey

The Journey, by Crystal Ward Kent

When you bring a pet into your life, you begin a journey - a journey that will bring you more love and devotion than you have ever known, yet also test your strength and courage. If you allow, the journey will teach you many things, about life, about yourself, and, most of all, about love. You will come away changed forever, for one soul cannot touch another without leaving its mark.

Along the way, you will learn much about savoring life's simple pleasures - jumping in leaves, snoozing in the sun, the joys of puddles, and even the satisfaction of a good scratch behind the ears.

If you spend much time outside, you will be taught how to truly experience every element, for no rock, leaf, or log will go unexamined, no rustling bush will be overlooked, and even the very air will be inhaled, pondered, and noted as being full of valuable information. Your pace may be slower - except when heading home to the food dish - but you will become a better naturalist, having been taught by an expert in the field.

Too many times we hike on automatic pilot, our goal being to complete the trail rather than enjoy the journey. We miss the details - the colorful mushrooms on the rotting log, the honeycomb in the old maple snag, the hawk feather caught on a twig. Once we walk as a dog does, we discover a whole new world. We stop; we browse the landscape, we kick over leaves, peek in tree holes, look up, down, all around. And we learn what any dog knows: that nature has created a marvelously complex world that is full of surprises, that each cycle of the seasons bring ever changing wonders, each day an essense all its own.

Even from indoors you will find yourself more attuned to the world around you. You will find yourself watching summer insects collecting on a screen (How bizarre they are! How many kinds there are!), or noting the flick and dance flash of fireflies through the dark. You will stop to observe the swirling of windblown leaves, or sniff the air after a rain. It does not matter that there is no objective in this; the point is in the doing, in not letting life's most important details slip by.

You will find yourself doing silly things that your pet-less friends might not understand: spending thirty minutes in the grocery aisle looking for the cat food brand your feline must have, buying dog birthday treats, or driving around the block an extra time because your pet enjoys the ride.

You will roll in the snow, wrestle with chewie toys, bounce little rubber balls till your eyes cross, and even run around the house trailing your bathrobe tie - with a cat in hot pursuit - all in the name of love.

Your house will become muddier and hairier. You will wear less dark clothing and buy more lint rollers. You may find dog biscuits in your pocket or purse, and feel the need to explain that an old plastic shopping bag adorns your living room rug because your cat loves the crinkly sound.

You will learn the true measure of love - the steadfast, undying kind that says, "It doesn't matter where we are or what we do or how life treats us as long as we are together." Respect this always. It is the most precious gift any living soul can give another. You will not find it often among the human race.

And you will learn humility. The look in my dog's eyes often made me feel ashamed. Such joy and love at my presence. She saw not some flawed human who could be cross and stubborn, moody or rude, but only her wonderful companion. Or maybe she saw those things and dismissed them as mere foibles, not worth considering, and so chose to love me anyway.

If you pay attention and learn well, when the journey is done, you will be not just a better person, but the person your pet always knew you to be - the one they were proud to call beloved friend.

I must caution you that this journey is not without pain. Like all paths of true love, the pain is part of loving. For as surely as the sun sets, one day your dear animal companion will follow a trail you cannot yet do down.

And you will have to find the strength and love to let them go. A pet's time on earth is far too short - especially for those that love them. We borrow them, really, just for a while, and during these brief years they are generous enough to give us all their love, every inch of their spirit and heart, until one day there is nothing left.

The cat that only yesterday was a kitten is all too soon old and frail and sleeping in the sun. The young pup of boundless energy wakes up stiff and lame, the muzzle now gray. Deep down we somehow always knew that this journey would end. We knew that if we gave our hearts, they would be broken.

But give them we must, for it is all they ask in return. When the time comes and the road curves ahead to a place we cannot see, we give one final gift and let them run on ahead - young and whole once more. "God speed, good friend," we say, until our journey comes full circle and our paths cross again.

Fun at the Dash N Splash

Fun at the Dash N Splash
Saturday was the local Dash N Splash. WOW!!! What a huge event! There were dogs absolutely everywhere, and so many that people can't go in the water - just the dogs. So that means I couldn't go in and coax my guys into the water, but we had fun all the same. Truth be told, that many dogs in the water sure gave it a "different" look and I probably didn't want in anyway! lol

Tanner and I gathered up Bandit, Cooter, and Fa Zhou and away we went for our adventure. The water portion was in one fenced in area that was treated like a dog park - all the dogs had to be off leash. Oh no! I wasn't sure how well mine would stick with me with all the other distractions there because this was much larger and much more full than any dog park we had ever gone to.

