ActivePets.Info

Harris County sheriff adds 4 dogs to K-9 unit

Theresa Quintanilla — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 12:48:43 +0000

The Harris County Sheriffs Department added four officers of the canine persuasion to its K-9 unit this week.K-9 deputies Boomer, Fozzie, Mikey and Tamara were donated by K-9s 4 Cops, a nonprofit organization that buys specially trained dogs for law enforcement agencies. The dogs are the first to join the force since budget cuts in 2009, said Sgt. William “Mike” Thomas, the head of the unit.”The officers would buy the dog

via Harris County sheriff adds 4 dogs to K-9 unit | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com – Houston Chronicle.

Yale U. library offers therapy dog for check out

Theresa Quintanilla — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 19:37:57 +0000

Monty the therapy dog is part of a three-day trial at Yales law school library. Stressed-out students may check out the border terrier. One student told The New York Times that while hes not so sure about the dogs ability to alleviate stress, it will be nice to play with a dog.

via Therapy Dog Is In Circulation At Yales Law Library : NPR.

What’s the Best Way to Find a Lost Dog? | The Bark

Theresa Quintanilla — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 13:17:33 +0000

Search the area. Call shelters. Place ads. Put up flyers. Even, hire a pet detective. In the last decade, technology has taken a growing role in the search. Craig’s List for one. Lost dogs are also posted on Facebook. And there are websites exclusively for posting lost pets, such as pets911.com. Community Leash is an iPhone app that sends out lost/found pet announcements. Several companies have created amber alert–type services, such as FindToto.com, that robocall all the phones in the area where your dog went missing. A recent entry into the business of keeping track of your dog comes from a company in my neck of the woods. PetHub, Inc., of Issaquah, Wash., has created the Link ID tag that is laser-etched with a 2D barcode that can be scanned and read by a smartphone. The selling point on the PetHub tag is that owners can create a profile that can more easily be kept up-to-date and provide more detailed information than old-fashioned printed tags or even microchips.

via What’s the Best Way to Find a Lost Dog? | The Bark.

In Therapy, Easing the Way With the Aid of an Animal – NYTimes.com

Theresa Quintanilla — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 12:55:09 +0000

The International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations insists that members limit service and therapy animals to domestic species trained for the job. And the Delta Society, which provides training programs for the animals, will not certify wild or exotic animals like snakes, ferrets, lizards and wolf-hybrids. However, the Delta Society says it “is constantly expanding the range of species included in the Pet Partners program” when there is adequate research to document the safety of their use.To help give the field a firmer scientific footing, the Mars company, a leading producer of pet foods, initiated a research partnership with the national institute branch of which Dr. Griffin is deputy director. Among continuing studies:

via In Therapy, Easing the Way With the Aid of an Animal – NYTimes.com.

NY Times: The Creature Connection

Theresa Quintanilla — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 15:34:23 +0000

James Serpell, president of the International Society for Anthrozoology, has proposed that the willingness to anthropomorphize was critical to the domestication of wild animals and forming bonds with them. We were particularly drawn to those species that seemed responsive to our Dr. Dolittle overtures.

Whereas wild animals like wolves will avert their eyes when spotted, dogs and cats readily return our gaze, and with an apparent emotiveness that stimulates the wistful narrative in our head. Dogs add to their soulful stare a distinctive mobility of facial musculature. “Their facial features are flexible, and they can raise their lips into a smile,” said Dr. Horowitz. “The animals we seem to love the most are the ones that make expressions at us.”

Dogs were among the first animals to be domesticated, roughly 10,000 years ago, in part for their remarkable responsiveness to such human cues as a pointed finger or a spoken command, and also for their willingness to work like dogs. They proved especially useful as hunting companions and were often buried along with their masters, right next to the spear set.

via The Creature Connection – NYTimes.com.

Tips for Hiking with Small Dogs | The Bark

Theresa Quintanilla — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 04:03:56 +0000

“Another thing to remember about small dogs is that they won’t self-limit the way larger ones will,” says Michelle Fredette, owner of Portland’s dog-trekking service Wag Masters. Your little one might run herself into trouble, exhausting herself or overheating if you don’t help her take it easy. If your dog is new to hiking, it’s best to check with your vet and then start small, with short hikes on easy trails. Watch to see that she’s not excessively panting, wobbly on her legs or plain pooped out. If there’s a difficult stretch of trail or if she gets too tired, be ready to lead her an easier way, or carry her. You might find a small pouch or backpack to use as a carrier if you’ll be hiking farther than, say, one mile per pound your dog weighs

via Tips for Hiking with Small Dogs | The Bark.

Barrio Dogs addresses the causes of neglect

Theresa Quintanilla — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 14:11:54 +0000

The nonprofit organization sends volunteers to schools to talk about pet care and responsibility and assists low-income residents who want to improve their animals quality of life, which can include providing free fences. Zenteno envisions a resource center to help people find low-cost spay and neuter programs and regular veterinarians.”One of our really important programs is called the Barrio Watch Dog program where we try to really encourage the residents to report animal abuse and neglect — chained-up dogs, animals that are left in cages and pens,” she said. “People in our area just think thats the norm. And they dont really take responsibility in reporting. I think its vital that we get law enforcement involved, because if we dont, then people are going to continue to do this.”

via Barrio Dogs founders is a neighbor on a mission | Life | Chron.com – Houston Chronicle.

Follow the link below for adorable picture of pit bull and bunnies

Theresa Quintanilla — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 01:21:09 +0000

“She was initially quite shy, but soon came around with the help of my other dogs,” Wolf says. “She is a young girl, no more than 18 months old. She will have no handicaps really. She does have a severe neck wound with a lot of scar tissue there, and will never be able to wear a collar. Her voice is a little funny because of it too. If I can figure a way to get the funds, I am going to see about having the vet reduce and modify the excess scar tissue to make a smoother and less restricted skin area there. Otherwise a healthy, smart girl that will be up for adoption.” For now, Parfait is keeping company with a menagerie. She met the bunnies a few days before Wolf took the photo she sent to us. She has also cuddled with lambs and chicks. Check out more of the multi-species healing at Rocky Ridge in our slideshow.

via Rescued Pit Bull Loves Bunnies | The Bark.

Visit to a Japanese cat cafe: lots of pictures and video

Theresa Quintanilla — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 17:22:43 +0000

At the request of a regular reader here, I have betaken myself and the kids intrepid reporter that I am to the Neko Cafe Leon in Yokohama. Yes, there really is such a thing–a coffee shop with a separate room filled with kitties to play with…for a sizable chunk of change $6 each for 30 minutes, and an additional $2/10min each after that–and you have to buy at least a drink.

via yokohamamama: An Afternoon at the NekoCafe Leon.

Scientists have good evidence that handler’s beliefs cause ‘false positive’ performance by ‘sniffer’ dogs

Theresa Quintanilla — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 19:36:12 +0000

Drug- and explosives-sniffing dog/handler teams’ performance is affected by human handlers’ beliefs, possibly in response to subtle, unintentional handler cues, a study by researchers at UC Davis has found.

The study, published in the January issue of the journal Animal Cognition, found that detection-dog/handler teams erroneously “alerted,” or identified a scent, when there was no scent present more than 200 times — particularly when the handler believed that there was scent present.

“It isn’t just about how sensitive a dog’s nose is or how well-trained a dog is. There are cognitive factors affecting the interaction between a dog and a handler that can impact the dog’s performance,” said Lisa Lit, a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Neurology and the study’s lead author.

via Explosive- and drug-sniffing dog performance is affected by their handlers’ beliefs.