The second set of those wonderful pictures sent to me by Dan.
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That’s it for this week!
You all take care out there!
Year: 2018
What a great man he was!
I am, of course, referring to the recent death of Stephen Hawking.
There’s no way that I can add anything to the widespread reporting of the very sad death of the theoretical physicist, cosmologist and author Professor Stephen Hawking.
Except, possibly, this interesting quirk of fate.
For this great man died yesterday: March 14th.
The very same day that another very famous man, the German-born Albert Einstein, was born. As in March 14th. Albeit, Stephen Hawking’s death being 139 years after the birth of the 1921 winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics.
Did you also know that Professor Hawking was a great dog lover!
I was very pleased that The Conversation blog site released a wonderful tribute to Stephen Hawking. The item opens, thus:
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Acclaimed British theoretical physicist, cosmologist and author Stephen Hawking has died aged 76. Hawking is best known for his work on black holes, which revolutionised our understanding of the universe.
Hawking passed away today peacefully at his home in Cambridge, his family confirmed in a statement:
We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today. He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years.
His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humour inspired people across the world. He once said, “It would not be much of a universe if it wasn’t home to the people you love.” We will miss him forever.
Read more: A timeline of Stephen Hawking’s remarkable life
Hawking was born on January 8, 1942, in Oxford, England. In 1963 he was diagnosed with ALS, a form of Motor Neurone Disease, and later confined to a wheelchair and forced to communicate via a computerised voice. But he continued his theoretical work and was outspoken on many things over much of his life.
Tributes have been pouring in on social media for the scientist, who made complex science accessible to everyone in his 1988 bestselling book A Brief History of Time.
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Do read the rest of that article. I will take the tribute from Alice Gorman that closes The Conversation article to close today’s post.
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Alice Gorman, Senior Lecturer in archaeology and space studies, Flinders University
There are few scientists who reach as far into popular culture as Stephen Hawking did. His research tackled the biggest of big questions – the nature of time, space and the universe we live in.
Sometimes it feels like science is losing ground in the modern world, but people still look to the stars for answers about who we are and how we come to be here.
Hawking’s bestselling A Brief History of Time made cosmology accessible to people and brought black holes out of the shadows and into the public imagination.
Personally I’ll miss his appearances on The Big Bang Theory, where he could out-nerd the nerds, and also provide some often necessary common sense. It was always great to see a world-class scientist just having fun.
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What a very great man he was!
Saving lives!
Saving the lives of our dogs and their owner/carers!
The Smithsonian website recently featured a dog rescue centre in Costa Rica that has the odd dog or one thousand being cared for!
I kid you not!
This Costa Rican Paradise Shelters Over 1,000 Stray Dogs
A photographer documents scenes from Territorio De Zaguates, a converted farm in the Santa Bárbara mountains that’s giving abandoned dogs a second chance
By Jennifer Billock, smithsonian.com, March 6, 2018
The article also includes a range of incredible photographs. I have ‘borrowed’ a couple to share with you.
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What rescuing a dog means to thousands of gentle-hearted people is no better spoken about than in the words of a poem that Colin published over on his blog A Dog’s Life.
It is republished here with Colin’s very kind permission.
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“A Stray they named Ray”
The following is one of the poems in my book “Just Thinking”, which is available direct from Friesen Press, Amazon, and other on-line book retailers.
https://books.friesenpress.com/store/title/119734000032944229/Colin-Chappell-Just-Thinking
“This is such a sweet collection of beautiful thoughts and sentiments and reflections. The people and stories and memories are so real and tangible, easy to connect with, easy to read. For each poem I have read so far, it’s like he is talking about someone I know… or someone I would want to know 🙂 This books explores so many things, takes you on so many journeys.. the good and the bad and the beauty in between. This book was given as a gift, and it’s one I will treasure!” (Amazon review)
“A Stray they named Ray”
They were found on a farm
Not too far away,
But… where was their home?
Two dogs, frightened, hungry,
So very tired and,
Surviving somehow on their own.
***
The rescue van arrived,
And the crew discussed
How best to capture this pair.
