the way i see it

follow

2010-03-16T11:50:00.000-07:00

i'm moving my blog- to help with the transition

please follow (that's what my monkey says when i wander the wrong way or don't know where we're doing)

duke

most difficult choice ever

2010-03-15T12:35:00.000-07:00

hi everyone

duke here. i have a sad update for you

my buddy jj is not coming to visit anymore. he used to stay with us for a month and some other place for a month. my monkey was explaining to me that this was too hard on him emotionally and that jj was to stay one place now. so we had to be willing to give him up so he could have a single home and we could be free of the past. so while free, we are very, very sad

we wish jj could have come to stay with us for ever and ever. he helped me learn to live again and was a best friend to the monkey since he was cocktail wiener sized.

we will both miss him dearly and love him more than anything

hugs and kisses little man

we love you for ever and ever

dudu

ps please be understanding and don't talk to my monkey about this

Canine Morphology: Hunting for Genes and Tracking Mutations

2010-03-04T10:47:00.000-08:00

ScienceDaily (Mar. 3, 2010)- Why do domestic dogs vary so much in size, shape, coat texture, color and patterning? Study of the dog genome has reached a point where the molecular mechanisms governing such variation across mammalian species are becoming understood.In an essay published in the March 2, 2010 issue of PLoS Biology, National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) researchers discuss advances in understanding the genomic mechanisms controlling canine morphology.

There are more than 300 dog breeds in the world, including 170 recognized by the American Kennel Club. All are members of the species Canis familiaris. The authors review unique features of the canine genome that make it particularly good for genetic studies, and they show that breeds can be divided into five major groups derived from groups of ancient forebears. "Study of variation in the dog species, with its breeding structure, helps us hone in on the genomic factors for traits shared across species, including analogs for diseases that occur in the human population," said senior author Elaine Ostrander, Ph.D., chief of NHGRI's Cancer Genetics Branch.

This essay highlights the unique features of dog populations that offer advantages for genetic studies, as well as recent advances in canine genomics that show how genetic mechanisms may control breed-defining traits. For example, the hunt for genes for a prominent trait in more than one breed (such as short legs) is simplified because of the genetic diversity observed between breeds. Also it is easier to identify disease genes in dogs than in the much more diverse human population.

Several features of the dog genome may lead to the large differences between domestic dog breeds, generating a higher rate of new, non-lethal variants in the dog genome, which are then available to be selected upon by breeders. Several discoveries correlating a gene to a particular trait are discussed, from the characteristic short legs of breeds like dachshunds and corgis, to the 30-fold differential in dog skeletal size, to fur texture and color.

"The dog genome is an extraordinary model for genomic study due to the combination of selective breeding practices and perhaps this species' unique capacity to undergo adaptive molecular changes," said co-author Abigail Shearin, a University of Pennsylvania veterinary student pursuing research training in the Ostrander Lab.

This work is supported by the intramural Program of the National Human Genome Research Institute and the Howard Hughes Scholars Program.

Dog jigsaw puzzles!

2010-02-24T10:36:00.000-08:00

At National Geographic!

Dog of war: British Labrador fetches award for bomb-sniffing work on Afghan front lines

2010-02-24T10:31:00.000-08:00

Published: Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | 10:32 AM ET
Canadian Press Raphael G. Satter, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LONDON - A perky British Labrador whose bomb-sniffing exploits helped save lives in Afghanistan was decorated for canine courage in a ceremony at London's Imperial War Museum Wednesday.

Eight-year-old Treo joins a menagerie of heroic animals honoured over the years with a special award known as the Dickin medal, including 32 pigeons, three horses and a cat.

Sgt. Dave Heyhoe, the black Lab's handler, said he was "very proud indeed," adding the award was not just for him and his dog but "for every dog and handler that's working out in Afghanistan or Iraq."

Treo merely flicked out his rosy tongue as he and Heyhoe posed for photographs with the silvery medal. He squirmed as the medal was fitted around his neck.

The military nominated Treo for the prize in recognition of his help uncovering a series of Taliban bombs during his time serving in Helmand Province, an insurgency hot spot, in 2008. The Labrador is the medal's 63rd recipient since its inception in 1943, according to the Peoples Dispensary for Sick Animals, the charity that awards the prize.

Man's best friend has won a big share of the medals, including a collie named Rob who joined British commandos in repeated parachute operations behind enemy lines during World War II.

More recently, Sadie, another bomb-sniffing dog, was awarded the Dickin medal for helping to alert coalition forces to an explosive hidden under sandbags in Kabul in 2005.

Other animals, notably carrier pigeons used in World War II, have bagged honours as well.

Countries from Australia to Hungary occasionally honour exceptionally brave animals with medals in a variety of contexts.

There's no equivalent to the Dickin medal in the United States, although military animals have been honoured with medals or memorials on an unofficial, ad hoc basis.

The most famous U.S. recipient, a World War I mutt named Sgt. Stubby, served in 17 battles, was wounded in a grenade attack and survived several gassings. Between locating wounded Allied soldiers in the trenches, he even managed to help nab a German spy.

Stubby, now stuffed and on display at the Smithsonian, was awarded several medals, including a Purple Heart, and the canine was made a lifetime member of the American Legion. But the practice of giving medals to animals was eventually abandoned by the U.S. military on the ground that the practice risks devaluing the awards given to soldiers.

Lisa Nickless, a spokeswoman for the animal charity, said no one had raised any such concerns about Treo.

"He saved human life," she said.

Abused animals could get right to lawyer in Swiss proposal up for vote

2010-02-18T09:38:00.001-08:00

Published: Thursday, February 18, 2010 | 11:06 AM ET
Canadian Press Eliane Engeler, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
GENEVA - Lawyer Antoine F. Goetschel feels uncomfortable talking about one of his recent clients. And it isn't just because he lost the case.

"Fish don't get much sympathy," he explains. That's doubly true for the unnamed dead pike whose cause Goetschel took up earlier this month, much to the amusement of Swiss anglers who couldn't understand why one of their own was being hauled into court for landing a big catch.

Goetschel is Europe's only animal lawyer and the figurehead for a movement that wants to expand Zurich's pioneering legal system across Switzerland.

Voters will decide in a March 7 poll whether every canton (state) should be required to appoint an animal lawyer to represent the interests of pets and farm animals in court - in effect a dedicated public prosecutor for dogs, cats and other vertebrates that have been abused by humans.

"Swiss law has taken a big step forward in recent years" particularly for animals that live in groups, Goetschel tells The Associated Press.

The country's constitution now prohibits keeping pigs in single pens and budgies alone in a cage - solitary confinement, as Goetschel calls it.

Dog owners have to take a training course and from 2013 it will be forbidden to tie horses in their stalls.

Campaign group Swiss Animal Protection, which launched the petition and gathered the necessary 100,000 signatures to force a nationwide vote, argues that abuses on pets are often not taken seriously by local authorities and don't make it up to court.

The Swiss government has recommended voters reject the proposal, saying animal lawyers are unnecessary and existing laws are sufficient.

Swiss Animal Protection's director Hansueli Huber says the group received 5,000 reports of alleged abuse in 2008. That's about 1,000 more than in 2007, he added.

"As long as you consider animal rights breaches a trivial offence we don't get anywhere," he says, noting that in many cases pet owners get away with a fine.

The debate took on a new dimension two weeks ago when prosecutors in the canton of Zurich accused an angler of having tortured a large pike, because the battle between man and beast took about 10 minutes.

Goetschel, in his capacity as the canton's animal lawyer, was in court to represent the dead fish. He regrets that the case, which isn't typical of his work, received so much attention.

"At least a lot of people who didn't know what an animal lawyer is discovered that the job is about representing the interests of animals in court," he says.

Asked why he represented the fish, Goetschel says, "It's the same reason why a prosecutor goes after a murderer: to make sure that people are suitably punished for their crimes."

Goetschel says he represents about 150-200 animals each year, mostly dogs, cows and cats. Since animals can't pay, the canton of Zurich picks up his 200 Swiss francs-an-hour ($185-an-hour) bill.

"A commercial lawyer wouldn't touch a pencil for that kind of money," says Goetschel, who sports a distinctive silver mane and is vegetarian.

The Swiss Farming Association opposes the plan to appoint more animal lawyers, and pet breeders are divided.

Peter Rub, president of the Swiss dog breeding association, says he is in favour because "animals are not objects" to be paraded in fashion shows or to be brought up in crowded places without sufficient exercise.

Roger Bernet, president of the Swiss Budgerigar Society, says there's no need for special animal lawyers and it could lead to absurd situations such as the fish case.