Wasn't worried so much about Bandit - after all, he had been working on his obedience and agility training with Tanner. He's admittedly better at it in the ring and at home than with trying to mark over all the bigger dogs' scents (and there was that cute curly haired big girl who took him on a wild chase through everyone's legs). But overall he had a blast and minded her pretty well.

Cooter stuck with me at a reasonable distance, but he certainly made the rounds. People, dogs, water, he was ready to experience everything and make friends! He's such a good boy. He only got away from me a couple of times where I couldn't see him. And at one point he somehow got to the other side of the pool where it was really deep and this cute English Bulldog was jumping off the platform. It scared me, thinking he was going to follow her without me right there to save him if need be, so I shouted his name a few times. Tony never gets to name the animals again. Yelling "COOTER" over a crowd of people certainly got me some undesireable looks.

Fa Zhou was the wild card. We've had him out socializing and he does well with other animals, and is slightly reserved around people he hasn't met, so it was a guess what he'd try to do and who he'd try to follow. A few times he followed Cooter into whatever adventures he was into. But I think he sensed my worry trying to keep track of everything so he started sticking closer to me. Fortunately, he's a lot smarter than I am. I didn't realize he was near me, and I'd spin in circles looking for him, calling him, only to find out that he was behind my legs. As I turned, he'd jump and was trying to be a good boy by being right behind me where he thought he should be. He made some friends, in particular this white boxer puppy. They would love to be best friends!

We survived the water part, then got the leashes back on and went out to the main area with the vendors. They had lots to see and do. There were many interesting vendors, and they had a silent auction table full of bags of goodies. There was a grandstand where they had fun contests - costumes, best kisser, etc., going on. They even had food for the people and an animal communicator with quite a crowd around her.

It was hot and a bit of a challenge to keep the dogs cool outside of the water area, but they had some misting fans set up that were getting some good use. The event was well-planned and it was a great way to spend the afternoon. We'll definitely plan on it next year!

CGC Challenge

Inspired by the progress that Tanner and Bandit have made, we'd like to issue a challenge to everyone who has either purchased, been given or rescued a dog through Briarwood Kennels.

The challenge is to become Canine Good Citizen certified. To become certified requires certain training and passing a test administered by a qualified CGC evaluator. Local specialty clubs, AKC judges, some 4-H leaders, therapy dog evaluators, veterinarians, vet techs, groomers, private trainers, kennel owners, animal control and police K-9 officers can give the test. Please visit the link above to the AKC's official website for more information and for a list of evaluators and classes.

Classes might be available for the training portion, or for those who wish to do-it-yourself, a highly recommended book is

The Canine Good Citizen

The intent of this contest is to strengthen the human/dog bond. With the use of positive reinforcement and the time and attention given to the dogs, everyone in the family will reap the rewards and benefits of having a well-mannered and close companion. Again, we must caution against using a choker chain of any sort or any other forceful/negative means of training for this goal.

Those who wish to participate should send us an email stating the intent to begin training so we can get an idea of who might working on it and so we can send you some motivational emails. The award structure is based on who achieves the goal first and those who sequentially follow.

On the date of the test, send us an email regarding pass or fail. The email will be the marker of who has completed first (with passing scores). The email MUST be followed by a copy of the test form that the evaluator will provide to at the time the test is given (this form is mailed to the AKC to acquire the actual certificate). We will respond with an acknowledgement email and an address to where you will send the scoresheet. Upon receipt of this document, awards may be given.

First Completion:
$50 Visa Check Card, Doggie Crate Mat

Second Completion:
$25 Visa Check Card, Doggie Plush Chew Toy

Third Completion:
$10 Gift Certificate, Doggie Chew Toy

Fourth and Fifth Completion:
2 Dog Toys each or $5 gift certificates each

This contest is good until all slots have been completed. It takes approximately 6-8 weeks to complete the training. At some point, this information will be moved to its own page for reference. In your emails to us with notifications of winning, please include a picture of the dog, its name, and whether or not you wish to have your name included.

We salute those willing to take the challenge and improve the quality of life for their loved ones.

Doggie Dash 'N Splash

Open swim and socialization time!

