Awelcome to a guest Picture Parade for the next five weeks!
I was emailed by Gary Messinetti last Monday with this message:
Dogs. I haven’t gotten out much with the pandemic and my other medical issues, but I did manage to shoot these yesterday!
They are so good! They are fabulous! Apart from reducing the file size a little to suit WordPress, they are unchanged.
I intend to present these photographs for the next five Picture Parades!
oooo
oooo
oooo
oooo
oooo
Just wonderful!
We wish Gary all the best regarding his medical issues and, once again, thank him for sending me the wonderful photographs. Until the next Picture Parade!
When you’re traveling in the winter, it’s always important to take some extra precautions. If you live in a location that experiences a lot of snow, ice, or cold temperatures, keeping yourself safe should be your top priority.
But, when you’re traveling with your four-legged friend, making sure you’re even more prepared is crucial. Extra considerations should always be taken when you’re on the road with your dog. While no one wants to think about getting stranded or getting into an accident, things like that can (and do) happen. Being prepared, even if you’re only taking a short trip, will make all the difference when it comes to your own health and wellness as well as your pup’s well-being.
Winter travel can be dangerous depending on weather and road conditions. Planning should always be the first thing you do before heading out with your dog. Check your local forecast as well as what the weather is like where you’ll be traveling. If possible, avoid going anywhere when the road conditions are icy or snowy.
If you have to travel or you pick a clear day, it’s still important to make sure your drive is as safe as possible. Always adapt to the conditions you’re going through, and remember to drive slowly and cautiously on icy roads.
You should always have a few extra supplies in your car for your pup, but in the winter it’s even more crucial for their safety – as well as yours. Some of the basic items you should have packed include:
A first aid kit
An extra blanket
Extra clothes/gloves
Handwarmers
Extra food/water
A compact snow shovel
For your canine companion, having an additional blanket, plenty of water for them, and a toy or treat to keep them occupied will make a big difference.
If you get “stranded” anywhere for a while, don’t leave your dog in the car while you go look for help. While most pet owners understand the risks of leaving a dog in a hot car, leaving them in a cold vehicle can cause frostbite or hypothermia in a very short time. Stay with them until help arrives. Having your car stocked with the right items will keep you both safe and warm.
Make the Most of Your Travels
Traveling with your pup is a great way to break away from the potential “winter blues” that many people face. Whether you want to head somewhere warm or just embrace the season as is, getting out can actually improve your overall health and well-being. Spending time outdoors can reduce your stress levels, give you more energy, improve your mood, and even boost your testosterone levels. You don’t even have to chop down a tree to get that last benefit, so it’s really a win-win.
No matter where you’re going, make the most of your travels by sticking to your health and wellness goals. Dogs need exercise just as much as people, so bring your furry friend with you on snowy hikes, or take them cold-weather camping to enjoy nights beneath the stars together. Just make sure to stay hydrated, dress appropriately, and moisturize your skin if you’re spending a lot of time outdoors. Dry, cracked skin can be painful and unsightly. Don’t forget your pup’s paw pads, too!
With a bit of planning, preparing, and packing, you and your dog can enjoy plenty of travels together this winter. They’ll love being able to spend that extra time with you, and you’ll both be able to get as much out of the season as possible.
ooOOoo
I hope some of you are experiencing decent snowfalls. Here in Southern Oregon we had some snow but as soon as it was on the ground the next day it had gone. The outlook for the next ten days is cold and dry!
A good friend of mine, Peter McCarthy, back in the UK, said that he had recently gone on to a supplement called Lion’s Mane. It is a supplement for keeping the cognition working and maintaining good brain function. Peter also mentioned a film called Fantastic Fungi that was available on Netflix.
At home we have Netflix and we watched the film. It was incredible, almost beyond words.
If you want to watch the official trailer then here it is:
The film is about the power of Mycelium. Here is an extract from Fungi Perfecti:
The activities of mycelium help heal and steer ecosystems on their evolutionary path, acting as a recycling mechanism to nourish other members of the ecological communities. By cycling nutrients through the food chain, mycelial networks benefit the soil and allow surrounding networks of plants and animals to survive and thrive.
Increasingly known as the “wood wide web”, mycelium can be found underfoot with nearly every footstep on a lawn, field, or forest floor. It has been concluded that as much as 90% of land plants are in a mutually beneficial relationship with mycelial networks. Without fungi – without mycelium – all ecosystems would fail.