Goetschel, who says he probably won't appeal on behalf of the pike, notes "It's not about making animals into humans."

But if Swiss voters accept the proposal, "it would really push the animal rights debate forward."

Polish dog rescued from icy Baltic waters goes to sea with crew

2010-02-10T09:28:00.000-08:00

Published: Wednesday, February 10, 2010 | 8:32 AM ET
Canadian Press THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WARSAW, Poland - Baltic, the Polish dog rescued from the frigid Baltic Sea after a long journey on an ice floe, is again braving those waters - this time safely onboard the ship whose crew saved him.

Wearing a bright orange lifejacket, Baltic embarked Wednesday on a three-day mission alongside his new owner Adam Buczynski, a seaman who pulled him to safety from an ice sheet in the Baltic Sea last month.

Buczynski said the dog seemed stressed by the commotion of preparing the trip. In footage shown on Polish TV, Baltic sat on his lap, his head buried between Buczynski's legs.

Ewa Bardziej-Krzyzankowska, spokeswoman for the Sea Fisheries Institute in Gdynia, co-owner of the ship, said the crew is taking anti-nausea pills for Baltic in case he gets sea sick.

Dog rescued from Baltic Sea makes himself at home, finds friends on ship that saved him

2010-01-29T12:07:00.000-08:00

Published: Friday, January 29, 2010 | 10:07 AM ET

Canadian Press Monika Scislowska, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WARSAW, Poland - A dog rescued from the Baltic Sea after braving a 75-mile journey on an ice floe is making himself at home on the Polish research ship whose crew rescued him, the captain said Friday.

Jerzy Wosachlo, the captain of the Baltica, said the dog slept on a blanket in the ship's laboratory, then shared a sausage breakfast with the crew. He said the dog often sticks close to the mechanic who saved him but also has started moving around as he pleases, enjoying the company of people.

"We have enrolled him as a crew member," Wosachlo said.

Nicknamed "Baltic," the dog - furry and friendly - will continue in that capacity unless his owner is found, the captain said. The ship is preparing to sail Feb. 10 on a brief mission - with the dog, unless he is afraid, Wosachlo said.

With the ship in the port of Gdynia on Friday, the black-and-brown mongrel was occasionally taken on land for walks, he said.

The Sea Fishing Institute that owns the ship sent a bowl and a squeaking toy, and the scientists on board brought dog food. And Wosachlo was receiving numerous calls from people offering money to feed the dog or wanting to adopting him.

After news of the dog's rescue broke, four people called saying he was theirs. But the dog kept his distance from the first two, showing no recognition. Two other putative owners who had planned to come for the dog Friday cancelled, Wosachlo said.

President Lech Kaczynski, himself a dog owner, sent the crew a letter praising its action in saving the dog's life.

"Such gestures make our world a better one," Kaczynski wrote.

The dog was first seen Saturday on the Vistula River, 60 miles (100 kilometres) inland, drifting on a piece of ice past the city of Grudziadz. Local firefighters said they failed to save him then.

He was spotted again Monday, 15 miles (24 kilometres) from land in the Baltic Sea, when he was rescued by the Baltica's crew.

The rescue was difficult because the dog kept falling into the water. Fearing he could drown, the crew lowered a pontoon to the water and the mechanic, Adam Buczynski, managed to grab the dog by the scruff of the neck and pull him to safety.

In port, the 44-pound (20-kilogram) dog was taken to a veterinarian, who found him in surprisingly good condition and estimated he was 5 or 6 years old.

The veterinarian, Aleksandra Lawniczak, said a dog with thick fur and a layer of fat can survive cold conditions for as long as eight days if it has water to drink.

apparently this is me in the park- imagine it chasing a squeaky toy

2010-01-28T10:47:00.000-08:00

2010-01-27T14:41:00.000-08:00

its been a long time- the computer was moved and I couldn't find it

usually jj does the blogging but he has been mr lazy pants recently, so i am doing it. we had a great christmas and new year going up to the cabin with aunty steph. we walked in the forest and i found lot of deep poop to snack on. it was sooooo good. even jj had some and admitted it was as good as sushi. we got to lounge by the fire in the evening. i'm not good at lounging, but jj is

i am doing very well finding my way around now. my orientation and mobility skills are much better and i don't bump into stuff as much. unless the guy moves a chair or laundry basket out and doesn't put them away. i often put away other stuff like shoes and jackets left out where i bump into them. i put this stuff on my day bed in the corner, that way i know where it is

i keep my toys there too. except when jj uses them, he just drops them when he's done and it takes me some time to find them sometimes

i even like playing with other dogs now. in the park cooper follows me everywhere trying to steal my squeaky toy, carter is pretty cool but doesn't play with me like jj and cooper. i sometimes play with eddie but he barks too much at times and i don't know where i am

we're moving to a new apartment soon. i got to sniff it this morning and it was very exciting. it was after we played at the beach so i was a little muddy and wet, but i got a very thorough drying before entering the building, and another before entering the new home

jj will be so surprised! I get first dibs on my bedroom

did i tell you that up at the cabin jj and i shared a room all to ourselves? we were so spoiled as we got to sleep on a big bed all to ourselves. i much prefer the bed with the guy in it and even more with aunty steph on lazy mornings. except when i need to pee then its get up now!

ok more on the new home soon

bye duke

Stimulating Sight: Retinal Implant Could Help Restore Useful Level Of Vision To Certain Groups Of Blind People

2009-09-24T11:31:00.000-07:00

can i have a pair of these please? i bump into stuff a lota

thanks, duke

ScienceDaily (Sep. 24, 2009) — Inspired by the success of cochlear implants that can restore hearing to some deaf people, researchers at MIT are working on a retinal implant that could one day help blind people regain a useful level of vision.

The eye implant is designed for people who have lost their vision from retinitis pigmentosa or age-related macular degeneration, two of the leading causes of blindness. The retinal prosthesis would take over the function of lost retinal cells by electrically stimulating the nerve cells that normally carry visual input from the retina to the brain.

Such a chip would not restore normal vision but it could help blind people more easily navigate a room or walk down a sidewalk.

"Anything that could help them see a little better and let them identify objects and move around a room would be an enormous help," says Shawn Kelly, a researcher in MIT's Research Laboratory for Electronics and member of the Boston Retinal Implant Project.

The research team, which includes scientists, engineers and ophthalmologists from Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, the Boston VA Medical Center and Cornell as well as MIT, has been working on the retinal implant for 20 years. The research is funded by the VA Center for Innovative Visual Rehabilitation, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Catalyst Foundation and the MOSIS microchip fabrication service.

Led by John Wyatt, MIT professor of electrical engineering, the team recently reported a new prototype that they hope to start testing in blind patients within the next three years.

Electrical stimulation

Patients who received the implant would wear a pair of glasses with a camera that sends images to a microchip attached to the eyeball. The glasses also contain a coil that wirelessly transmits power to receiving coils surrounding the eyeball.

When the microchip receives visual information, it activates electrodes that stimulate nerve cells in the areas of the retina corresponding to the features of the visual scene. The electrodes directly activate optical nerves that carry signals to the brain, bypassing the damaged layers of retina.

One question that remains is what kind of vision this direct electrical stimulation actually produces. About 10 years ago, the research team started to answer that by attaching electrodes to the retinas of six blind patients for several hours.

When the electrodes were activated, patients reported seeing a small number of "clouds" or "drops of blood" in their field of vision, and the number of clouds or blood drops they reported corresponded to the number of electrodes that were stimulated. When there was no stimulus, patients accurately reported seeing nothing. Those tests confirmed that retinal stimulation can produce some kind of organized vision in blind patients, though further testing is needed to determine how useful that vision can be.

After those initial tests, with grants from the Boston Veteran's Administration Medical Center and the National Institutes of Health, the researchers started to build an implantable chip, which would allow them to do more long-term tests. Their goal is to produce a chip that can be implanted for at least 10 years.

One of the biggest challenges the researchers face is designing a surgical procedure and implant that won't damage the eye. In their initial prototypes, the electrodes were attached directly atop the retina from inside the eye, which carries more risk of damaging the delicate retina. In the latest version, described in the October issue of IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, the implant is attached to the outside of the eye, and the electrodes are implanted behind the retina.

That subretinal location, which reduces the risk of tearing the retina and requires a less invasive surgical procedure, is one of the key differences between the MIT implant and retinal prostheses being developed by other research groups.

Another feature of the new MIT prototype is that the chip is now contained in a hermetically sealed titanium case. Previous versions were encased in silicone, which would eventually allow water to seep in and damage the circuitry.

