Archive for May, 2009

Animal Quotes

picHow do you sum up life with animals in a few words? Some writers have done a pretty good job. Here are their words, and my thoughts on them:
“I’d like to take them [her puppies] down to the shore, but I’m afraid they might damage the sea.” Dodie Smith, author of The Hundred and One Dalmatians
I don’t know what kind of damage Ms. Smith was envisioning, but after seeing what two cats can do to a house in two weeks, I tend to think anything’s possible.
I like mice, and chipmunks and laboratory rats. I'd probably like sewer rats, too, but I've...

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Flea Control For Cats and Dogs

picIf you own a pet cat or dog, there is a pretty good chance that you have experienced a nuisance called fleas. Not only do fleas irritate your pet and cause him to scratch himself more frequently, fleas also can cause diseases that affect your pet and sometimes humans. Once you know your pet actually has fleas, it is a good idea to check with a vet, you need to find a treatment that fits your pet’s need. Dogs and cats are different species, so what works for one won’t work for the other- thus it is important to seek...

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Baby’s First Pet

picRecently, my four year old cousin's betta fish died.  He was very sad and insisted on calling me.  Well, that set me thinking: aren't fish the perfect pet for younger kids? Fish hold many advantages over other pets:
  1. First of all, fish can be very low maintenance pets.  If you get a tank with a filtration system, the fish will need only occasional water changes.  Other pets will need to have cages, litterboxes, or yards scooped.  Also, fish only need a few food flakes thrown in for food.  Many pets need water and food bowls filled many times a day.
  2. Fish can be...

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A Dog’s Life and License

picA letter to the editor in the morning paper got me thinking about dog licenses. (Also feeling sympathy for the letter writer, but I’d sympathize with anyone who’d lost their pet or been suspected unfairly, let alone both.)
Return home to find in the mailbox a notice from City of Toronto -- a pet license request. A warning that Big Brother "has reason to believe that you have an unlicensed pet ..." Our beloved 13-year-old German shepherd died two months ago. She was licensed. Toronto: broke, filthy, crumbling, violent. But the Pet Gestapo is looking out for our safety.
What’s the idea...

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Dog Pride – Cat Prejudice

picThe cliche goes that there are two kinds of people in the world: dog people and cat people. On TV and in the movies, the handsome leading man who gets the girl is always a dog person. Cat people are generally portrayed as uptight shut-ins or old maids. How this cultural bias began, I don't know. But it is pervasive in our society. Men who have cats invariably will refer to the pet as "my wife's cat" or, at best, "our cat", as if there were some deep shame to a man enjoying the presence of a...

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