Mycelium and mycological applications have enormous potential to benefit the health of both people and planet. We are committed to continuing our research efforts to find new and innovative ways to build bridges between mycological applications to both human and planetary health.
We can think of it in a way of finding the mother tree.
The film speaks of protecting the old-growth forest trees. So if you have old-growth trees nearby, do everything in your power to protect them.
Forest researcher and university professor Dr. Suzanne Simard has spent years studying trees. Her research led to the discovery that the forest’s plants and trees have an underground communication system, with trees and fungi cooperating. Her Ted talk brought her work to a larger audience, while her 200 articles in peer-reviewed journals shared her research findings with the larger science community. Now, she is releasing her first book Finding the Mother Tree, published by Penguin Random House.
‘This is not a book about how we can save the trees. This is a book about how the trees might save us’.
I haven’t got a great deal of time today (as in yesterday) to write an introduction to this story that was published on The Dodo in December last year. So I am not going to! 😉
ooOOoo
Man Sees Tiny Speck On Cliff In The Distance And Immediately Knows It’s A Dog In Need
“He was funny because I couldn’t see her without my binoculars, and he said he knew the ‘dot’ was an animal because he’s never seen that dot there before.”
An elderly man was having his morning coffee outside his motorcycle shop one day when he noticed something unusual on a cliff in the distance. He quickly concluded that the tiny speck he was seeing was actually a stuck animal in need of help, so he contacted the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region (HSPPR), and they sent two animal law enforcement officers to check it out.
The officers couldn’t see the dog without a little extra help, but the man never had any doubt that she was there and desperately needed help.
“He was funny because I couldn’t see her without my binoculars, and he said he knew the ‘dot’ was an animal because he’s never seen that dot there before,” Officer Kailie Barker told The Dodo.
The dog was stuck on a small ledge about 150 feet above a creek. They weren’t sure how long she’d been there and immediately started coming up with a plan to rescue her.
“It took two and a half hours total to be able to find out exactly where she was, how we were going to get to her, obtaining the equipment and formulating an exact plan,” Barker said.
The officers were able to obtain some climbing gear, and once they were ready, Barker rappelled down to the stuck dog — who was so excited that someone had finally come to help her.
“She was obviously very scared. She had her body pressed into the dirt, she was wagging her tail quickly and was trying to crawl towards us when she very first saw us,” Barker said. “The dirt kept sliding out from under her, but she kept trying. When I was down on the cliffside with her, she tried crawling towards me again. When I finally got to her, she kept licking my hands and face.”
Once the dog had been brought to safety, they read her collar and discovered that her name was Jessie Lee. They took her back to HSPPR, where the staff was able to find her family’s contact information. It turns out she had been missing for two weeks and was found only a few blocks away from her home. Her family had searched for her every single day and was absolutely overjoyed that someone had found her.
Luckily, Jessie Lee wasn’t injured after her ordeal and was able to head home to her family shortly after being rescued. It was the perfect happy ending, all thanks to the officers who rescued her — and the man who knew that tiny speck in the distance was actually a dog.
ooOOoo
All the photographs are from the HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE PIKES PEAK REGION.
It is a precious story and just goes to show the magic we have in our hearts for dogs.Well done that man!
I have known John Zande for quite a few years. It has been, what they call, a virtual relationship for we have never met in person. I do have John’s book The Superstitious Naked Ape and it is a first-rate read.
John recently sent me an email. It read:
Hi Paul — How are you both, and the clan? Weather station up and going? Still has not stopped raining here. The ground is beyond saturated, and many of our big old trees around here are just falling over, which is horrible. Just got sent this link (below), and G asked me to send it on to people I know. To celebrate Betty White’s work with animals (and her 100th birthday, which sadly she’ll not have) her sister (in Australia) just started a short Gofundme for G and me here in Brazil. She’s good like that, and at this time of year (heaps of dumped dogs and cats after Christmas) everything helps.
If one opens the link then one reads the following:
ooOOoo
On 17/01 Betty White would turn 100 years old. Most of her life she was an advocate for the health & welfare of animals. As a tribute to her legacy, there’s a global movement to send monies to all animal shelters (thanks to my amazing friend Heather C who brought that to my attention). My sister and her husband John live in Brazil and have been working tirelessly to take stray cats & dogs off the streets for over 15 years.
Their amazing work, as much as is rewarding & noble have absolutely no financial help from the local Government. Stray animals are definitely a public health issue and depend practically solely on the private initiative.