While they have not yet begun any long-term tests on humans, the researchers have tested the device in Yucatan miniature pigs, which have roughly the same size eyeballs as humans. Those tests are only meant to determine whether the implants remain functional and safe and are not designed to observe whether the pigs respond to stimuli to their optic nerves.

So far, the prototypes have been successfully implanted in pigs for up to 10 months, but further safety refinements need to be made before clinical trials in humans can begin.

Wyatt and Kelly say they hope that once human trials begin and blind patients can offer feedback on what they're seeing, they will learn much more about how to configure the algorithm implemented by the chip to produce useful vision.

Patients have told them that what they would like most is the ability to recognize faces. "If they can recognize faces of people in a room, that brings them into the social environment as opposed to sitting there waiting for someone to talk to them," says Kelly.

Journal reference:

Shire, D. B.; Kelly, S. K.; Chen , J.; Doyle , P.; Gingerich, M. D.; Cogan, S. F.; Drohan, W. A.; Mendoza, O.; Theogarajan, L.; Wyatt, J. L.; Rizzo, J. F. Development and Implantation of a Minimally Invasive Wireless Subretinal Neurostimulator. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, October 2009 DOI:10.1109/TBME.2009.2021401

all by myself!

2009-09-22T11:53:00.000-07:00

i walked to the park all by myself with no leash!

the park is many steps from my house and has a road to cross, railway tracks to walk down, a sidewalk and even some stairs. but i did it all on my own.

the guy JJ calls the monkey is still a back seat driver, but i know why when i bump into stuff i couldn't smell or get lost in a corner and turned around

i'm also learning to sit when i go for my walks. i think i have to sit before the "step down" and the strong rubbery, metal, oily and gasoline smells. when i do stop and sit, i like to face the monkey guy as its easier to smell someone in front of me than behind me.

i am also learning not to take off fast after a sit. apparently i just keep going faster and pulling harder. that's what the "duke! gentle", "duke! slow" and "duke! easy" is all about.

the other day i broke the monkey when i was startled by some noise and panicked into running. my leash was around a chair that was following me and there was lots of noise. i guess the monkey was just picking up the leah when i got startled again and the leash twisted his fingers funny. something about torn tendons and bruises. i think he's okay as i still get fed

duke

Duke Canine Cognition Center

2009-09-11T12:47:00.000-07:00

hi JJ

is this placed mine? it has my name on it

it makes me pay attention, Duke canine cognition centre but i always pay attention to my name. unless a bird is nearby then i forget to.

what does cognition mean?

i am learning to sit and stay much better and have even walked off leash across the street for a pee at night. i'll show you soon

miss you

duke :p :p :p

Apples and oranges

2009-09-08T11:18:00.000-07:00

The other day I was considering difference between the Duke and I.

i'm an oreo and you're a gingerbread dog?

Aside from the obvious difference we all accept as gospel, I am more handsome, more athletic, more cultured, more graceful, more elegant, have better manners, etc., etc. But alas, modesty restrains me from painting a true picture for you.

i eat faster, when you don't hide my bowl

I was looking more at the subtle difference between us and I thought I could share my insight into how we interact with others using some monkey videos.

So, here's "me"...

And here is Duke...

why does my movie have louder noises and less nice music JJ?

Enough said.

The Gaffer and Duke

Vacation!

2009-09-02T09:37:00.000-07:00

Hiya Doggers!

The Duke and I went on the best of vacations with our monkey this past weekend. We took a ferry ride up the coast to somewhere, and even though I was shotgun on the drive I'm sure where we were. We did drive along some winding roads where we turned "my way" and "your way" a lot... that was fun, but the Duke was looking a little green in the back after all the turns!

Although it was a more enjoyable car ride than the trip to Kelowna! That was the trip where Duke found a bag of trail mix with big pieces of dried mango and great big strips of dried papaya. And ate most of them while the monkey was out of the car.

i farted a lot. for two days and one night

Luckily he didn't barf in the car... although he did on the ferry.

i drank too fast. again i liked the ferry. those little boys played with us

That's right . Two boys and their dad played with us and I got walked around the car deck lots, so the ride went fast.

i played with my toy

So we were on vacation and I got to hang out with my new vizsla buddy! She's great fun and played chase with me lots. She has green eyes and a red coat just like I do. And she likes scratches, back rubs and tummy scratches!

i'm brown and white like an oreo and i like tummy rubs too

Can you see Duke in the pic?

i can't see me...

Here we are checking out the waterfront.

The Duke loved the water, grassy areas and playing with his squeaky toy for hours. In and out of the water.

wading

But no swimming for my new vizsla friend, I don't think she liked the water like I do. That's me trolling for fish...

Did I tell you my new passion is fishing? Every time I go to the beach now I wade along the shallows looking for fish to catch. It was weird, but in the mornings there was less water and I could go way, way out in channels fishing.

i like fish too JJ

I had my sights set on this island as a fishing destination. I could run along the shallow channels and get there no problem, then stop and fish the deeper pools at my leisure.

digging was fun too

While the Duke stayed out of the deeper water, he waded through the oyster beds as happy as a pig in mud. Deep blackish mud to be precise.

muddy

When I sighted a school of fish, I motored after them with my laser like focus and attention.

Which distracted me from noticing that the water was getting deeper! I had to swim most of the way back from the island!

i got hosed down while you were coming back

It was the bestest of vacations!

The Gaffer

da Duke

The Duke and surf

2009-08-20T10:04:00.000-07:00

Hiya Doggers!

hi

The Duke and I took to the beach over the weekend and here are a couple of pics of the Duke. I am very proud of him, he's playing on the beach, wading in the water and waves, staring down the ocean at times, sniffing it...

i like the beach. wading

There was a while a few months back when the Duke wasn't even keen on getting his feet wet! He would U-turn as soon as he hit the water and run back up the beach. Bit by bit he has gone in deep and deeper, longer and longer, pretty soon he'll be swimming again!

swimming

is that me jj?

feet wet

Me- I'm a big wave pro and was leaving over them to retrieve sticks the Monkey was throwing for me. That's how I stay trim and sleek, running, jumping, swimming, healthy diet and lots of quality naps...

Yawn... which reminds me its time for another nap.

The Gaffer and duke

See? I told you I was smarter than a bag of hammers!

2009-08-19T13:19:00.000-07:00

Dogs' Intelligence On Par With Two-year-old Human, Canine Researcher Says

ScienceDaily (Aug. 10, 2009) — Although you wouldn't want one to balance your checkbook, dogs can count.

Coren, author of more than a half-dozen popular books on dogs and dog behavior, has reviewed numerous studies to conclude that dogs have the ability to solve complex problems and are more like humans and other higher primates than previously thought.They can also understand more than 150 words and intentionally deceive other dogs and people to get treats, according to psychologist and leading canine researcher Stanley Coren, PhD, of the University of British Columbia. He spoke Saturday on the topic "How Dogs Think" at the American Psychological Association's 117th Annual Convention.

"We all want insight into how our furry companions think, and we want to understand the silly, quirky and apparently irrational behaviors [that] Lassie or Rover demonstrate," Coren said in an interview. "Their stunning flashes of brilliance and creativity are reminders that they may not be Einsteins but are sure closer to humans than we thought."

According to several behavioral measures, Coren says dogs' mental abilities are close to a human child age 2 to 2.5 years.

The intelligence of various types of dogs does differ and the dog's breed determines some of these differences, Coren says. "There are three types of dog intelligence: instinctive (what the dog is bred to do), adaptive (how well the dog learns from its environment to solve problems) and working and obedience (the equivalent of 'school learning')."

Data from 208 dog obedience judges from the United States and Canada showed the differences in working and obedience intelligence of dog breeds, according to Coren. "Border collies are number one; poodles are second, followed by German shepherds. Fourth on the list is golden retrievers; fifth, dobermans; sixth, Shetland sheepdogs; and finally, Labrador retrievers," said Coren.

As for language, the average dog can learn 165 words, including signals, and the "super dogs" (those in the top 20 percent of dog intelligence) can learn 250 words, Coren says. "The upper limit of dogs' ability to learn language is partly based on a study of a border collie named Rico who showed knowledge of 200 spoken words and demonstrated 'fast-track learning,' which scientists believed to be found only in humans and language learning apes," Coren said.

Dogs can also count up to four or five, said Coren. And they have a basic understanding of arithmetic and will notice errors in simple computations, such as 1+1=1 or 1+1=3.