BRING YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR DOG(S)!
Pet related Exhibitors - Land & Water Games - Pet Microchipping
Product Samples - Concessions for Humans and Canines - Pet Psychic
Pet Photography - Canine Demonstrations - Silent Auction & Raffle
Lots of fun & prizes
Saturday, August 25, 2007
10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Fairground Recreation Center
210 Fairground Rd., Xenia
Free admission; $5.00 parking donation
All proceeds will benefit the Scout Burnell-Garbrecht Dog Park
All well-mannered dogs on non-retractable leashes are welcome

http://www.dashsplash.com/index.html

Humane Society Rescues Pugs - MO

Humane Society rescues Pug pups
ASSOCIATED PRESS
08/17/2007

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- The Humane Society of Missouri and other authorities have rescued 36 animals believed to be endangered on a breeder's property in southwestern Missouri.

The group said the owner could no longer care for the animals and had voluntarily surrendered them.

The rescue happened Thursday on property near Collins, Mo. The St. Clair County Sheriff's Department assisted.

Rescued were 30 Pugs (both adults and puppies), two adult Boston Terriers, one adult Blue Heele,; two domestic rabbits and one cat.

Some of the animals were thin, had eye problems and appeared to have upper respiratory infections. They will be cared for and housed at the Humane Society and will become available for adoption.

Pugs were once companions of Buddhist monks and the favored dog of aristocrats and kings. Advertisement

Anyone interested in adopting a Pug may call the Humane Society at 314-802-5712.

A pug giving birth and the first 6 weeks

Here is a video someone made chronicling the birth of some pug puppies as well as their early weeks in life. A good documentary!

Pug Steals Food

One of my all-time favorites!

Bronze Medal

Bronze Medal
Category: Pets and Animals


After their impressive performance in obedience at the local fair, Tanner and Bandit made their way to the Ohio State Fair where they WHOMPED in the agility ring. They came out third place in their height and experience group (going against at least 8 shelties, some bostons, a beagle, some jack russells, etc) and walked away with a gorgeous bronze medal. Bandit was the only pug, forging the way for pugs after him, earnin' respect and admiration :D Can you tell we're proud of them??

I'm a pug! Woop! (Video)

Cat predicts deaths in nursing home

Cat predicts deaths in nursing home
By Catherine Elsworth in Los Angeles
Last Updated: 7:54pm BST 26/07/2007

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/07/26/wcat126.xml


The New England Journal of Medicine: Aday in the life of Oscar the cat
American doctors are baffled by a cat that can apparently predict exactly when nursing home patients are about to die.



Oscar has apparently predicted 25 deaths.

Oscar, who lives at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Centre in Rhode Island, curls up next to sick patients in their final hours.

So far he has been right in 25 cases, leading staff at the home to alert relatives when he is seen settling on a patient's bed.

It usually means they have less than four hours to live.

"He doesn't make too many mistakes. He seems to understand when patients are about to die," said Dr. David Dosa, who describes Oscar's uncanny knack for predicting death in the New England Journal of Medicine.

"Many family members take some solace from it. They appreciate the companionship that the cat provides for their dying loved one," added the doctor, a geriatrician and assistant professor of medicine at Brown University.

Oscar, now two, was adopted as a kitten and grew up in a dementia unit at the home which cares for people with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease and other illnesses.

Staff first noticed the cat making his rounds after about six months, sniffing patients and curling up beside those with only a few hours to live.

Dr. Joan Teno of Brown University, who treats patients at the nursing home, said Oscar was better at predicting death than the people who work there.

The doctor wondered if the cat was noticing telltale scents or somehow reading the behaviour of the nurses.

Staff at the home say most families are grateful for the advanced warning, although one wanted Oscar out of the room, at which point he paced and cried outside the door.

The cat recently received a wall plaque publicly commending his "compassionate hospice care".

Indigo Children

Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Indigo Children

Category: Pets and Animals

I've heard the term "Indigo Children" before, have run across it when flipping through channels, etc. But not having children myself, never really looked into exactly what they were supposed to be. Hearing a mention of it today intrigued me enough to look up the definition. According to Wikipedia:

Beliefs

The Indigo child movement believes that the children in question are born with an empathic connection to Earth and others' thoughts. However, due to natural limits in infant communication, Indigo children's supposed abilities (empathy, telepathy, extra-sensory perception and extra-normal perception) are suppressed by negative parental or societal influence. The Indigo child movement therefore encourages parents to support those children in whom can be seen traits which are often labeled as negative by mainstream authorities but as positive by the Indigo child.[citation needed]

Adherents believe that this new type of child has come forward for a reason; most often suggested is that they will improve the world in some way. The changes generally discussed involve bringing peace, toppling corrupt institutions, and a shift from allopathic medicine to a greater understanding of more natural alternatives. Indigo children are said by proponents to be more in touch with something called the "Universal Truth," and do not tolerate or understand behaviors or systems that are not in harmony with it.[citation needed]
Indigo children are sometimes said to possess an extreme longevity,[citation needed] but the given birth dates do not corroborate this claim.