So I’m asking my friends here to donate (any amount will help) to my sister’s VISTA VERDE ANIMAL FUND. Every cent in this campaign will go towards helping fund rescuing stray cats & dogs in the city of Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil – where my family lives – have them spayed/neutered, nurtured back to health with whatever operations/medicines/treatment they need, house them, and, with luck, get them adopted out into loving homes.
As Betty White herself summed it up best: “Take responsibility and breathe kindness.” Thank you in advance. YOUR CONTRIBUTION WILL MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE.
ooOOoo
To view the photographs and, more importantly, to Donate! go here
We have joined thousands of others in making a modest donation!
I cannot believe that it was just week ago that we had quite a lot of snow. Because just seven days later there’s no snow at all on the ground and if one looks up at the peaks then one can see some remnants of it!
And yet more delightful photographs of dogs courtesy of Unsplash!
It seems appropriate to show dogs from the Christmas Dogs selection on Unsplash. I will do it for this Sunday and the Boxing Day Sunday in a week’s time.
oooo
oooo
oooo
oooo
oooo
oooo
More from this selection in a week’s time.
Meanwhile, wherever you are please will you and all your families have a very great holiday.
There are many things we just take for granted including, if I may say, celebrating a birthday for our dog. Now I’ve no way to check with readers if what I just said is correct; it is an assumption.
Earlier in the year, July to be exact, The Dodo published ideas that might be useful for you. Here they are:
ooOOoo
7 Ways To Celebrate Your Dog’s Birthday
For the absolute best birthday (or adoption day) ever 🥳
There are lots of ways to celebrate your dog’s birthday. But different dogs might like to celebrate in different ways depending on their personality — some dogs are more social, and others might just want to spend the day lounging around.
With all the different ways to celebrate and all the different dogs out there, it might be hard for you to decide what to do to give your dog the best birthday.
To help you decide, The Dodo made a list of seven fun ideas for ways to celebrate your dog’s birthday.
Dog birthday party ideas
Throw a dog party
Invite all your dog’s friends to his birthday party! To make sure everyone’s included, send out invites like this one. You can personalize the template and add whatever you want to say to the front!
You’ll need some decorations for the party, too, so get this banner of your dog’s face! Just send in a pic of your dog, and you’ll get this banner to hang your pup’s face all over your house.
Give your dog’s guests some party favors before they go. Fill up these paw print party bags with little treats or toys to say thanks for coming. They come in a set of 20, so you’ll have plenty to go around.
Have a pool party
If your dog’s birthday is in the summer, let him cool off by taking a dip in the pool! This doggie poolcomes in multiple sizes and doesn’t need to be inflated, so it’s super easy to set up.
Obviously your dog will need a cool outfit for his party. Get him this Birthday Boy (or Birthday Girl) shirt that comes in multiple sizes and keeps your dog warm enough to wear on outdoor walks.
Get this birthday crown to complete the look. It’s sparkly gold with pom poms on top and has a chin strap, so it will stay put all day long (or as long as your dog will keep it on).
Have a photo booth
Set up a photo booth with props! These birthday-themed props will let you take lots of Instagram-worthy pictures with your dog. There are glasses, balloons, cake and hats, so you’ll have a lot of options.
Make pupcakes
Make homemade pupcakes for your pup with this dog cake mix. The recipe is all-natural and peanut butter flavored, comes with an icing mix and can be made in either the oven or microwave for easy baking.
Spend time with your dog
Spend quality time with your dog and give him some exercise by taking him on a long walk. You can still dress your pup up for his birthday walk with a fun harness and leash combo like this mix-and-match one that earned The Dodo’s Paw of Approval. The harness is adjustable, and there are tons of different colors. It also comes with a cute poop bag carrier to make cleaning up after your pup a little more fun.
Take time out of your day just to play with your dog. Whether it’s throwing a ball or playing with a squeaky toy or tug-of-war, your dog will love it. Get him some new toys that he can play with on his birthday too.
Let your dog pick out a gift
Take your pup to a pet store and let him pick out his own gift! You’ll probably be getting him tons of presents, but it’ll be fun for him to pick one out for himself too. Plus, dogs go crazy for all the sights, smells and sounds in pet stores, so it’ll be an adventure.
ooOOoo
You should be aware that if you choose to purchase an item from The Dodo website then their statement is applicable:
We independently pick all the products we recommend because we love them and think you will too. If you buy a product from a link on our site, we may earn a commission.
I think there are some brilliant ideas and, upon reading this article, maybe many fewer people will take it for granted when their dogs have a birthday!
Learning from Dogs 