Four studies he examined looked how dogs solve spatial problems by modeling human or other dogs' behavior using a barrier type problem. Through observation, Coren said, dogs can learn the location of valued items (treats), better routes in the environment (the fastest way to a favorite chair), how to operate mechanisms (such as latches and simple machines) and the meaning of words and symbolic concepts (sometimes by simply listening to people speak and watching their actions).

During play, dogs are capable of deliberately trying to deceive other dogs and people in order to get rewards, said Coren. "And they are nearly as successful in deceiving humans as humans are in deceiving dogs."

but first the news...

2009-08-19T12:58:00.001-07:00

A Dog's Life: Relationships Between Dogs, Owners Fall Into Three Categories

ScienceDaily (Aug. 19, 2009) — Some dogs are revered or pampered, with fancy clothes and loads of affection; others work for a living. David Blouin, a cultural sociologist at Indiana University South Bend, said relationships between dogs and their owners generally fall into three distinct categories, with some bestowing more canine benefits than others.

"I found it interesting that there are different ways to relate to and think about animals and that people are able to switch and latch onto a different way of thinking about and treating animals when other things happen in their lives, like having children," said Blouin, an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology.And while some dogs may live the high life, serving as surrogate children to their humans, their circumstances can change depending on their owner's life course and experiences.

Blouin conducted 28 in-depth interviews with dog owners from a Midwestern county. Dog ownership attitudes fell into three categories: Humanist, where dogs were highly valued and considered close companions, like pseudo people; protectionists might be vegetarians and they greatly valued animals in general, not just as pets; dominionists saw animals as separate and less important than people, often using the dogs for hunting and pest control and requiring them to live outdoors.

Blouin said the distinct orientations toward animals were informed by multiple, competing cultural logics as well as personal experiences, demographic characteristics and family structure. Rural dog owners were more likely to leave their pets outside, for example. Empty-nesters seemed to be the most attached to their pets.

"People don't make this stuff up themselves," Blouin said. "They learn how animals should be treated. There are different ideas out there and these ideas exist in little packages, which are promoted by different groups, like the Humane Society or kennel clubs."

Blouin is presenting his findings at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association.

2009-08-14T20:19:00.000-07:00

um jj? i think i'm not doing well. my tummy isn't normal anymore

What's up Duke?

i'm not farting anymore. i used to fart all the time. now, nothing- no smell, no sound, no funny rumblings. and i'm pooping next to nothing

Duke, little buddy, welcome to the wonderful world of raw food.

what's raw food? isn't anything we eat food?

Not just anything Duke, the good stuff... Like we get at breaky and dinner. Oooooh I'm salivating at the thought! Remember the salmon and tripe from today?

what's salivating? and why are you drooling like a rabid labrador? mmmm i liked food today. i ate faster than you today

Whatever! I was savouring my food!

is that what you're trying to do when you finish first and try to stick your head in my bowl? i can tell you know, even though i can't see you i know you're there

I'm going to bed now.

Where's my blanket?

MONKEY! Get my blanky!

breakfast in bed

2009-08-12T15:39:00.000-07:00

Hiya Doggers!

This morning was so special! My monkey was up early for a run but the Duke and I stayed home. I opted for the sleep in option, on my monkey's bed! Sooo nice...

i can't sleep in. i get up when the alarm goes off. i already awake and waiting

Duke was up and about. Crashing around as usual. I wish I had earplugs some mornings.

can't help it. sorry jj. sometimes i get lost

Then I was awakened to the smell of breakfast... venison nuggets and bison steak.

i like venison

Oh lordy! I have died and gone to doggy heaven! I thought I must be dreaming as there was the Duke with a bag of venison nuggets! My little bro was bringing me breakfast in bed- major alpha appreciation points there Duke! I was so, so wrong about you buddy.

thanks jj

Then the dream turned into a nightmare as Duke hunkered down in his bed with the whole bag of nuggets. He was in doggy heaven and I was in doggy hell... all I could do was watch. The Duke doesn't eat like a prisoner, but he has that look when he eats. The thousand yard stare.

it was good

So, the Duke polishes off the nuggets then trots back to the living room where he has the bison steak laid out on his day bed by the window! WTF?!? When did I miss this handout? Where is mine?

It is supposed to be all about me!

Turns out the Duke jumped onto the kitchen counter and pull these snacks from the sink where they were defrosting for our, note the O-U-R breakfast. He ate his breakfast and mine in one sitting!

jumped

I am so choked.

i could have choked on the plastic wrap

What-evah.

The Gaffer

Death-row dog in Whitehorse finds support

2009-08-06T09:57:00.000-07:00

Court to hear debate Thursday on whether city can put canine down
Last Updated: Thursday, August 6, 2009 10:31 AM CT Comments5Recommend13.
CBC News

The Humane Society Yukon will ask a judge on Thursday to stop Whitehorse bylaw officials from putting down Trevor, a dog the city has deemed dangerous. (Humane Society Yukon)

A Whitehorse animal shelter is receiving petitions and letters of support from around the world for Trevor, a dog that was adopted out by the shelter and that staff are now trying to save from euthanization.

Stacks of documents in favour of the Rottweiler-shepherd cross were filed in the Yukon Supreme Court this week, in advance of a hearing Thursday on whether city officials can put down the dog, which they say is dangerous.

The hearing was scheduled to begin Thursday afternoon at the Whitehorse courthouse.

"A petition is happening and people have signed it from France, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom. It's worldwide," Tracy Smythe, manager at the Mae Bachur Animal Shelter, told CBC News on Wednesday.

"Phone calls from Ontario, Toronto, Winnipeg … from the States, supporting Trevor."

Rescued
The court will hear arguments from advocates, including the Humane Society Yukon, calling on Trevor to be spared from euthanization and given a chance to be rehabilitated.

City bylaw officers rescued Trevor early this year, after he was discovered with an undersized collar badly ingrown into his neck. Trevor was taken to the shelter, where staff and volunteers cared for him until he was adopted out in May.

The humane society, which runs the shelter, has argued that Trevor was never aggressive when he was in its care.

But a number of people say the dog randomly attacked individuals, including children. Some have sworn affidavits asserting that Trevor attacked and bit them.

Trevor's last owner, Matthew Allaby, surrendered the dog to the city pound last month, after Trevor bit a friend of his in the arm.

Demand for independent assessment
Shelter workers have disputed the reports about Trevor's attacks and demand an independent reassessment.

Smythe further argued that Allaby had no right to turn Trevor over to the city pound, since he was not stated as Trevor's owner in the animal shelter's adoption contract.

The shelter has said Allaby's sister signed the contract in May, promising to return the dog to the shelter if she could not care for it.

"We're trying to establish ownership here, that the person who released Trevor to the City of Whitehorse was not the owner," Smythe said.

City lawyers dismiss Smythe's claim, arguing that Whitehorse's animal control bylaw trumps any contract the shelter signs with adoption clients.

Heya Doggers,

A cause close to me as my bro' Duke was on doggy death row and suffered the same rough time Trevor has. The Duke had collar and neck issues while doin' his hard time and still has the scars to prove it.

yeah, it hurt a lot

Duke turned out ok tho' now that I have him under my wing, so to speak.

thanks jj :P

Ok, ok :~ :~ :~ no public displays of affection... but licks back at'cha buddy :P :P :P

It's tough to know what's right, I can't condone biting anyone as that's just wrong. But you have to learn that when you're a puppy or its super hard later. Especially if you have trust issues and feel your pack doesn't have your back.

i like my pack, you guys have my back

Someone let Trevor down big time. Let's hope he gets his chance to show he just needs a lovin' pack.

lovin'

The Gaffer

duke

missing chicken

2009-07-27T10:19:00.000-07:00

hi.

did anyone move my chicken from my day bed? i put all my toys there so i can find them when i want them, but now my chicken is gone again... each toy has its place and i always keep them with me or out them back there.

i know jj didn't take it 'cause he's away somewhere right now. so where did it go?

sometimes the guy gives me my chicken and its super cold. other times, when the food thing in the kitchen opens i can smell my chicken, but i can't find it in time! one time when my chicken got washed, i had to jump up on the counter and get it. there was a lot of stuff in the way, but i got my chicken pretty easily. some of the stuff fell on the ground but i was ok. after than my chicken was cold when i got it before walks. winter chicken

there were loud explosions a few times the past week. at first they scared me but i know its ok now. something about fireworks and lightening storms. both are pretty noisy.

ok i'm going to look for my chicken

bye

uh oh...

