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Wonderful photographs!
Category: Communication
Downsizing one’s life with a pet.
Another very useful post from Penny Martin.
So today is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere; here we are halfway through 2022! But somethings are constant and, hopefully, will never change.
That’s what I feel towards the group of people that write posts for me. Included in that special set is Penny Martin. Here is her latest about how to go to a smaller home when you have a pet. (We listened to the BBC’s You and Yours yesterday morning about rental housing. This article from Penny could be highly relevant.)
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How to Downsize the Stress-Free Way With a Pet
By Penny Martin
June 15th, 2022
If you’re tired of your current home and you need to move for work or personal reasons, or you just want a change of scenery, downsizing might be a good choice. Downsizing can be a great way to save money, especially if you don’t need all of the space you’re using. However, downsizing when you have a pet can become complicated because your pet needs ample space to live comfortably. Keep reading for some tips, courtesy of Learning from Dogs.
Finding a New Home
Wherever you move, you’ll need to make sure that it offers a suitable amount of space for your pet. If you own a dog or a cat, it can be a big adjustment for them to have less room to move around and live. Downsizing will also affect larger pets more than smaller ones since they’ll feel the effects of having less room more noticeably. If you can place your pet with a friend, family member, or boarding service during the move, that might be a good choice to reduce the stress involved and make the process simpler.
If your pets live in a cage or a tank, you’ll have to make sure you have a secure place to put their home. Also, consider how the lighting and noise in their immediate environment will affect their sleep patterns and anxiety.
When you purchase a new home, you’ll likely need a mortgage. Inquire with more than one mortgage broker to compare the rates they offer you and choose the best deal. Visit a lender’s website to get an idea about the current rates available. If you’re a veteran, consider applying for a VA loan, which can save you significant amounts of money on the downpayment and the interest rate. If not, an FHA or conventional loan might be the way to go.
Before moving your pet into your new home, it’s crucial that you pet-proof both indoors and outdoors. Check your yard for any poisonous plants and consider installing a fence to prevent your pup from escaping.
Preparing Your Home for Sale
If you own your home, you’ll have to prepare it for sale. How well you do this will be a big factor in how fast it sells. You’ll need to clean and organize the home and look into storage for your belongings if there’s going to be a gap between residences, plus you’ll have to make any repairs or upgrades so prospective buyers are more likely to find the property appealing.
Give special attention to curb appeal as well. A neat and well-kept yard will make a great impression on buyers. If your outdoor area could use some beautification, a lawn care company offers mowing, trimming, and debris removal services. Only hire experienced and insured contractors.
Consider hiring a real estate agent to help you prepare the home for sale and guide you through any difficulties or processes you might not understand. Having an agent to show the house and represent you in negotiations can also make the process easier and protect you from losing money.
Do What’s Best for You and Your Pet
Moving into a smaller home is a big decision, and you’ll need to make sure that you’re fully prepared and able to make your pet amply comfortable both during and after the move. Selling a home can be a complicated and financially stressful process, and buying a new one may require a mortgage, so do thorough research to avoid wasting time or losing money. When selling your home, clean and declutter, make repairs, and hire lawn care professionals to boost your curb appeal. Most importantly, be empathetic to what your pet is experiencing during a change in their environment.
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Reading this great advice from Penny reminds me that moving home with a pet or two can be a major upheaval and her tips are valuable. However, when it comes to Jean and me we just have too many pets and we are too old to think of moving, plus we really love where we live (but I don’t want to think about what happens if I can no longer drive!)
Good article!
Picture Parade Four Hundred and Thirty-Nine
Another set of photographs from Gary.
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Always gorgeous!
Thank you, Gary.
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A footnote.
Last Friday, Jean and I were musing about the mice that had appeared in the house and the idea came up that we might return to having a cat. Our online research found a place in Medford, Committed Alliance to Strays or C.A.T.S., a place devoted to rescuing cats. We made an appointment for 2pm.
We came home with two Siamese. They are twins, both male, born on 15th March, 2017. Their names are Hogan and Skippy but we are thinking of renaming them.