[edit] Characteristics

Carroll and Tober identify ten attributes that they believe describe Indigo children[1]:

• They come into the world with a feeling of royalty (and often act like it).


• They have a feeling of "deserving to be here," and are surprised when others do not share that.


• Self-worth is not a big issue; they often tell the parents "who they are."


• They have difficulty with absolute authority (authority without explanation or choice).


• They simply will not do certain things; for example, waiting in line is difficult for them.


• They get frustrated with systems that are ritually oriented and do not require creative thought.


• They often see better ways of doing things, both at home and in school, which makes them seem like "system busters" (non-conforming to any system).


• They seem antisocial unless they are with their own kind. If there are no others of like consciousness around them, they often turn inward, feeling like no other human understands them. School is often extremely difficult for them socially.


• They will not respond to "guilt" discipline ("Wait till your father gets home and finds out what you did").


• They are not shy in letting it be known what they need.

********************
After reading this, I can't honestly tell you if I've met an indigo child or not, although some of them I know are certainly smart enough to qualify!

But I what I can say with all certainty, is that we must have some indigo dogs. That's right. Just look at that list! Full of self-worth? Not afraid to tell you what they need? Thinking outside the box? Isabelle and Rizzo must have the most blue auras, but the rest of them are pretty far up there, too.

Maybe we should change our website colors to blue. Gonna have to think hard on that one.

Dog Show Tales - Sharon

Monday, July 23, 2007

Dog show tales - Sharon
Category: Pets and Animals

When we went to the show in North Carolina last May, it was definitely an adventure. The accomodations were attrocious. They had people set up in a barn that had a red earth floor covered with sawdust. And to top it off, it rained... and rained... and rained. They had no decent facility for shampooing a dog - simply a table out back with a garden hose and it was so cold, any dog who attempted to be shampooed on site was immediately shivering. Then once they were primped and ready, the red earth stained their fur, the trenches of water would mess up their fur from the belly down, and sawdust was getting in their eyes. The men were lucky - they could put a large breed dog across their shoulders and run across the parking lot, but most people had to get creative. Some made little booties out of doggy poo bags, some had rolling carts that the put their crates in, some ran as quickly as they could and tried to undo the damage under the canopy outside before going into the building. Overall, it was one of the worst shows I have ever been to, and the over-inflated ego of the adversarial superintendent did nothing to help matters.

We met some wonderful people, though, and the dogs we took did quite well in the ring. One of the people we met was a vendor for some shampoo products. After she had been in the ring, she was relaying how she had not succeeded that day because her dog eliminated in the ring. Evidently he wouldn't go outside due to the rain, and she wasn't the only victim that weekend. But once she got rolling, she shared a few stories, then whipped out her motherload of funny show stories on us.

At one particular show, she had been assisting a friend with her vendor station. They had many general items, toys, squeaky toys with squeeze stickers, blinking lights that attach to collars for safety at night, etc. She noticed the time, and ran to get her dog to get ringside when she was due to show. Arching her neck, trying to figure out where things stood, she heard a noise and noticed that her dog had it's head in the glass of a woman sitting in a chair beside the ring. He was drinking her iced tea!! She apologized profusely and offered to buy the woman a new tea, which she politely refused.

Some announcements were made, and some shuffling occurred, and much to her horror, the woman in the chair stood up and entered the ring as the next judge!! She swallowed hard, and entered the ring with her dog. On their first go-around, she realized she still had a blinking light attached to her belt loop and she casually reached down to turn it off, hoping no one noticed. Still trying to maintain her cool, she followed judge's orders and finally got to the point where she put her dog up on the table, standing across facing the judge. The judge looked at her and commented in a cool voice, "Are you aware that there is a 'squeeze me' sticker on your left breast?"

Needless to say, she didn't win that day. But she sure had us laughing and made us feel better about our day! It would take quite a bit to top that one!!