2009-07-27T10:13:00.000-07:00

Human-dog Communication: Breed As Important As Species

ScienceDaily (July 27, 2009) — Dog breeds selected to work in visual contact with humans, such as sheep dogs and gun dogs, are better able to comprehend a pointing gesture than those breeds that usually work without direct supervision. A series of tests should caution researchers against making simple generalizations about the effects of domestication and on dog-wolf differences in the utilization of human visual signals.

Márta Gácsi, from Eötvös University, Hungary, worked with a team of researchers to examine the performance of different breeds of dogs in making sense of the human pointing gesture. Gácsi said, "It has been suggested that the study of the domestic dog might help to explain the evolution of human communicative skills, because the dog has been selected for living in a human environment and engaging in communicative interactions with humans for more than 10,000 years. However, this study is the first to reveal striking difference in the performance of breed groups selected for different characteristics."

The researchers found that gun dogs and sheep dogs were better than hunting hounds, earth dogs (dogs used for underground hunting), livestock guard dogs and sled dogs at following a pointing finger. They also out-performed mongrels. Moreover, breeds with short noses and centrally placed eyes were better at interpreting the gesture than those with long noses and widely spaced eyes, which can probably be connected to a more optimal retinal location of greatest visual acuity, that might help focus their attention. According to Gácsi, "Although these results may appear to be unsurprising, there is a common tendency to make assumptions about genetic explanations for differences in comprehension between 'dogs' and wolves. Our results show that researchers must be careful to control for animal breed when carrying out behavioral experiments."

but i'm a gun dog who can't check out those hand signals... maybe I should listen more?

Lucy mail

2009-07-20T09:14:00.000-07:00

hi everyone, i got my first pee.mail from lucy. she and i both were waiting for adoption at dogwood together. not sure if i remember i was having a rough time back then...
Hi Duke,

I remember you. You look like I do. I am a GSP, too but I can see. So is Maggie but she is smaller. She is not well now and is having what Mom thinks are "seizures" but not bad ones.

Mom says she eats too many bad things when we are taken for our walks. I just spend my time running with my step brother, Bailey who is a V just like JJ. I bet Bailey could outrun JJ. Bailey caught his first crow this season and then let me and Maggie play with it. It didn't play.

Johnny the dog walker took it away from us. Marco, our new family member, is lazy. He just stands and watches. He doesn't run like Bailey and I do.

Lucy

Duke has a vacation

2009-07-17T14:08:00.000-07:00

hi duke here.

i took a long car ride to a place called naramata for a vacation with the guy. we stayed with some friends who were very nice to me and let me play with their dog diva.

diva and i had our differences at first but we're cool now. i only have to show some aggro to her when she gets too jumpy and freaks me out. she chills fast tho' and forgives me faster.

the guy was there to do a triathlon where you swim (i don't like swimming much yet, i know how to swim but it still freaks me out), then bike (they freak me out too, coming out of nowhere fast then gone!) and run (i like running but not when its hot).

jj told me i should stand near where the people get on their bikes, i'm not sure why as i can't see anything...

he's sneaky though and i am sure he had his own special reasons.

so i had a week vacationing. i chased quail, sniffed deer, dug up marmots and even went swimming. the guy help up my bum so i could swim more easily when i got tired. i'll work on that in case my chicken gets tossed out in the lake- again.

this is me at the lake. it was hot

by

Canada Day excursion to MacDonald Beach

2009-07-02T10:26:00.000-07:00

Hiya Doggers!

The Duke, my monkey and I hit the beach on Canada Day, it was a warm sunny day and we could ask for nothing more!

Here are some pics of our day.

The rubber chicken hunter stalks his prey...

As handsome as ever...

Okay, rubber chicken, blue rubber bowling pin, same difference

It's a otter, it's a beaver, its super JJ!

Where's Duke?

I wonder where this goes...

Hup!

A short walk...

End of the log...

Home free, no muddier than before!

Later doggers!

The Gaffer

WTF?

2009-06-29T13:06:00.000-07:00

Hiya Doggers!

Okay, what's up with Chinese Astrology? A wise and ancient culture my doggy butt...

How, HOW I ask you can a dog be a Monkey? I already have a monkey, why confuse things with another? And you know what's even weirder?

Duke is also a monkey.

i barfed this morning

And my monkey is also a Monkey. A double monkey...

i think i barfed on the monkey's pillow when the alarm clock went off this morning. i like pillows, so soft

That's like, either three, or four, monkeys in one house! No wonder I need to hide under my blanket to get some peace and quiet!

have i barfed on you jj?

Sheesh... See what I have to deal with?

Why can't I just be a Dog?

The Gaffer

Run JJ, run!

2009-06-23T10:22:00.000-07:00

Hiya Doggers,

One of the blogger doggers out there, Captain was asking about learning to run but I can't figure out how to get my comments to stick.

Sort of like peeing off a cliff, no evidence to sniff at...

My monkey started me on a walk run program when I was 6 months old. We walked for five minutes then ran for one minute and did this for 30 minutes. We did this 3 x week for a month. Then, we added one minute of running, so five minutes walking and two minutes running. I could run for way longer but my monkey was looking pretty tired, so I thought it best we walk. After all that is the hand that feeds me- I had venison from breakfast this morning and I even ate some of Duke's breakfast too. He eats slowly and stands up tall to chew- that's when I sneak in without him knowing ;-)

i know now jj. i thought i had less for breaky today and was wondering what was up

Ahem. So back to walk running. We kept adding on one minute of running until we got to five minutes of walking and fifteen minutes of running. At the same time we increased the distance we ran by 5% or five minutes each week, with one walk run being 50% longer than the other two after the first four weeks. Just like my monkey does with my triathlon group! I'm an athlete too ~: ~: ~:

I only run on soft ground, dirt roads or trails mostly. Apparently sidewalks are very bad for osteo arthritis- osteo; that's something with bones. I like bones, I wish I had one right now to munch on...

mmmmm bone

Where was I... Ok, every fourth week is an easy week where we do a lot less. And in the winters when it is dark and cold and raining a lot we run less too. But snowshoe more! I love snowshoeing and playing in the snow. I even went cross-countru skiing once and loved it. My monkey was way fast going down hills, but way slow going up hills so I could keep up no problems.

After we go to five min walk and fifteen min run, we then started taking off one minute of walking; four minute walk and fifteen minute run, then three, two and one. So by the time I was just over 2 years old I was running and running and running. I can easily run for up to two hours on any give day, except if I ran two hours the day before...

I even do faster running on a stupid round thing called a "track". Its so easy to keep up and go faster, but the monkeys always run the long way and don't cut across the middle...

I still went to the park pretty much every day to play with other doggers, its not like I am Forrest Gump or anything.

The Gaffer

My hero...

2009-06-18T13:01:00.000-07:00

Hiya Doggers,

As you may already know, I fancy myself as a bit of a rabbit hunter. What I didn't know was there was a role model for me out there...

I wonder if I can start a Canine Church of Elmer? All services can be held in the blackberry patch behind Jericho Sailing Centre at dawn and dusk when the wabbits are fwiskiest.

The Gaffer

me and Duke

2009-06-18T12:55:00.000-07:00

Hiya Doggers!

Here's a picture of me with Duke and a flowery tree of some kind.

the tree smelled nice

It was a warm day in the park for us!

Later,

the Gaffer

Remember that last post?

2009-06-12T20:24:00.000-07:00

Um, like I was saying I so did not do it!

I was snoozing on the sofa when the mug fell off the counter and a dog who will remain anonymous fell from the kitchen counter and into the water bowl...

I was sure the crash of mug, dog and stainless steel water bowl was loud enough to alert the authorities, but it wasn't until a good while (of dog time) later until my monkey and his Mom got back. My monkey knew I was innocent as soon as he saw the rubber chicken in the sink...

my chicken! where?

In the sink Duke, where you dropped it after jumping up on the counter... ring any bells?

i don't wear a bell jj. you do

It's a figure of speech Duke. Its like saying "remember".

really? that's kind of funny when i don't wear a bell but you do. do bells help you remember stuff?

[sigh]

Night Doggers!

The Gaffer

Tug-O-war

2009-06-12T13:11:00.000-07:00

Hiya Doggers,

Chalk up another milestone for Duke and I! Yesterday we played tug-of-war with a stick.

Being a loving and caring big brother, I brought the stick to Duke while holding one end and poked him in the muzzle with the other end. Duke got the idea and chomped on and we had a great tug-O-war!

My monkey praised me lots for that so I was strutting around all proud of myself.

i won the stick pull

More like I let you win! I was being a good sport.

is that when you fall over before your head gets twisted off?