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One is more confident than the other but all the dogs, save Sheena, have had cats in their lives when we had our cats before.
The previous owner left a note on their cage at C.A.T.S. It read:
This is Skippy and Hogan! They were my cats and unfortunately my living situation changed drastically and I couldn’t keep them. 😦 They are very sweet, just a bit shy and timid. If you consider adopting them just know that they deserve the world. All I can hope is that they go to a good home!! They need to stay together; they are very attached.
It is early days but we have a hunch that this was a good move!
Dogs and cell phones!
This may be so!
We have people with us so forgive me for being brief. I saw this article the other day and wondered if that was the case.
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Too Much Time On Your Phone Might Be Making Your Dog Depressed
He might be sad about all your screen time.
Published on the 18th May, 2022.
It’s fair to say that our relationships in life require mental presence and a willingness to connect in order to thrive. Well, the same goes for your relationship with your dog.
In a busy world of daily distractions (social media being a prime example), what happens when we spend too much time on our phones — do our pets notice? Is your phone making your dog depressed?
Dr. Iain Booth, a veterinary surgeon in the United Kingdom, made this assertion more than four years ago. We’ve decided to revisit the topic because during the pandemic, many people became pet parents while simultaneously spending more time on their phones.
We spoke with Colleen Safford, a dog trainer, behavior expert and owner of Far Fetched Acres, for more insight on our relationship with our pets and what dogs might be thinking when we’re on our phones.
Is your phone making your dog depressed?
While no two relationships are the same, each benefits from communication and attention. When it comes to the friendship between humans and dogs, we should try and understand their wants and needs so every pet can live their best life. While we rely on our dogs for love and companionship, they rely on us for, well, everything.
“While I hesitate to ever say that humans can fully understand exactly what is going on in the brain of man’s best friend, dogs by their very nature are deeply dependent on humans,” Safford told The Dodo. “We control every resource in their life, including food, exercise, affection, guidance and support. By their very nature, dogs are codependents in the world of domestic living! Simply put, we are their everything.”
While the larger issue of our dependence on phones is worth countless studies, a few things are clear: Too much screen time can lead to depression and anxiety in humans, among other issues. And it can isolate us from anyone in our presence — including our dogs.
“In relationship to dog depression, if an owner has thumbs too busy to provide petting, eyes too distracted to see that their dog is trying to play fetch, and a brain too busy to provide all those verbal ‘good boys,’ it is easy to understand why phone use can impact a dog’s overall health,” Safford said. “By not supplying our dogs with exercise, verbal attention or physical contact, we are ignoring their needs and increasing the chances of behavior issues and anxiety.”
As Booth said in his interview (in reference to ignoring your dog in favor of your phone), “You do that consistently for weeks, months and years on end, and you’re going to get some real behavioral issues.” So some dogs may even start misbehaving to get your attention.
While wholly dependent on the individual dog, this is something that every dog parent should be aware of, especially considering current events — as mentioned above, during the pandemic, dog adoptions went up as did smartphone usage.
Putting the phone down is step one
“Humans and dogs both release oxytocin from petting and affection, and release endorphins during exercises,” Safford said. “No petting or affection — no love hormone. No movement — no feel-good hormones. It’s as simple as that.”
Physical activity is necessary to maintain a bond with your dog. “Grab a ball and leash, and nurture and deepen that bond. Give your dog all those words of affirmation,” Safford said.
He definitely deserves it.
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I guess the question is how much is too much. But I have my doubts that the majority of dog owners are that disconnected from their precious animals
An insight into Parkinson’s
Funny how things turn up!
On the morning of the 1st June I read the latest from the Parkinson’s Foundation. It was a report that covered Can We Put the Brakes on Parkinson’s Progression? Essentially it said that diet and exercise were key. I quote:
Making nutritious food the mainstay of your meals and enjoying regular exercise has countless proven benefits. Studies show targeted nutrition may slow Parkinson’s advancement. Eating a whole-food, plant-based, Mediterranean-style diet — including fresh vegetables, fruit and berries, nuts, seeds, fish, olive and coconut oils and more — may be linked to slower PD progression. When you live with PD, exercise is also critical to optimal health. In fact, the Parkinson’s Outcomes Project shows at least 2.5 hours a week of physical activity can slow PD symptom progression. Research reveals regular exercise also shows neuroprotective effects in animal models with Parkinson’s.