Traps were determined
To be the most humane,
But… so many questions were there.
***
Why were these two dogs
Having to scavenge for food?
Why were they out on their own?
The treats in the traps,
Put an end to all that,
And they were captured, scared… and alone.
***
They had no collars; no tags;
No microchips were found.
They were just two dogs without names.
Their faces were expressionless,
And their fur in poor condition.
Were they siblings? Perhaps their mother was the same?
***
Once back at the shelter
They were caged together,
But then a fight ensued.
Trainers intervened,
And gave them separate cages,
But then had to decide what to do.
***
One (they later named Ray) was not unfriendly,
Although cautious and rather aloof.
He seemed to know he was no longer alone.
He was given a bath and a bowl of food
And, with some loving care (they thought),
He could possibly adapt to a home.
***
He was a sorry sight,
And no doubt a once proud dog.
Clearly a German Shepherd cross,
Just managing to survive,
By eating scraps to stay alive.
To explain him, they were quite at a loss.
***
They tried to find his owners.
They checked the Missing Pets files,
But there only seemed one option.
He now belonged to the shelter
And… as he was neither reported lost, nor stolen,
He would be trained for adoption.
***
Four months later he was ready.
His adoption photo was published,
And all were looking for a sign.
He needed a family,
To love… and be loved by.
This will, hopefully, be his time.
***
Eventually a couple arrived
Who clearly were drawn to him,
And regular walks were arranged.
It was soon to be seen
That his life, as it had been,
Was quickly going to change.
***
His day of adoption came.
The staff all said their farewells.
Smiles, and tears, were all around,
For the life of a stray;
Of a dog they named Ray;
A life almost lost… had been found.
*
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I am finishing today’s post with another photograph from the Costa Rican Paradise Shelter.
Then my final words are those in that Smithsonian article:
Now, more than 1,000 dogs roam the countryside of the Costa Rican estate. They go on daily walks in the mountains and eat roughly 858 pounds of food per day. They’re bathed and treated on-site for illness or injury (though more intense cases go to a specialist vet in San Jose). And most importantly, they’re given a better quality of life than they’d experience on the streets.
“There is a major problem with stray and abandoned dogs in Costa Rica,” Dan Giannopoulos, a photographer who recently visited the shelter, told Smithsonian.com. “The government line on [the] treatment of strays is to destroy them. This is the only shelter of its kind in Costa Rica. It offers a new lease [on] life to the dogs, many of whom have lived terrible lives and have terminal illnesses.”
Read more: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/these-photos-transport-you-dogs-central-american-paradise-180968018/#v9xZpKmRadL5JHeA.99
Give the gift of Smithsonian magazine for only $12! http://bit.ly/1cGUiGv
Follow us: @SmithsonianMag on Twitter
Dogs and allergies
Again and again I feel so privileged to be writing this blog!
For so many reasons! But the top reasons are that I feel part of an enormous family of dog lovers and that so frequently I am approached by a person who has valuable information to share with me and you.
Such as it was when back last September in came an email from Zara Lewis.
Hi Paul,
As you probably already know, all the pet stories you are sharing are super interesting and, most importantly, super useful to the entire community of us, pet parents.
Professionally, I am a regular contributor at highstylife.com magazine, while personally I am very interested in pet topics, as I am a proud mom of two + one. I say “+one” because I can hardly separate my foster dog from my children 😀I have no book to publish, but I was wondering if you are willing to add guest content to your blog. Here you can check my style and previous posts:
https://caninecupcakes.com/the-essential-guide-to-going-green-with-your-dogs-diet-this-spring/
http://tinpaw.com/everything-need-know-preventing-heartworm-cat/Here are some topic suggestions that I believe can be useful for your community:
-Teaching your child responsibility with animals
-The Latest Trends in Pet Care
Looking forward to your response.
Regards from me & furry Joey,Zara
You will not be surprised to hear me say that I replied to Zara saying that I would be delighted to receive an essay from her.
The weeks slipped by, as they do, but on the 6th March Zara sent the following.