Sheesh, some folk can't take their wins graciously!

All for now doggers,

The Gaffer

I so did not do it...

2009-06-12T13:08:00.000-07:00

What Really Prompts The Dog's 'Guilty Look'

ScienceDaily (June 11, 2009) —

What dog owner has not come home to a broken vase or other valuable items and a guilty-looking dog slouching around the house? By ingeniously setting up conditions where the owner was misinformed as to whether their dog had really committed an offense, Alexandra Horowitz, Assistant Professor from Barnard College in New York, uncovered the origins of the “guilty look” in dogs in the recently published “Canine Behaviour and Cognition” Special Issue of Elsevier’s Behavioural Processes.

Horowitz was able to show that the human tendency to attribute a “guilty look” to a dog was not due to whether the dog was indeed guilty. Instead, people see ‘guilt’ in a dog’s body language when they believe the dog has done something it shouldn’t have – even if the dog is in fact completely innocent of any offense.

During the study, owners were asked to leave the room after ordering their dogs not to eat a tasty treat. While the owner was away, Horowitz gave some of the dogs this forbidden treat before asking the owners back into the room. In some trials the owners were told that their dog had eaten the forbidden treat; in others, they were told their dog had behaved properly and left the treat alone. What the owners were told, however, often did not correlate with reality.

Whether the dogs' demeanor included elements of the "guilty look" had little to do with whether the dogs had actually eaten the forbidden treat or not. Dogs looked most “guilty” if they were admonished by their owners for eating the treat. In fact, dogs that had been obedient and had not eaten the treat, but were scolded by their (misinformed) owners, looked more “guilty” than those that had, in fact, eaten the treat. Thus the dog’s guilty look is a response to the owner’s behavior, and not necessarily indicative of any appreciation of its own misdeeds.

This study sheds new light on the natural human tendency to interpret animal behavior in human terms. Anthropomorphisms compare animal behavior to human behavior, and if there is some superficial similarity, then the animal behavior will be interpreted in the same terms as superficially similar human actions. This can include the attribution of higher-order emotions such as guilt or remorse to the animal.

The editor of the special issue, Clive D.L. Wynne of the Department of Psychology, University of Florida, explained, “this is a remarkably powerful demonstration of the need for careful experimental designs if we are to understand the human-dog relationship and not just reify our natural prejudices about animal behavior.” He pointed out that dogs are the oldest domesticated species and have a uniquely intimate role in the lives of millions of people. Recent research on dogs has indicated more human-like forms of reasoning about what people know than has been demonstrated even in chimpanzees.

Journal reference:

Horowitz et al. Disambiguating the 'guilty look';: Salient prompts to a familiar dog behaviour. Behavioural Processes, 2009; 81 (3): 447 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2009.03.014

dog science

2009-06-10T12:02:00.000-07:00

Hiya Doggers,

If you're a curious dog like me, you'll know that knowing stuff make life much more fun. One place I cruise for my daily dog updates is Science Daily- especially the dog science page! There are all sorts of cool dog facts and breaking news there.

Me, my monkey and Duke had a great little run on the track this morning with my monkey and my tri group, then a good little rabbit hunting before breakfast. Nothing like a rabbit hunt to get my appetite whet!

what does that mean jj? you lost me

It means I'm super hungry when we get home, that why I tried to eat your breakfast too.

you do that everyday. i have to crouch over my bowl like a prison inmate with you around.

SO LIKE I WAS SAYING...

It was a beautiful morning! I even saw Pollo and Kastor out for a morning walk. Those guys are cool. They're Catahoula Leopard dogs just like my bro Loki who I haven't seen in ages. He's cool too.

i like them too

Okay doggers, its lunch time!

i barfed in the car this morning

Uh... thanks for that Duke. See ya doggers!

The Gaffer

and duke

2009-06-07T17:28:00.000-07:00

hi

jj is sleeping. he was running a lot today. we ran in the forest and listened to a bike race with aunty martina and aunty rachel in it. i'm not sure what a bike race is but jj says its exciting to watch.

the best part of the day was going to the big beach jj calls spanish banks. something about a tide being out was good or something. i got to run and run and run, then my rubber chicken was there! somehow jj kept stealing it from me and running off quietly. no fair

jj was fishing too. he trots through the shallow water looking for fish and other critters and then pounces on them. he says its great fun, but these critters don't smell so i can't find them. playing with the chicken is fun tho'

there were lots of birds there.

i got lost once and couldn't hear jj's monkey calling me. i was so happy to be found. jj said he was standing right behind me the whole time with his monkey but the waves were too noisy and i was focused on some birds

okay nap time for me too

Rabbit hunters!

2009-06-06T17:42:00.000-07:00

Hiya Doggers,

JJ here

and duke. don't forget me jj

Yeah yeah, my blog remember? Mine. Not yours.

ok jj

So yesterday my monkey takes me and Duke down to Jericho to the rabbiting grounds. I was doing my usual thing, patiently stalking the elusive bunny. A few nibbles and searches but nothing big. Then we're walking by some tall grass and Duke goes all sniffy on me. I'm like "what the hay?" Its only long grass buddy. Then I hear something in the long grass...

Bunny.

bunny

My story? And I smell it.

Bunny

yeah it was a bunny

I go in to flush it out and drive it towards Duke who sniffs it out and drives it back at me! It was so cool, we were a team herding this bunny in smaller and smaller circles. So cool. We lost it, but who cares.

The thrill of the hunt man!

thrill

I'm still reliving the moment! Its like TSN in my brain

what's TSN jj?

Uh never mind buddy.

Today we were at MickyD beach down on the Fraser River. I had a great time playing "keep the squeaky chicken from Duke", watching ducks, playing with other dogs. I even tried burying it in a hole I've been working on!

you were keeping the chicken from me? i never knew. but why? i love my chicken

But we're a team now! We are;

Rabbit hunters!

The Gaffer

2009-06-04T14:07:00.000-07:00

jj kissed me this morning

I so did not Duke! There was food on your face...

whatever you say jj

Yeah. Whatever I say. I did not

did too

I say, DID NOT! No more blogging for you Duke!

ok jj

Gene For Day Blindness In Dachshunds Found

2009-06-03T14:32:00.000-07:00

And this shout goes out to my bro' Duke!

and I know you're not a dachshund, but it may explain why you bonk your head so much, you may think you're one now. It ain't so big guy.

thanks jj. so you're sure I'm not a dachshund?

ScienceDaily (June 2, 2009) — A PhD project by Anne Caroline Wiik has discovered the genetic cause of day blindness or "cone-rod dystrophy” in the wire-haired dachshund. The disease was discovered in two litter mates in 1999 and has since been studied in both clinical and genetic trials in offspring of these.

In her thesis, Anne Caroline Wiik concentrated on finding the genetic mutation that causes this disease. Day blindness is a recessive, heritable disease in which both parents need to be carriers in order for the disease to develop.

Inherited photoreceptor diseases, or diseases in the sensory cells of the retina (rods and cones), occur naturally in both animals and man. They comprise the most common form of inherited retinal disease in people, with an occurrence of approximately 1 in 4,000.

The project began with a candidate gene study, in which genes known to cause similar diseases in people were investigated to see if they had any connection to the canine disease. Ten genes were studied, without a connection being found between the genes and eye disease.

A new method for finding genetic mutations

Wiik was then among the first researchers to be given an opportunity to try a new method of finding genes causing the disease in dogs. By comparing all genes in a sample of sick and healthy dogs, an area that might contain the diseased gene was isolated. Some seventy separate genes occurred within this particular region, and the most likely were studied more closely in the hunt for damaging mutations.

Part of the gene NPHP4 (Nephronophthisis 4) was shown to be lacking in the sick dogs. This genetic mutation leads to the dog losing important functions, which especially affects the cones of the eye, and eventually also the rods.

A series of dachshunds were subsequently tested for the mutation. Gene-testing of wire-haired dachshunds showed that some 9.8% of the dogs carried the mutation, which seems to have appeared around 1970. With such a high percentage of the dachshund population affected, the risk that two randomly chosen dogs will both be carriers is quite high, and a genetic test is now available to reduce the possibility of the disease appearing in more litters.

Cand. Scient. Anne Caroline Wiik defended her PhD thesis, entitled "Genetic studies of cone-rod dystrophy in the standard wire-haired dachshund", at the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, on May 13, 2009.

JJ- chicken matador

2009-06-03T12:16:00.000-07:00

Hiya Doggers,

As I was saying earlier, Duke and I had a busy morning and now we're hanging out. At 5 am the alarm went off, some nice classical stuff that my monkey slept through. Duke had been awake for hours, as usual. He's a night owl.