Congrats Bandit & Tanner!

Congrats Bandit & Tanner!

Category: Pets and Animals

Tanner and Bandit have been putting in lots of hours working on obedience and agility through the local 4-H group. Together, they entered their first events at the county fair and they won ribbons in Dog Care and Obedience. They'll be entering agility later this week. They are doing so well that the advisor specifically asked the parents if they would allow them to do agility at the state fair level becuase "that dog will do anything for that little girl." Awwww.... They have a wonderful bond and they have both learned and grown so much through this process. Congratulations! We're proud of you!!

CA AB1634 Update & Suggestions

Forward permission granted.

As everyone probably already knows-- AB 1634 was pulled by Lloyd Levine. For all accounts, this bill is dead for 2007. This is where we can celebrate. Although Levine pulled this bill, it should be of no surprise that the reason it was pulled was because he did not have the votes. Essentially (although not officially and therefore not as gratifying), the Local Government Committee did "kill" the bill. Even if they had voted, Levine always could have reintroduced it in 2008 so rather than having his bill completely trashed, he wanted to "save face" and pulled it.

Anyone listening to the testimony could see that Levine was trying, up until the last four minutes to see if he could pass it on to the next level with the promise of amendments. Unlike in the Assembly, the promises did not work. He was told that they needed to see his amendments before they took action and they were not going to accept "fly by the seat of your pants" amendments made up in 30 seconds. Levine now has the next six months to either 1) amend the current bill keeping much of the current language, 2) gut it and basically reintroduce a new bill, or 3) let it die completely. He is not required to bring it back in January (but something tells me he will).

Today we celebrate. Tomorrow we fight.

Gone are the days when we as animal fanciers can just live our lives and hope that no one notices. We have seen that our passion and advocation is being attacked and we are being noticed. Yes-- we will be working on proactive legislation (that is already in the works). But we also need to become more visible in our communities- - as the experts and professionals. There are a number of action items that need to happen in the next few months:

1. We need to participate in the AKC Responsible Owner Day. Call your various breed clubs, training clubs, kennel clubs and organize something. Find a city park, get the necessary permits, set up booths, run a CGC. Even have your local animal control participate- - have them bring information for the public. Contact AKC for their packets and ROD materials. Then call the newspapers, invite the city councils and county supervisors. Let them see what RESPONSIBLE DOG OWNERSHIP is all about.

2. Maintain the connections you have made with your assemblymember and senators. If you do a ROD event, send the news clipping to your legislators. Invite these elected officials to your dog shows. Let them know about your agility trials and obedience trials. Ask them to present the Best in Show trophy. If they can't make it, extend the invitation to their Chief of Staff.

3. Money does need to be raised to continue the war because this is only one battle (a major one) but there will be others and not just in California. The idea of providing a voluntary donation on your entry forms (rather than increasing entry fees) was suggested today. There are many groups including NAIA, CDOC, AKC, and PetPAC that accept contributions and have worked hard to fight AB 1634. In the testimony today, all four of these groups were represented: NAIA brought in Angie Niles who did an excellent job on the statistical errors. CDOC brought in Dr. Hamil who made the wonderful points about the misconceptions of mandatory spay/neuter ordinances as well as the effects of surgical sterilization. Bill Hemby spoke on behalf of PetPAC and addressed the law enforcement dogs while other speaker (sorry I didn't get his name) addressed the issues relating to stock dogs. And the AKC spoke about the ever changing acceptance of various breeds and the fact that Californians already pay double the license fees. And of course, there was Joan Miller from CFA who represented the cats but spoke facts that all of us-- dog and cat alike-- face in terms of breeding programs. Donate what you can to the organization (s) but the contributions need to continue.

4. Get your club members active. I know that representatives from CDOC will go to club meetings and talk about legislative matters. There is a legislative seminar happening in Lompoc on July 28. Get someone from your club to go.5. Be aware of city council and county supervisor meetings in your local area. Find out where agendas are posted and keep an eye out for local ordinance proposals. Take what we learned here and fight. Remember that it is important that we show up at these meetings... no matter how tired we are. We must be a presence.

I know that Patti Strand (NAIA) and Cathie Turner (CDOC) will probably add to the action items that need to happen, but I wanted to get something out this afternoon.