I showed the article to Jean. Later that morning Jean had her regular visit with Doctor David Tullar at our local Asante hospital. He is described on the Asante website as: David is a certified physician assistant with specialized expertise in neurology. But Jean sees him more as a neurologist in her own mind. I attend the appointment just to listen to David for we find him a most interesting man.
Here are some of the key messages from that meeting:
- Parkinson’s is not a disease, it is a life condition. Just the same as diabetes. One doesn’t call it diabetes disease! These life conditions will be there at the end of life. Some people escape them, some do not.
- Levodopa produces dopamine. It needs to be taken consistently. Levodopa is not taken at night because the brain requires far less dopamine because the brain is far less active. Don’t skip your doses.
- Lifestyle does make a real difference. A non-meat diet and exercise really do make a difference with exercise being key. Aim for 150 minutes of exercise per week split into 20 minutes a day. Try to do more!
- Having a dog extends your life and there is evidence that this is so. So love a dog and be loved by your dog back in return.
- Make your lifestyle changes as early as you can.
- An excellent resource of information is the Davis Phinney Foundation. The Foundation has an audio download of the book Every Victory Counts. You can also purchase the book from booksellers.
Then David Tullar turned to the question of freezing. Freezing when one has Parkinson’s is the temporary, involuntary inability to move. For Jean this happens occasionally in the kitchen area especially when she goes to turn around. David recommended practising ‘freezing’ where Jean deliberately stops what she is doing and actively ‘trembles’ on the spot.
The other thing was that while the cause of freezing is unknown, David said that the likelihood was that the brain became overwhelmed with extra, different thoughts when Jean was turning. Most likely with other thoughts that were in her inner mind. Such as what she was she turning for? Maintaining a balance? Doing things with her arms or hands?
In other words Jean was thinking about other stuff! All of these thinking processes were exercising the brain, of course, and the amount of brain power devoted to just the business of turning was smaller than it should be.
Answer: Focus on the business of turning first and foremost. Complete the turn and then think of the next item.
For other people who also suffer from Parkinson’s and have different spots in their lives where they freeze, then the advice from Dr. David Tullar is the same. Focus only on what you are doing at that moment.
For example some of his patients freeze when they are walking through a doorway. Answer: Focus on a point that you are walking towards and do not think of anything else.
Here’s a YouTube video on the topic (and it is very short but you will get the idea):
In conclusion, this is nothing more than me reporting back from Jean’s meeting with Dr. Tullar. If this strikes you as sensible advice and you have Parkinson’s then see your doctor responsible for your condition and discuss it with him or her.
Finally a little more about David Tullar from the Asante website:
David is dedicated to providing advanced care to patients of all ages. He has a special interest in evaluating and treating neurological concerns such as headaches, dementia, movement disorders, multiple sclerosis, and other neurodegenerative diseases.
Services
- Evaluating and treating patients with neurological health issues
- Treating headaches, dementia and movement disorders
Picture Parade Four Hundred and Thirty-Seven
We wanted to recognise the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
So I thought that I would find some photos of the Queen’s corgis that I could share with you. Unfortunately all the photographs were copyrighted.
It is a well-known fact that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is a dog lover and has been all her long life. There is a delightful story about the Queen and her corgis on the BBC at this moment and you may like to read it. Meanwhile today’s picture parade is all Corgis!
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That’s it folks for another week.
I will close by thanking Her Majesty for all that she done over the years. Her Majesty gave her promise when she was 21 to devote her life to the Crown and all that flows from that commitment. Whatever her private thoughts have been over the years she has remained loyal to the Nation and the Commonwealth and it is an unparalleled record that will never be surpassed!
A final photograph of Queen Elizabeth II that is attributed to the author, see below, and I hope it is alright to show it.
The emotional support given by dogs.
Dogs and cats, but especially dogs, are the perfect animals for giving us emotional support.