[Hey Duke- wanna say anything to that?]

He's on his way over to the laptop. Woops- right into the table... Yesterday he stepped on my nice Emile Henry food bowl and broke it. Now I feel like I'm in prison eating out of a stainless steel bowl. At least this way I eat first. Okay here he is

it was an accident jj. i didn't see the bowl it was not where it usually is next to the wall. i'm very sorry. i can't wait to get up and enjoy each and every day i am given now. with a new home and a loving big brother like jj i can't wait to do stuff together. can we play with my rubber chicken now jj?

Sniff- all misty eyed now... okay all over it.

So anyways we were up at the crack-O-dawn to run on the track with our elite tri team. I'm a faster runner than all of them, Duke isn't faster than me but what he lacks in speed he makes up for in variability by changing directions by like 90º every few steps! Zip, zip, zip

sorry, can't help it.smelling my way along. is it time to play yet?

Yeah, speaking of smelling did you use conditioner after our swim at the beach this morning? You really should to keep your fur shinny and soft.

really? i don't like baths. is my fur still white and brown like it was before? can we play now

No kidding, who would have guessed? Hillbilly. And yeah you still looks like a mud splattered dalmatian.

sorry jj, i'll try harder to stay clean. will you play with me now? where is the chicken?

I have to tell you guys about Duke and his rubber chicken, its like his soother and safety blanket in one.
As soon as he gets the chicken he mellows right out and chews on it. This thing has no face, stumps for legs, super smelly and is just nasty. When we go to the park Duke carries it the whole way there, then I steal it and run off! Its hilarious as he sniffs it out. Did it tell you its that smelly? At times I squeeze it and it squeaks and he homes in on it like any red blooded dogger should

Anyways I stand there as Duke barrels down on me and I squeak away on the chicken. At the last second I stop the squeaking... I pivot... and Duke tears past me.

Olé! I love this game! Not bullfighting mind you, that's cruel and bullying. And I hate bullies, on behalf of my little bro Duke too.

ooohhhh so that's what you're doing. that's sneaky jj. do you know where the chicken is jj?

After a while I get bored and let Duke have the chicken and the poor guy literally drops to the ground panting and drooling.

its hard work sniffing out the chicken. its not easy. although when you fart i can smell you instead. i like playing together

Woah! Easy now big guy, I don't fart, and if by some chance I did it would smell nice. Like buffalo and tripe or venison.

mmmm venison and offal. wanna play now?

Oh man! Quit drooling on the keyboard you rube!

what's a rube jj?

Don't worry about it Duke. Let's find your chicken. Why don't you look in the other room while I nap here?

Later all,

the Gaffer

& duke

2009-05-28T13:26:00.000-07:00

Heya Doggers,

I'm back and saw this post by my little bro' Duke. Totally unauthorized.

As his alpha he should have asked, no, begged for permission and shown some submissiveness to me.

Then again, he did use small letters and it is so easy to tell I am the boss. So, I'll let his post stand with a few edits;

hi this is duke. i'm new to blogging. jj isn't here to help me today. i hope he is okay with me using his blog and his bed and his sofa. [I'm okay with this as long as I don't want any od thoise things, which I will just to take them away from him] i want to say hi. hi. its funny not being able to see everyone and everything but all is good. i have an idea what my adopted brother jj looks like [ok that was definitely not submissive, but the picture is funny...] as we had vizslas back where i come from and we have pickup trucks and country music too. only thing is i can't find the gun rack. we's all still hillbillies i hope?

Um like earth to Duke. Hellooo Duke- you're the hillbilly buddy! I saw you demolish that lamb bone the other day, nothing left but a few shards. Bones are for gnawing, polishing then carrying around and displaying like trophies. Duh! All suave dogs know that.

I'm a sophisticated metrosexual hound! Damn if the ladies don't love me and I workout hard to stay in peak shape. Like this morning, I was up at 5 to run on the track with the elite tri group then swam at the beach, chased sticks and all that before breakfast... Sure you were there too, but that's not the point. It's all about me.

Hmmm I'd better talk to my monkey about the morning schedule. First, I need my beauty sleep, second I hate being dragged out of bed and third I love my breakfast!

Napping to do, later doggers!

The Gaffer

BFF

2009-05-04T11:40:00.000-07:00

Boyz'N the 'hood

2009-05-03T15:00:00.000-07:00

Sundays are good days!

This is the day my monkey and I go do all sorts of fun things together- that's my new fav word.

Together... that's stuff we do as a family. And now family includes Duke too. I'm adjusting to my role as a big brother, slowly but he's a cool guy like me so its pretty easy!

So, today we started off with a quick walk for Duke while I slept in, then breakfast and off to coach swimming. I do this 'cause Duke doesn't know about swimming like I do. When I've taught him to swim vizsla style, we'll coach as a team.

Then it was off for a trail run. I tried hard to be the pack boss and force the group to my pace but I couldn't when they all urged me to run faster, it was so much fun!

Then we went to the beach!

Here I am setting the mood... play!

And working the crowd.

Here's Duke, he's often missing the action looking the wrong way, but I wear a bell now to help him get into and stay in the game. My monkey also has one.

Then he U-turns and gets going again.

Here I am chasing Duke- I don't know how he did it but he has the stick I want...

Just look at that stick! Its solid doggers!

Ok, enough pictures of Duke. Take my picture! More about me!!!!

Hmmm, so much for that. Anyway, here's Duke trotting along happily. See- he's off leash and listening pretty good. Um, better than (cough!) I do when I'm being a brat...

He's not 100% sure about the waves, he'll figure it out though!

More adventures later doggers!

The Gaffer

The Duke

2009-05-02T19:34:00.000-07:00

HIya Doggers!

I'd like you to meet Duke, the latest addition to my pack. I adopted him through a gun dog rescue society that saved him from "doggie death row".

Here's my interpretation of his story...

Apparently last September or August, Duke lost his sight and his New England hunter-owner had no use for an uber-hunting dog who was blind. So the owner dropped him off at a kill shelter- "blind huntin' dog's no use to me".

The shelter saw what a great dog he was and managed to get him on the "underground railway" from shelter to shelter, moving him just before he was due to be killed. Eventually a rescue society pulled him out of this shelter-skelter and he slowly made his way to BC where a foster home on Bowen Island looked after him.

A rescue society I volunteer for suggested that he might be a good fit for my monkey and I as Duke has a few little issues I can empathize with;

hates cats (aka kill them all!),
associated horses with "huntin' time" and gets super excited,
tracks deer like a pro and
needs a smaller simple home he can learn quickly and with minimal risk of injury.

I, as a dogger of superior skill and moral character, have the following compatible attributes;

I like cats, so by default eventually I will meet a cat who doesn't like me,
I'm not too scared of horses anymore...
I know what deer smell like! Yeah... My monkey stops the car when we see deer and rolls down the window for me and
I just happen to live in a small simple home that is kept safe by my monkey!

So, Duke moved in with me Monday!

Task number one was some kind of initiation, ha ha ha! My monkey bathed and groomed him so he smelled better! Wa ha ha ha Now I have someone to share my bathing woes with!

He slowly settling down, but his tummy is a little sensitive.

We're learning to play together a little better each day. It s a little weird that he can't see me do my moves and signals. So I have to be super vocal and bark at him lots so he can find! Today we had a great play down at MacDonald beach. Duke was even walking off leash and I'm helpin by wearing a bell now!

So my monkey and I are bell boys!

While Duke looks like a tank with huge feet and a very square muzzle, he is a love sponge like me and falls asleep instantly when he lies down and loves being caressed.

I'm gonna keep him!

More adventures coming up soon adoring fans!

The Gaffer

Medal award hero dog in London 'Blitz' sets record at U.K. auction

2009-04-24T12:51:00.000-07:00

Published: Friday, April 24, 2009 | 11:13 AM ET

Canadian Press NewsItem/NewsComponent/NewsLines/ByLine

LONDON - A medal awarded to a dog who sniffed out survivors amid the rubble of the Blitz has been sold at auction in London for 24,250 pounds.

The buyer at the sale at Spink auctioneers chose to remain anonymous. The sale price, equivalent to C$43,300, was 10,000 pounds higher than the estimate.

It also beat the previous record of 23,000 pounds for the Dickin Medal awarded to Simon, the ship's cat on HMS Amethyst.

The Dickin Medal, Britain's highest honour for animals, was awarded to a dog named Rip who was credited with finding more than 100 people trapped by German bomb damage during the Second World War.