Everyone should be very proud of how we, as an animal fanciers community pulled together even when Levine tried to divide and split us. We are a voice for Sacramento and the lessons we have learned over the last few months will push us forward and hopefully help others in various parts of the country.

Now, I have to finish some course reviews for an agility trial I am judging this weekend. Again-- thank you to everyone!!!

Laura Finco

Deer in the Living Room?

Monday, July 16, 2007
Deer in the Living Room?
Category: Pets and Animals

Petunia is one of our TV watchers. For an interesting article on why some dogs can watch TV and others can't, click here. And Tony likes westerns. So whenever the cattle dogs bark, or horses or cows cross the screen, Petunia pays close attention. If it looks like they might be exiting the tv and coming into the living room, she takes measures to protect us. Sometimes a simple growl keeps them at bay. Sometimes a woof. And occassionally, she is required to run up to the arm of the chair closest to the tv and stand her ground to keep the living room safe.

Tony is also a hunter. Last year he got a 10-point buck and had his head mounted. I've been dreading the day when the head came home, and yesterday was the day. At first it was on the front porch and Gator came out and was going to go to battle. He tried jumping on it, mounting it, and generally all around telling it what it could and couldn't do in his house near his woman, Mariah. The other dogs had varying responses when they saw it, then Tony hung it up on the wall in the living room above the tv until we find it a permanent home.

Well, Petunia hadn't met the head yet. And last night she was sitting with me working on the computer when one of Tony's westerns had a rambunctious scene. She darted into the living room to check out the intruders and was aghast to find that her worst fear had come true - one of them had come INTO THE LIVING ROOM!!! No amount of barking or positioning would send that wild beast back into the tv.

This morning the dogs are still circling and staring, but so far the beast hasn't moved, attacked, tried to hide, or charged anyone. But the jury is still out on whether it's a good thing or a bad thing.

Pictures at the Creek

Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Pictures at the creek

Category: Pets and Animals

I was inspired by the water and railroad pictures at www.myspace.com/poodledave, so I really wanted to get out and shoot some photos today. We have a little creek nearby, so I took Gator and Petunia out and got some GREAT shots. The light was just right, they were adventurous enough that they weren't just at my feet, so I could get far enough away to take some nice pictures.

I was very pleased till I got home and there was no storage card in the camera. It would have been nice of the camera to NOT TAKE PICTURES without one.

So I grabbed Gator, Jolene and Daisy and went back. Again, was getting some decent pictures, but then Daisy got a wild hair, found something worth running with, and led us on a merry chase round the bend and back up to the road. She's grounded. And there was a smudge on the lense, the camera was set to program instead of auto, so none of those really came out, either.

But hey, the afternoon was still young and I had another hour before my next appt, so back I went with Mushu and Fa Zhou in tow and although the light wasn't quite right, we still managed to have a good time The boys thoroughly enjoyed their run. It was the first day any of them had seen water like this except for Daisy.

New Information on Microchips & Cancer

Tuesday, July 10, 2007
New information on microchips & cancer
Category: Pets and Animals

Cross posted from Pet Law List...I
mplanted Microchips Cause Cancer
By Jane Williams GFN contributing writer---(For Publication in the January 2007 "American Family Voice")

At the National ID Expo in Kansas City, Arkansas Animal Producer's Association President Michael Steenbergen asked, "What safety studies have been conducted on the chips that are inserted into animals?" His question was met with total silence. Did these manufacturers not know, or were they unwilling to admit that research has confirmed that implanted microchips cause cancer?

Melvin T. Massey, DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine) from Brownsboro,Texas, brought this to the attention of the American Horse Council when he wrote, "I am a retired Equine Veterinarian and still breed a few horses. Because of migration-infection s-increased risk of sarcoids I will not want to have microchips in my horses."

The Institute of Experimental Pathology at Hannover Medical School in Germany reported , "An experiment using 4279 CBA/J mice of two generations was carried out to investigate the influence of parental preconceptual exposure to X-ray radiation or to chemical carcinogens. Microchips were implanted subcutaneously in the dorsolateral back for unique identification of each animal. The animals were kept for lifespan under standard laboratory conditions. In 36 mice a circumscribed neoplasm occurred in the area of the implanted microchip.Macroscopically, firm, pale white nodules up to 25 mm in diameter with the microchip in its center were found. Macroscopically, soft tissue tumors such as fibrosarcoma and malignant fibrous histiocytoma were detected."