The topic of dogs came up in Jean’s regular review yesterday at the Department of Neurology, Asante. But more on that next Tuesday, which is my next non-doggie day.
Today I want to republish an article presented by the American Kennel Club from February, 2021. The article was a very good one on the emotional support given to us by our dogs.
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Everything You Need to Know About Emotional Support Animals
By Stephanie Gibeault, MSc, CPDT
Key Points
- Emotional support dogs (ESAs) are pets and not service dogs.
- Mental health professionals prescribe emotional support animals under the law.
- Airlines are no longer required to accommodate emotional support animals.
Every dog owner knows there are many benefits to having a dog, from getting themselves out for exercise to receiving loyal companionship. However, for some people with mental or emotional conditions, the presence of a dog is critical to their ability to function normally on a daily basis. The pet provides emotional support and comfort that helps them deal with challenges that might otherwise compromise their quality of life. These pets are known as emotional support animals (ESAs).
What Is an Emotional Support Dog?
Although all dogs offer an emotional connection with their owner, to legally be considered an emotional support dog, also called an emotional support animal (ESA), the pet needs to be prescribed by a licensed mental health professional to a person with a disabling mental illness. A therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist must determine that the presence of the animal is needed for the mental health of the patient. For example, owning a pet might ease a person’s anxiety or give them a focus in life. The dogs can be of any age and any breed.
Emotional Support Dog vs. Service Dogs
ESAs provide support through companionship and can help ease anxiety, depression, and certain phobias. However, they are not service dogs, and ESA users do not receive the same accommodations as service dog users.
A service dog, such as a guide dog or psychiatric service dog, is generally allowed anywhere the public is allowed; ESAs are not. For example, ESAs generally cannot accompany their owners into restaurants or shopping malls.
The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) defines service animals as “dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities.” The act clearly states that animals that simply provide emotional comfort do not qualify as service animals. Some state and local laws have a broader definition, so be sure to check with local government agencies to learn if ESAs qualify for public access in your area.
The key difference between a service dog and an emotional support dog is whether the animal has been trained to perform a specific task or job directly related to the person’s disability. For example, service dogs are trained to alert a hearing-impaired person to an alarm or guide a visually impaired person around an obstacle or provide pressure on someone with PTSD who is suffering from a panic attack.
Behaviors such as cuddling on cue, although comforting, do not qualify. The tasks need to be specifically trained to mitigate a particular disability, not something instinctive the dog would do anyway.
Emotional Support Dogs Are Not Psychiatric Service Dogs
There are service dogs, known as psychiatric service dogs that require extensive training to work specifically with people whose disability is due to mental illness. These dogs detect the beginning of psychiatric episodes and help ease their effects. Although this sounds similar to the role of an ESA, the difference between a psychiatric service dog and an ESA is again in the tasks performed by the dog and the training received to perform these tasks.
Psychiatric service dogs (recognized by the ADA as service dogs) have been trained to do certain jobs that help the handler cope with a mental illness. For example, the dog might remind a person to take prescribed medications, keep a disoriented person in a dissociative episode from wandering into a hazardous situation such as traffic or perform room searches for a person with post-traumatic stress disorder. If it is simply the dog’s presence that helps the person cope, then the dog does not qualify as a psychiatric service dog.
Housing Accommodations for Individuals Who Use Emotional Support Dogs
Individuals who use ESAs are provided certain accommodations under federal law in the areas of housing and air travel. The Fair Housing Act includes ESAs in its definition of assistance animals. Under the act, people cannot be discriminated against due to a disability when obtaining housing. Rules such as pet bans or restrictions are waived for people who have a prescription for an ESA, and they cannot be charged a pet deposit for having their ESA live with them.
Are Emotional Support Dogs Allowed on Flights?
In December 2020, the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) announced final revisions to its Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA). The final rule, effective in January 2021, defines a service animal as a dog, regardless of breed or type, that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a qualified individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. This change in the DOT’s definition of “service animal” aligns closely with the definition that the Department of Justice uses under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.
