Sherry’s Corner

Would You Buy a Bic from a Bull or a Gillette from Taz?

Dogs have been used in commercials more than any other animal.  The question is, what will Gillette do with Tiger Woods?  They may have to add his dogs to new commercials.  Already both dogs are frequently pictured with a smiling Woods family.   

      In commercials and as image builders dogs are popular because they have a strong positive product viewer-recall.  Ad agencies like dogs because they are much easier to train than cats–although with Tiger, a cat might be a better fit!  However, not all cats are as trainable as my Rusty, an orange marmalade stray, who quickly learned to come when called and to heel on command!  Rusty was in a college production targeted at understanding cats in order to avoid cat bites–bites that are more dangerous and more frequent than dog bites.  HE WAS THE STAR.

HELPING THE UNEMPLOYED BECOME DOG TRAINERS–ANOTHER QUESTION. The Salvation Army and author Matthew Margolis have proposed teaching low-income and no-income people how to become dog trainers–small business owners.  Is it time to have criteria for calling oneself a dog trainer?  Is it enough to have trained one’s own dog, to have attended multiple dog training classes and to earn a degree with an internet certificate? Teaching man’s best friend should not be considered a job but a  profession with EXPERIENCE.  

HAVE A BLACK AND BLUE CANINE CHRISTMAS–EVERY DAY I FEEL SORRY FOR BLACK DOGS.  I wish there was a prayer especially for them.  If there were black Springers I would own one.  If I were going to foster a dog I would foster a black dog.  There are many reasons for this feeling– number one is that I believe color does make the dog! I believe we will find that black dogs are genetically more sound than the other colors in a breed.  A Cornell researcher once told me black Labradors, for example, had fewer eye problems than the yellow and chocolate Labs.  To further reinforce that recently I had the opportunity to watch the renowned Jim Reynolds judge the sporting group.  His pick was a black Labrador that he said, “spoke to him and I always put up the dog who speaks to me”.  And yet, black dogs are less apt to be chosen for adoption in shelters and rescues.  The next time someone asks you to help them, choose a puppy or a dog as a family addition–maybe this Christmas–do look long and hard at the black dogs, and it wouldn’t hurt to listen either!   

      The other color dog I would advise all parents to consider is the BLUE DOG.  “Blue Dog” is the name of a colorful way to prevent dog bites through an American Veterinary Medical Association program on communication with dogs.  The Blue Dog Parent Guide and CD is designed to help parents and children safely interact.  It is targeted toward children ages 3 to 6 and the cost is only $8.  Call the AVMA at 800-248-2862, ext. 6655 or visit www.avma.org/bluedog.  It is an especially appropriate gift since so many bites are triggered by play and toys–the ones which squeak–and become toys of choice at Christmas.  I even believe toys which make a noise should have a warning label, “this toy may bring out the prey instinct in a dog”. 

WHAT DO YOU GIVE SOMEONE WHO HAS NOTHING?–has lost his best friend! A new booklet published by the Argus Institute, College of Veterinary Medicine, Colorado University, is filled with valuable suggestions from both the hospice and medical standpoints.  It is especially helpful for anyone who suffers the inevitable guilt which comes with the loss of a pet.  Thanks to the generosity of Dr. and Mrs Walter Brasch, the booklet is available through veterinary hospitals or by calling the Grief Hotline at 570-784-2460.         

More News Items as 2009 Begins to Close

ONE MAN’S JUNK–ANOTHER DOG’S FOOD! Nutro Products has recalled several lots of dog foods after finding pieces of a worker’s plastic hat in the production line. The recall applies to Nutro Ultra Puppy Food and Nutro Natural Choice Chicken Meal, Rice and Oatmeal Formula Small Bites Puppy food. Also, Wysong has recalled lots of dry dog foods containing mold.  The recall affects Maintenance dog food, Senior dog food and Synorgon dog food.  And Diamond Pet Foods has recalled several lots of cat foods deficient in thiamine manufactured for PremiumEdge.  Information about pet food recalls is available on the AVMA Web site at www.avma.org/petfoodsafety/recalls.

SOCIALIZATION OF DOGS CAN PUT THEM AND YOU AT RISK   The AVMA has released a reference guide to educate dog owners about the health risks of dogs socializing.  The guide notes that dogs can spread diseases to other dogs and people in settings such as dog parks, day care and boarding facilities, competitions and training classes.  Other health risks include bite wounds and environmental hazards.  The three sections of the document cover risks for dogs, risks for people and protective measures.  The document summarizes risks for dogs of canine distemper, canine influenza, canine parvovirus, external parasites, fertilizers and pesticides, fungal infections, heartworm, heatstroke injuries, intestinal parasites, kennel cough, leptospirosis, rabies, regional wildlife and feral animals, ringworm, tick-borne diseases and toxic plants.  The guide is available online at www.avma.org/animal health by scrolling down to “Pet care” and clicking on “Dogs’ social lives and disease risks”. 