Ecole Nationale Veterinaire of Unite d'Anatomie Pathologique in Nantes, France, reported, "Fifty-two subcutaneous tumors associated with microchip were collected from three carcinigenicity B6C3F1 micestudies. Two of these 52 tumors were adenocarcinoma of the mammary gland located on the dorsal region forming around the chip. All the other 50 were mesenchymal in origin and were difficult to classify on morphological grounds with haematoxylineosin. "

Marta Vascellari of Instituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie at Viale dell'Universita in Legnaro, Italy reported examining a 9-year-old male French Bulldog for a subcutaneous mass located at the site of a microchip implant. "The mass was confirmed as a high-grade infiltrative fibrosarcoma, with multifocal necrosis and peripheral lymphoid aggregates."

The Toxicology Department of Bayer Corporation in Stillwell, Kansas reported, "Tumors surrounding implanted microchip animal identification devices were noted in two separate chronic toxicity/oncogenici ty studies using F344 rats. The tumors occurred at a low incidence rate (approximately 1%), but did result in the early sacrifice of most affected animals, due to tumor size andoccasional metastases. No sex-related trends were noted.

All tumors occurred during the second year of the studies, were located inthe subcutaneous dorsal thoracic area (the site of microchip implantation)and contained embedded microchip devices. All were mesenchymal in origin and consisted of the following types, listed on order of frequency: malignant schwannoma, fibrosarcoma, anaplastic sarcoma, and histiocytic sarcoma.

The following diagnostic techniques were employed: light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and immunohistochemistry. The mechanism of carcinogenicity appeared to be that of foreign body induced tumorigenesis. "Additional studies related to cancer tumors at the site of microchip implants have been conducted in China; however, at this time these studies are not available in English. At this time, no long term studies are available covering more than two years. It only seems logical to conclude that if carcinogenic tumors occur within one percent of animals implanted within two years of the implant that the percentage would increase with the passage of time.

Additional studies need to be conducted, but don't hold your breath for the manufacturers of microchips to conduct such research and be leery of any such "research" they may conduct. Even the limited research available clearly indicates that implantation of microchips within an animal is gambling with the animal's well being.

Who says pugs aren't smart?

Thursday, July 05, 2007

Who says pugs aren't smart?
Category: Pets and Animals

If you refer to the entry below entitled musings & pens, you'll see how the little terrorists of the house stole my brand new advertising pens. Like any intelligent person, I immediately collected the pens from them, made space in the cabinet for the box, and put them away for safekeeping.
At least I thought I was being intelligent. Turns out that pugs are smarter. When I wasn't looking, they opened the cabinet, and since the only part of the box they could reach was the bottom corner, they proceeded to chew a hole through the bottom corner of my pen box and managed to, once again, get out pens for everyone. There has to be a ringleader. I just can't decide if it's Izzy or Rizzo. Time to set up a in-house security system with a web-cam so I can monitor from other locations. The most devious pug must be caught and sent away to puggy reform school.

I've noticed two new fetishes in the house. Rizzo has taken a liking to terry cloth. Any towel in the house is subject, whether it merely has a corner sticking out of the hamper, or is innocently hanging to dry, or is actively being pulled to and fro across someone's back in a drying fashion, she is there to grab the corner and tug with all her little girl might. If successful, she will streak through the house with her towel, proudly going till she's caught or till she trips over it. Unfortunately, her passion for terry has now extended to my robe since it occurred to her it was equally fun.

And Jolene has a thing for shoes. She doesn't eat them, or destroy them, but she loves to carry them around. Usually the ones I'm currently wearing and may have slipped off for a minute as I sat down to eat or something. She will either fall asleep on them, bring a toy to chew while laying on them, or will move them far enough away from their original location that I have to do some searching. It amazes me how stealthy they are and how quiet they can be when doing their dirty deeds.

So if you're out there contemplating a pug, be sure to fine-tune your third eye. You'll need it.

Yummy Frosty Treats!

Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Yummy Frosty Treats!
Category: Pets and Animals

For those cool days when your poochie deserves a special frosty treat! These are like Frosty Paws which can be found in your grocer's frozen section, but healthier! :)

In a blender, mix 3 bananas, 1 large spoonful of peanut butter, 1-2 Tablespoons of honey. Blend and pour into a bowl. In same blender, add 1 pint of yogurt, start blending while adding the rest of the mixture back in. Pour into small cups, such as dixie cups, and freeze.

YUM!!

