Kneady Cats

So, I’ve been writing an awful lot about dogs lately, mainly because that is my expertise, however I do know a little about Cats and many of my friends have asked me to write about them.  I always was a cat person before we started rescuing dogs.  In my e-mail box the other day was an e-mail from PetFinder asking if I ever wondered why cats knead.  Of course, being a cat person, I was very interested.  Then a light went off in my head…blog material.  J  So here is my interpretation of several articles exploring the theory of why cats knead.

 

 

It seems that cats knead for many reasons.  To show contentment or alleviate stress, to create a soft space to sleep, to generate nourishment (nursing kittens), and to mark their territory.

That last one kind or threw me, but cats have scent glands in their feet.  So when they knead, the secret a scent to mark their turf.  Does that mean that since my cat was always kneading on me, they were marking me as theirs?  J  From what I read…Yep it sure does.

Now Pet MD says that one of the reasons is that your cat is returning the affection you are giving them.  They also say that this is one way cats keep themselves limber between naps.  J  That one cracked me up, because it is true.  One thing I learned here though is that female cats will knead just before going into heat as a way to let male cats know she is ready, willing, and able.  Hmmm  Good thing my female cat was spayed…as all of yours should be.

While researching this topic I came across a website called Why Do Cats Purr.  They also have some information on why cats knead. Their information is pretty much the same as the other’s I’ve read, but I thought some of you might be interested in reading their information on why cats purr.

I loved it when my cats would lay on me and purr and knead.  It was as comforting to me as it was to them.  However, my cats were declawed on their front claws.  If your cat isn’t declawed, then sometimes this isn’t so comforting for you or your furniture.  Keeping your cats nails trimmed will help with this. 

If this behavior is something you want to dissuade your cat from doing you can train them not to by gently moving them off your lap or furniture when they start or distracting them.  You don’t want to punish your cat for kneading as this is just a natural behavior.  Screaming at them or hitting them is BAD behavior on your part.  Patience will always persevere.  J

Be Well & Be Happy,

Pet~Pourri

National Dog Bite Prevention Week

This week is Dog Bite Prevention Week.  I thought it would be a good time to share some tips on how to prevent dog bites.  According to the American Veterinary Medical Foundation, 4.5 million people in the US are bitten by dogs, 800,000 of these need medical attention and at least half of these are children.  Children are by far the most common victim of dog bites and are more likely to be severely injured.

 

 

So, what can you do to avoid dog bites?  Proper training of your dog, socialization, and educating children are a few options.  I know I go on and on about training and socializing your dogs, but this is vitally important, not only to prevent dog bites, but also for the health and benefit of you and your dog.  A dogs formative months are between 3 and 12 weeks.  This is when puppies should be socialized the most.  Get them around people, get them around other dogs, and get them around children.  Teach them that people, other dogs, and children aren’t bad.  You will have a much more behaved dog who will be comfortable in strange situations.

 

Here at the rescue we’ve raised many puppies over the years.  The feedback we get most is how well behaved and socialized our puppies are.  One thing is we do not adopt them out until they are at least 12 weeks old.  This is very beneficial for the puppy because they learn from their mother and their siblings.  Once they are about 4 weeks old, we start taking them out in public to get them used to people and other dogs.  The better you socialize your puppy, the better behaved they will be.

 

 

However, you also need to learn how to read a dog’s body language.  They can’t verbally say ‘Hey…leave me alone’, so you need to read the signs to know when they want to be left alone or play, or aren’t feeling well.  Modern Dog Magazine has a great article on how to read a dog’s body language.  Dog Language 101 also has some great information in this article.

 

We have found that a lot of dog bites happen when people are greeting a new dog.  Here are some tips on how not to greet a dog:

 

I’ve found, personally, that if I get down on the dogs level, they are much more comfortable in approaching me than they would be if I stood over them.  Especially with timid dogs.  Of course you don’t want to do this if a dog is clearly showing signs of aggression, but I always get down on my knees and wait for the dog to approach me before I pet it.  You don’t ever want to grab a dog and pull them toward you if you are just meeting them.

Since the majority of dog bites happen with children, you don’t ever want to leave your young child alone with a dog, even if it is your family pet.  Children must be supervised while playing with the dog and you need to pay attention to the signals the dog is giving off.  When the dog has had enough, put them somewhere where they can get some peace away from fawning children.  You aren’t just supervising your child, but also the dog.  If you learn to read the signs, you will know when your dog has had enough and they want some quiet time.

 

 

Also, teach your child not to disturb your dog while they are sleeping, eating, or chewing on a toy.  Teach them not to run up to a strange dog to give them a hug.  Teach them to be polite to the dog and respect their personal space.  In the rescue each dog has their own kennel that they can go to when they want quite time.  We never disturb the dogs while they are in their kennels.  If we want them, we call them out of the kennel. 

I could go on and on, but I only have so much space.  J  Bottom line, train your pet, socialize your pet, learn how to read your pets body language, and teach children to respect the pet.