It’s a wonderful essay!
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Dog Allergies 101: What Are the Most Common Ones & What to Do About Them
by Zara Lewis, March 6th, 2018.
Allergies are a very common ailment, so it’s not unusual for your dog to have one. Even though people have the ability to describe the symptoms to the last detail, dogs tend to show different ones, so it’s very important for us to know and recognize them. Unless you have some kind of a super dog breed, your four-legged friend might start developing certain allergies. This mostly happens because their bodies mistakenly believe a certain type of food is bad for them, or they use it too much or too often, so their immune system responds by releasing antibodies that can cause serious problems. Take a look at the most common symptoms and allergens:
What could the symptoms be?
So before starting with the most common allergens, it’s very important to know what the most common symptoms of food allergies in dogs are. So, if you happen to notice that your dog is experiencing one of the following, make sure to get them checked by a vet as it’s very probable they have a certain food allergy:
- Itching
- Poor fur quality
- Nausea
- Obsessive Licking
- Vomiting
- Chronic diarrhoea
- Chronic gas
- Chronic ear inflammation
What are the most common allergens?
Eggs
It’s a well-known fact that eggs (more specifically egg yolks) are very rich in protein, so your dog can easily become allergic to them. On the positive side, avoiding eggs is not difficult; just make sure to check dog food labels to see if there’s any danger for your four-legged friend. Even though one of the most common symptoms of this type of allergy in your dog is the appearance of bald spots, egg allergy can manifest in other ways as well.
Beef, chicken and lamb
Beef is also known to have high amounts of protein, which means that your dog can become intolerant to this kind of meat as well. This usually happens if you’ve been feeding your dog a certain type of food for a very long time, so your dog becomes intolerant or allergic to that specific food. Due to this reason, beef allergies are very common, as most dog foods contain this type of meat. The same rule applies to chicken as well. Dog foods are most commonly made of beef and chicken, so it would be best to feed your dog with all possible meats – beef, pork, chicken and lamb, and rotate them as much as you can. On the other hand, lamb is very often regarded as a ‘safe haven’ for dogs with meat allergies. However, if you don’t pay attention to rotating your dog’s diet, your dog can also become allergic to lamb.
Grain
Another thing that most types of dog food contain is grains, which means that this is also one of the most common allergens. If you happen to notice itchy and dry skin or hair loss, make sure to check if your dog is allergic to grain. Mind that finding completely grain-free food can be quite tricky, so there might be a chance you have to cook everything by yourself. Luckily, for all those who don’t have the time to do this daily, there are certain products that can help with that, such as the grain-free line of Ivory Coat dog food. Always check your dog – if they’re allergic to grain, the sooner you discover it, the better.
Dairy products
It’s not only people who can be lactose intolerant – dogs can be as well. This means they are not allowed to eat or drink any dairy products, such as cheese or milk. Otherwise, they’ll end up with gas problems, diarrhoea and vomiting. As far as dairy products are concerned, there is one tricky thing you need to pay attention to – a dog can actually develop an allergy towards them, so it’s crucial for you to be able to tell the allergy apart from the intolerance. If you notice itchiness or redness on your dog, make sure to have it checked by the vet as soon as possible. If it’s only diarrhoea or vomiting, it’s probably only intolerance, but a check-up won’t hurt.
Soy
There’s an ongoing debate whether soy is good for your dog or not, but it’s definitely true that soy food is very common. Soy can cause many health problems that can be more serious than simple allergies, including reproductive and growth problems, and diseases of the liver. Furthermore, soy is the second most genetically modified crop that is grown, so it would be the most advisable to avoid this product.
It’s not for nothing that they say dogs are people’s best friends. And we treat our best friends nicely, don’t we? This is why we should all (especially if we’re the owners) make sure to treat them the best we can. The first step is making sure our little furry friends are not allergic to anything, and discovering this quickly won’t make only our lives easier, but those of our dogs as well.
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Great email from Zara! Great guest essay with great pictures and loads and loads of valuable advice, and great links to other websites.
You see why I like running this blog!!
Learning from Dogs 