The changes also clarify that emotional support animals (ESAs), comfort animals, companionship animals, animals being trained to be service animals, and species other than dogs are not considered to be “service animals” under the new DOT definition. Instead, airlines may recognize and accommodate emotional support animals as pets. For most airlines, the new no-fly policy for ESAs started on January 11. Some airlines now require passengers with service dogs to complete a DOT-authorized form prior to travel that confirms their training, health, and certification.
In the past, the AKC has expressed concern for safety with the previous recognition of ESAs as service animals, including the growing number of people misrepresenting their pets as service animals.
Emotional support dogs can perform an important role in the life of a person with mental or emotional conditions. When people who do not have a disability abuse the system by misrepresenting a pet as an ESA to obtain special accommodation, they undermine important accommodations for individuals with a legitimate need for this assistance.
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We continued to be overwhelmed by the capacity of the gorgeous dog to undertake specialist tasks for us humans that they wouldn’t normally do.
I notice the AKC have a free booklet on the subject and one hopes it is still available. Go to the original document and just after the end of the article that I republished one will find the link.
See you all on Sunday!
What’s that noise?
A rather funny reason about what freaks out dogs!
I was searching my files for something light-hearted to post for today and came across this article.
For some reason I hadn’t really noticed that our dogs are bothered by their farts and, thanks to a broken nose years and years ago, I have a very poor sense of smell.
Anyway, I wanted to share the article with you.
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Why Do Dogs Get Scared Of Their Own Farts? 3 Reasons Passing Gas Spooks Them
Farts can be sooo scary for dogs sometimes 🤣
By Sam Howell
Published on the 13th April, 2022
Have you ever noticed that when your dog farts, he’ll jump up and just stare at his butt totally confused — and even a little spooked — by the gas that just came out?
It seems hard to believe that your pup can actually be caught off-guard by a totally normal bodily function that happens to him on the regular, but here we are. Another day, another fart that’s totally bamboozled your dog.
We spoke with Dr. Sara Ochoa, a small- and exotic-animal veterinarian in Texas and a veterinary consultant for doglab.com, to find out why dogs get scared of their own farts.
And there are a few reasons why your pup’s own flatulence might spook him.
Your dog didn’t know he farted
This might be hard for you to imagine, but there’s a decent chance that your dog just has no idea what a fart even is.
“Most dogs do not know what their farts are,” Dr. Ochoa told The Dodo. “They do not have the mental capacity to process that they just farted.”
Not only does your dog not understand the scientific concept of passing gas, but he also doesn’t expect this gas to be expelled from his body, even if it happens often.
“I think some dogs are surprised to know that some air just came out of them,” Dr. Ochoa said. “The air leaving them is a surprise to them and sometimes a smelly surprise for us.”
Your dog’s farts are loud
An unexpected loud noise can startle anyone, so if your dog rips a particularly noisy fart, he’s probably going to be a little confused and scared.
“Just like with people, some farts are louder and some farts are smellier,” Dr. Ochoa said.
And if you’re wondering why sometimes your dog’s farts are super loud, while others are the silent-but-deadly type, that simply has to do with how much air is coming out of him and how intensely it’s being expelled.
“The sound intensity of the fart is due to the amount of air and force behind the farts,” Dr. Ochoa said.
It happened at the same time as another bodily function
Have you ever sneezed and happened to fart at exactly the same time? (This is a safe space, no one’s judging you.) Well, it probably surprised you when you realized you broke a little wind while you sneezed, because you were only expecting one bodily function.
The same can happen to your dog, too.
“My little dog will commonly cough and fart at the same time, which scares her,” Dr. Ochoa said. “I don’t think she is expecting the fart. When she is coughing, everything just lets loose and she farts, scaring herself.”
Why does my dog fart so much?
It’s actually pretty natural for dogs to fart a bunch.
“Some dogs will fart every day, [and] other dogs will never fart,” Dr. Ochoa said. “I find dogs who snore also fart a lot.”
But if you noticed your pup’s farting a little too frequently, it’s probably related to what he ate. If he’s eaten something nasty or you recently changed his diet, his gastrointestinal (GI) system may need to adjust by releasing a bunch of gas.
Why do my dog’s farts smell so bad?