Remember not to overdo dairy products with adults. It takes 3x the amount of stomach digestion to process dairy and can be hard on them, no matter how good they taste! Should be used as an occasional treat only!

Rabies Challenge Study Begins!!

Monday, July 02, 2007
Hooray! The Rabies Challenge Study begins!
Category: Pets and Animals
From the Newsday paper:

http://www.newsday.com/search/ny-lspets5278482jul02,0,6559208.column

Score one - a big one - for the underdogs.I've written before about Kris Christine, who is a prime example of what one woman with equal parts outrage and focus can achieve: She pretty much forced the state of Maine to change its annual rabies revaccination requirement from annually to every three years.

So when she called last week with news so exciting she could barely keep her voice from squeaking, I perked up.

"We did it!" she said. "The rabies trials are on!"

Maybe you have no idea what that means. If so, maybe you should read on.

While in recent years many vets have embraced progressive attitudes about vaccination, many still cling to outdated ideas. Among them: giving "annual shots" for core canine diseases such as distemper and parvovirus when three years is considered to be the minimum interval between boosters, or giving vaccines that are not recommended at all, such as coronavirus. (If this sound like your vet, consult the American Animal Hospital Association's newly updated canine vaccination guidelines at aahanet.org, and consider switching to a veterinary professional who is not still in the Pleistocene era.)

Of all the vaccines veterinarians administer, rabies is the most sacrosanct, largely because the disease is zoonotic, a fancy word that means transmissible to humans. Rabies in the only vaccine mandated by law for dogs and cats; New York, like many states, requires revaccination at three-year intervals, which is the longest. (A handful of states, including Alabama, still mandate annual boosters.)

But some veterinary immunologists believe the rabies vaccine confers a duration of immunity that exceeds three years - in fact, as much as five or seven years. Problem is, there have been no clinical trials - in which dogs are vaccinated and then exposed to the disease - to prove that. And vaccine companies, which normally conduct the trials, have a strong economic incentive not to. After all, how much sense does it make to spend a ton of money to be told consumers need less of your product than you are selling?

Which brings us to Christine. In her research on overvaccination, she came across two veterinarians who have made it their life's work to nudge their peers toward a less-can-be-more approach to vaccination: Jean Dodds of Hemopet in Garden Grove, Calif., and Ronald Schultz at University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine in Madison, who incidentally helped formulate the American Animal Hospital Association's guidelines.

Dodds has lectured endlessly on adverse reactions associated with the rabies vaccine. They include autoimmune diseases of the thyroid, joints, blood, eyes, skin, kidney, liver, bowel and central nervous system; anaphylactic shock; aggression; seizures; epilepsy; and fibrosarcomas at injection sites, especially in cats.

For his part, Schultz has performed serological studies that documented rabies antibody titer counts at levels known to confer immunity seven years after vaccination.

But what they needed to do was to formally prove the rabies vaccine's long-term duration of immunity, so state-mandated intervals for boosters could be extended.

So, two years ago, Christine teamed up with Dodds to create the Rabies Challenge Fund, which needed $177,000 to fund the studies' first-year budget.

Which brings us to Christine's euphoric phone call: Thanks to the contributions of many dog clubs, veterinarians and concerned owners, they now have the money to start.

The concurrent 5- and 7-year challenge studies trials will begin next month under the supervision of Schultz, who is volunteering his time as principal investigator. The University of Wisconsin will donate all the overhead costs.

"I've been an activist for a long time," Dodds says, "and this is the first time I've seen the public mount a grass-roots effort because the veterinary profession and the vaccine industry haven't done anything."

Five years from now, Schultz will likely have the proof of what he has known all along: That the rabies vaccine provides long-term immunity. In the face of that, the government can lengthen the mandated revaccination intervals.

This is too late to benefit my 7-year-old dog, who went for her rabies booster this weekend. But not for her 1-year-old daughter, who might be spared several unnecessary revaccinations over her lifetime.

Until then, the Rabies Challenge Fund needs more donations: Looming on the horizon each year is a $150,000 annual budget that must still be met.

The Rabies Challenge Fund is as grass roots as you can get. Individuals can and do make a difference. Send donations to The Rabies Challenge fund at Rabies Challenge Fund, c/o Hemopet, 11330 Markon Drive, Garden Grove, CA 92841. For more information on The Rabies Challenge Fund, visit RabiesChallengeFund.org.

Email: denise.flaim@newsday.com