 

Be Well & Be Happy,
Pet~Pourri

New Fad in Dog Fighting

I’m sure you’ve all heard the horror stories of dog fighting.  The most famous is Michael Vick’s dog fighting ring.  This is a monstrous inhumane practice that we need to do everything we can to stop. 

 

The other day I read an article about the newest fad in dog fighting.  It is called Trunking.  In this case a person puts two dogs in the trunk of the car and drives around for 10-15 minutes blasting loud hip-hop music to muffle the noise of the dogs fighting.  After the 10-15 minutes the driver stops and dumps the body of the dead dog.

 

 

I have to say, this is the most disgusting thing I have ever heard of.  I just can’t understand what people get out of watching two living beings tear each other apart until one of them is dead.  And with this new fad, people don’t even see it happen.  What is the point?  I just don’t get it.

One of our Sanctuary dogs, Sangha, was rescued as a puppy from a dog fighting ring that was using him as a bait dog to teach their pit-bulls to fight.  The thing with American Eskimos is that when they are attacked, they don’t back down.  The pit-bull is going to win, there is no doubt about it, but the Eskie is going to put up a fight.  Supposedly this teaches the pit-bull confidence.  GIVE ME A BREAK!!!

 

Sangha

 

I thought that instead of venting my anger and frustration with this filthy blood sport, I would give you some facts and other information that many people don’t know.  The ASPCA has this page with frequently asked questions that really gives a lot of information about dog fighting.  In the US, Pit Bull’s seem to be the dog of choice for dog fighting. 

How much do you know about the breed?  Pit Bulls and other breeds of Bull dog were bread as bull-baiting or bear-baiting dogs.  They were bread to bite the bull or bear around the nose and face and hang on without releasing their grip until the animal was exhausted from fighting and loss of blood.  When this practice was banned in the 1800’s, people started fighting the dogs against each other.

 

 

This is a vicious, cruel, inhumane sport, and it needs to be stopped.  So what can you do to help stop it?  Here are 10 ways to help end dog fighting from the ASPCA.  Lobbying your state legislature for tougher laws and penalties would be a start.  Learn what to look for and keep it touch with your local animal shelter.  Keep an eye on your own pets because dog fighters will steal other people’s pets to use as bait dogs to teach their dogs to fight.  Volunteer to help rehabilitate a dog that has been used for fighting.  These are just a few ways you can help.  Every little bit will make a difference.

 

 

Just ask this pup...

Be Well & Be Happy,

Pet~Pourri

Rescue Transport

Did you ever wonder what was involved in transporting rescue dogs?  No?  Not many people do.  Most people think the dogs in shelters and rescues are local dogs.  Well…this is not always the case.  Especially in breed specific rescues like us.  Often times a rescue may not be able to take in another dog in their area and will contact other groups to see if anyone can help rescue a dog.

 

We were contacted by someone in Tennessee recently about a dog in Illinois that needed to get into rescue.  The dog was in a shelter, a high kill shelter.  We started communicating with rescues closer to the dog to see if any of them could help.  The St. Louis Chapter of Heart Bandits, was able to help the dog, but they could not keep him in their rescue as they were inundated.  They pulled him from the shelter in IL and had him vetted and neutered. 

 

George & Perry Transport from SD

So, how do we get the dog to us here in Iowa? 

 

Usually we set up what is called an Eskie Railroad.  The Eskie Railroad is a network of people around North America who have volunteered to transport Eskies relay fashion. Each volunteer transports an Eskie from 50 miles to 200 miles to the next volunteer who does the same. The Eskie Railroad provides a safe, low cost means of transporting an Eskie in need of a home to a home in need of an Eskie. It was started by HeartBandits American Eskimo Dog Rescue. This was the first national rescue for American Eskimo dogs. We are affiliated with them, but are our own separate 501c3 non-profit organization.

 

This will be a fairly short transport from St. Louis to us here in Iowa.  One volunteer will drive the dog to Columbia, MO where another volunteer will meet them and drive the dog to KC, MO, where another volunteer will meet them and drive the dog to meet me.  Depending on availability, the dog may have to overnight in KC.

 

Once the dog has been evaluated and is healed from being neutered, he may or may not be placed up for adoption.  If he is not, he will live out his life in our sanctuary.  From what we have heard about him, I’m sure he will be made available for adoption though.  His name is Elke.  He is a 3 yr. old Eskie mix.  He’s about the average size of a standard Eskie.  Stay tuned to find out how the transport goes and Elke’s arrival at what our volunteers fondly call the Iowa Eskie Spa and Resort.

 

Elke

We’ve worked on much more complicated transports.  Multiple state, multiple days, with a couple overnights involved.  These long transports are extremely difficult to arrange and we need to have back-up volunteers available in case someone is unable to assist as planned.  In one case, when we were transporting a dog to Alabama one of our volunteers had car trouble and wound up being 7 hours late.  This was a very frantic time when we were trying to figure out where the dog was and what happened.  We don’t like doing long transports and will often fly a dog in these cases.

 

But that is a tail for another blog.  I promised you one on how The Duke came to join us and those two topics fit perfectly together.

 

Stay tuned for updates on Elke.

 

Be Well & Be Happy,

Pet~Pourri