DID DINOSAURS SNEEZE?  Will researchers find the origins of swine flu H1N1 in dinosaur bones?  According to an article in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, “new research indicates that tyrannosaurid dinosaurs may have been affected with a disease similar to one that causes lesions in the jaws of modern birds of prey.  The finding represents the first evidence for the ancient evolutionary origin of an avian transmissible disease in non-avian theropod dinosaurs.”  One researcher suspects there is a  history of co-evolution of diseases and their hosts  (Today it has been speculated that the present day influenza virus could be a result of DNA swapping between avian flu and those affecting other species.  If there is “co-evolution” between diseases and hosts we may have added the possibility of prehistoric origins to a modern pandemic.  Unfortunately or fortunately dinosaurs did not have vaccines.)  

BEST IN GARBAGE. Nearly 4,000 canines are going to compete for more than $225,000 in prizes at the ninth annual AKC/Eukanuba National championship in Long Beach, Dec. 12^th and 13th. The two-day event is held in connection with the AKC Agility invitational and the AKC National Obedience invitational with entries of 457 and 109.  Dogs from 41 countries are entered with the largest entry–106 Golden Retrievers.  (The show is open and not by invitation as it has been in the past and will be again next year.  Wonder if this is due to the economy and small breed event numbers?)  The Eukanuba booth promises to be the most amazing. It features an exhibit where attendees can see, smell, hear, and taste exactly as a dog does.  I think it would have been less expensive if they had read the research by past AVMA president and veterinary behaviorist Bonnie Beaver.  Fried liver was the preferred food when dogs go on a best in garbage search.  This is followed by baked or fried chicken.  Sorry, Eukanuba.         

Tiger’s Dogs; Microchips; Paw- and Carbon Footprints

FIRE HYDRANTS AND TREES share a new bond. In addition to being among the favorite places for dogs to pause, they now share headlines with the golfer, Tiger Woods! The recent headlines regarding this talented golfer have worried and enthralled us over the last several days.  Tiger owns two dogs–a Border Collie named Taz and an Australian Labradoodle named Yogi.  Yogi is more than a cross between a Labrador and a Poodle–his parents are both Australian imports.  Yogi’s ancestors thus include Irish Water Spaniels and both the American and English Cocker Spaniels.  The breed club began in 2005 and has a standard and a web site (worth checking out before considering a puppy purchase)  and perhaps AKC recognition aspirations.  The Standard stresses that the breed must be “Good family companions with temperament and soundness as key elements” .  Size, however, is a problem–three sizes are now accepted. Also, coat colors read like a stylist’s dream–bleaching and discoloration are considered ideal.  Color and coat texture alone will be problems for recognition–without a much longer history of consistency.  Thus, it would seem that it will be awhile before the Australian Labradoodle  joins the Bluetick Coonhound, Redbone Coonhound and Boykin Spaniel as AKC recognized breeds.  The next breeds in line for AKC recognition are the Icelandic Sheepdog, Cane Corso and Leonberger.  The Labradoodle will also not be eligible for any of the new AKC events since its parents are not AKC recognized breeds.  Sorry, Tiger, no majors for your dogs! Of course, the most famous dog connected in a way with Tiger Woods bears his name–the Wolfhound that won the 2009 Hound Group at Westminster!        

AT LAST–MICROCHIP PROGRESS. For a long time the AVMA and many humane societies have had as their goal improving microchipping as a form of pet identification.  This involves developing universal scanners that can read ALL microchips.  It also involves enrolling microchips IN REGISTRIES.  Now the American Animal Hospital Association has a free web site where a microchip number can be MATCHED WITH THE MANUFACTURER even if the dog owner didn’t take the critical and important step of enrolling his dog in a registry.  The site of this valuable resource–AAHA Universal Pet Microchip Lookup tool — www.petmicrochiplookup.org.  Another resource is Chloe StandardChecktheChip.com. The most important advance, however, would be to make it mandatory for all dogs and puppies sold in Pennsylvania to have proof of a microchip or tattoo (Pennsylvania lifetime license number) at time of sale.  This would provide more security for lost dogs–and perhaps act as a deterrent when people decide to dump a pet. We might lower license fees with identification. 

      PAW PRINTS AND CARBON FOOTPRINTS.  As many readers know, there is a new book out titled, “Time to Eat The Dog–The Real Guide to Sustainable Living”.  The authors maintain that dog owning is much worse for the planet than owning a SUV.  And, they cite dog owners for driving larger-than-necessary cars and even RVs for carrying dogs to dog parks, dog shows and dog events.  Would they approve of canine car pooling en route to do therapy at a nursing home or to attend a training class? 

      Apparently Bill Smith (Main Line Rescue) didn’t read the book.  He chartered a jet to rescue PA puppy mill dogs which had been taken to a Ohio auction. He was able to purchase six and cruelty charges will be brought against six puppy mills as a result of his mission.  The puppy mills which are to be cited have approximately 500-plus dogs each.   The rescue jet was a big carbon footprint–but perhaps thousands of dogs will now have a chance at better lives with footprints free from pain!  We can’t always measure compassion and caring in carbon footprints.

      Did you ever wonder where these thousands of dogs will spend the holidays with the Commonwealth’s overflowing shelters?