According to Dr. Ochoa, the reason your dog’s farts smell so bad is because he’s not exactly eating great-smelling food.
“Dog food does not smell like flowers, so the farts are also not going to smell good,” Dr. Ochoa said.
However, that doesn’t mean it’s a great sign if he’s regularly passing some putrid gas. In fact, if your dog’s farts are particularly rancid all the time, you should call your vet just to make sure everything’s OK with his GI system.
So even though passing gas is a common occurrence for your pup, dogs still get scared of their farts because they don’t quite realize what’s going on. But at least you’ll always know exactly when it’s accurate to blame it on the dog.
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I hope you learnt something from this post; I certainly did.
See you on Sunday.
Slight pause in my affairs!
No more posts until a week’s time!
Good friends,
I am going in today to Asante Hospital for a minor operation for a hernia.
It has been slowly getting worse and, although it is still an easy op, I didn’t want to delay things any longer.
I shall be out of hospital later today (with a bit of luck) but I have been told in no uncertain words to take it very easy for the first couple of weeks and not to lift anything .
I will be offline until Tuesday, 17th.
But in terms of lifting anything above 15lbs I will have to take it easy for six weeks, or until the end of June. That is going to be hard!
Meanwhile, we have been stocking up, especially for the horses. Because both the equine senior feed and the hay come in too heavy. The equine feed comes in 50lb bags and the hay bales must be about the same, and tough to move around.
The never-ending sensitivity of dogs!
How about this for a story from Peru.
Not only do dogs come in a myriad of sizes and shapes, witness our own Brandy and Pedi, but they are also conscious creatures, as in they remember and grieve; albeit in a dog fashion.
The Dodo presented this story back on the 4th March about just a dog. Read it and be swept away in the world of dogs.
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Woman At The Beach Meets A Dog Who Won’t Stop Staring Out To Sea
The reason why touched her heart ❤️️
Published on the 4th March, 2022
The other day, Jolie Mejía and her family decided to visit Punta Negra, a small seaside community near their home in Peru.
It was there, along a rocky shore overlooking the sea, that they came to learn a story of love in its purest form.
After Mejía and her family settled down along the shore, they were approached by a random dog who appeared to be all by himself.
“He didn’t seem abandoned. He wore a ribbon around his neck and his fur was clean,” Mejía told The Dodo. “I pet him, waiting for his owner, but minutes passed and no one came.”
The dog enjoyed Mejía’s pets, but all the while his gaze remained fixed upon the ocean.
And Mejía soon came to learn the touching reason why.
Mejía and her family considered adopting the dog themselves, assuming he had indeed been abandoned. So, when a man local to the area walked by, Mejía asked him if he knew the dog’s status.
“He explained that practically everyone in the area knows the dog and is very fond of him,” Mejía said. “He told us that the dog’s owner was a fisherman who passed away some time ago, and that the dog comes to the beach every day and stares out to sea.”
The dog, it seems, has been holding vigil — awaiting the return of his friend who will never come home.
“We were very moved,” said Mejía.
Mejía believes the dog’s owner died at sea about a year ago, and that the dog has been watching out for him daily ever since.
But though the dog’s owner may never return, the dog isn’t without friends who care for him.
The dog’s sad story is evidently well-known by people in the community, who feed him, shelter him and provide him with health care when he needs it.
A local veterinarian in Punta Negra confirmed to The Dodo that the dog’s name is Vaguito, and that he’s currently in the care of a woman who lives nearby.
By day’s end, Mejía and her family eventually parted ways with Vaguito, his eyes still cast out to sea. But his bittersweet story — one of loyalty to a love he lost, and the loyalty and love he found in the community — is one she won’t soon forget.
“I have a dog at home,” Mejía said. “I love dogs in general. His story really touched my heart.”
(Photos by Jolie Mejía)
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This is the perfect story. But it is more! It is the perfect story of how special a dog is. For this particular dog, Vaguito, clearly was loved by his fisherman and even after a year Vaguito still holds a vigil for him. It is a very lovely article, but that is the unconditional love shown by dogs to humans who care and love them back.
Learning from Dogs 