Maria Dickin, who established the medal program, decorated Rip in 1945.

Rip had been found abandoned in an air raid shelter and was adopted by an air raid warden. He died in 1948 and is buried in a pet charity cemetery in east London.

Besides Rip and Simon, the 62 animals awarded the Dickin Medal include other dogs, pigeons and horses.

Sad Sunday

2009-02-23T11:48:00.000-08:00

Hiya Doggers,

It is with great sorrow that I have to report that my beloved pen pan Ecco succumbed to what was believe to have been cancer Sunday morning. She was a sweet and loving companion to Kathryn, Ian and her little sister Diva. We will all miss her terribly.

My Monkey explained to me what happened and it is like when my little sister Hanna went away a few years ago. That was sad, she had been very sick too. We also talked about the two of us and decided that we liked the saying by Will Rogers, "If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." I told him I'd wait patiently for him on the sofa under my blanky and lavish him with kisses. Then we'd go for a run and a bunny hunt

Licks and sympathy snuggles to everyone. Remember to kiss those you love every day!

Love you Ecco! Say "Hi" to my little sister Hanna when you see her, and lavish her with kisses. She would have been four last Sunday...

All misty eyed,

Your little bro' JJ xoxo

PS the fact I had to have a bath Sunday looses its tragedy in comparison.

I'm FOUR!

2009-02-17T14:25:00.001-08:00

Hiya Doggers!

I just turned four! Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me!

I had The Best Birthday Ever! I had a pool party followed by Buffalo Brownies (or Devil's food cake for those lightweights) and then a run in the forest with my Monkey, Aunty Martina and Uncle Rob.

Yeah, you heard me- a pool party!Not bad hey?

My pool party had 30 people there, all swimming back and forth, turning, gasping, working hard and needing my motivational barking. I absolutely love countdowns!

THREE...
TWO...
ONE...
GO!

This is me, on deck cheering on Aunty Stephanie and Uncle Andrew as they warm up. Personally I would warm up where it is dry and warm, but swimmers are weird.

Now I'm at the other side of the pool, by the new swimmers. These guys and gals really needed by encouragement. Even Aunty Mary is less of a cat person now, thanks to me!

After swimming, we had Devil's Food Cake and for me- Buffalo Brownies! Soooooo good.

Then off we went on a nice long easy run in the forest.

Later my Monkey took me to the beach for a nice long play.

But best of all is getting tucked into my bed every night, scratched, rubbed and hearing that I'm a good boy and my Monkey loves me....

Mmmm...

The Gaffer

Sidney!

2009-01-21T17:18:00.000-08:00

Hiya Doggers,

Here's my latest buddy, little Sidney and his pack Christine and Keith from my running group.

He's too young to run now, but we can play! Game on!

The Gaffer

2009-01-21T17:07:00.000-08:00

Snowshoeing in the Rockies

2009-01-21T17:04:00.000-08:00

Hiya Doggers,

Here are some pics from my latest trip. I was in Cochrane Alberta for Christmas and it finally warmed up enough to go outside for more than 30 seconds to snap off a freeze dried pee-scicle.

Seriously though, to all the huskies and malamutes- why? Snow is super fun to visit, but to live in it?

And here I am testing the snow depth in the Shushwap- sooooo much fun!

Check out this deep snow technique...

Later doggers!

The Gaffer

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T17:51:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Doggers!

For those of you who don't know, Christmas is a time for getting together with family. It is often cold, we're talking "wish-I-was-a-malamute" cold here. Words of wisdom for the new to winter doggers, then you end up getting dressed up like this-

- things are not good! I've never been so cold in my life! I had planned on the Iditarod as a fun activity this winter, but now realize I'm, um... "busy" every March.

So learn to read the "thermometer". If its below -10º C and windy or you see your winter jacket, toque and a scarf ready to wrap your head and ears, hide- quickly!

Other aspect of Christmas are being chased by little monkeys intent on picking your nose, patting your back, maybe even tugging your tail... Sounds like a pain, but its nothing compared to the rewards!

Not only do the little monkeys often come covered in food to lick off, there is also a good probability of snot and boogers to clean up.

But the best is all the monkey food! It is everywhere... the best is roast turkey!

I advise you to be super nice, suck up to and bribe all potential turkey carvers. A little schmoozing can yield a lots of "accidentally" dropped pieces... he he he!

Burp...

There is also gift giving, I got my very own monkey!

But like with everything, there is a cost...

I also got to go tobogganing which was cool! Luckily it wasn't too cold :-)

Peace Doggers!

The Gaffer

I've been wondring about this...

2008-12-25T17:49:00.000-08:00

These are some pictures my monkey too while away this summer.

These puzzled me a great deal...

While these statues are art, I wonder what they all stood in that made them so concerned about the bottom of their feet? As a dog when I see this might possibly feel a little guilty... but I don't feel guilt so what-evah!

Just watch where you step on the grass next time!

The Gaffer

... becasue it is there!

2008-12-21T14:25:00.000-08:00

Hiya Doggers!

I was out braving the elements again Sunday morning- bone chilling sub zero temperatures, driving snow storms, gale force winds,... and I am sure all three were working together at times. Somewhere in the world. Where I was- it was snowing lightly, barely below zero ºC and at times a little breezy.

Overnight there was 15 cm of new snow on the mountain, a little less in town. I was the first critter on the trail this morning and broke trail all the way. With a thin layer of ice under the new snow on everything I was "snow blind"! I couldn't smell a thing and it was tough finding the trail. I had to look for it most of the time and those monkeys are pretty poor at marking the way!

At times I was just following the dent in the snow where the trail was!

But it was very pretty! Snow packed on the trees, clean and white everywhere.

This next picture is near the top of Hollyburn Ridge.

As you can see, when I am cold and frosty the snow dog, posing for a picture is not high on my list of priorities! Like cold! Can you see my snow beard in this picture?

We came off the mountain down some pretty deep snow. I was wallowing in it at times, and let me tell you it was cold!

As soon as we were on the trail again, I ran down super fast, lovin' the fresh powder! Passed lots of backcountry skiers coming up the hill- see ya suckas!

And now my après ski pics :-) This is me in my super warm vest and toque... Doing my best GQ pose. Or is that my best "best in breed" pose?

And now doing my walk to the camera, check out that look!

He he he... It may look like I'm getting down for some good old fashioned howlin' action.

I love winter! If only it wasn't so cold...

The Gaffer

BTW- whatever you do, do not call me a ski bunny! If you do, I will find you...

I will sniff you out of hiding.

I will point at you.

I will stalk you.

I am a hunting dog.

You'll never see me coming...

Iron Chef: K9

2008-12-16T11:54:00.000-08:00

Okay- so we all know about the Iron Chef competitions; top chefs test their skills head to head while focusing on themed ingredients.

I've decided to post my own challenge to Iron Chef dogs.

My theme...

"Stuff I ate last night before bed"

And yeah... it didn't work out so well. I'm such a light weight.

Barf.

The Gaffer

Ultra-Endurance Competitors: Lessons From Sled Dogs In The Iditarod

2008-12-15T10:19:00.000-08:00

ScienceDaily (Oct. 5, 2008) — Dogs are often called “man’s best friend,” and rightly so. Consider, for example, that they never interrupt us when we talk, are always happy to see us when we arrive home, and provide comfort when we are lovesick. Since dogs became domesticated 15,000 years ago, they have worked with and lived next to humans, which some say may account for the special bond. Each of the 400 breeds and varieties are unique, but only one stands out as the ultra-athlete canine: the racing sled dogs.

Racing sled dogs are best known for their “mushing” each March during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, the world’s longest sled race. They are the premier ultra-endurance competitors, covering 1,100 miles from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska, sometimes in just nine days. It is unclear how they can keep running, despite heavy blizzards, temperatures as low as –40°F, and winds up to 60 mph. No other animal has been found to come close to the physiological attributes these dogs display.

Dr. Michael Davis has focused on the mysteries of this breed for work for more than a decade. The professor at the Oklahoma State University’s Center for Veterinary Health Sciences will discuss his recent findings entitled, “Metabolic Strategies for Sustained Endurance Exercise: Lessons from the Iditarod.” His presentation is part of the American Physiological Society’s (APS) conference, The Integrative Biology of Exercise V, being held September 24-27, 2008 in Hilton Head, SC.

Lead dogs heading out of Willow at the start of Iditarod 2007. It is unclear how these racing dogs can keep running, despite heavy blizzards, temperatures as low as –40°F, and winds up to 60 mph. No other animal has been found to come close to the physiological attributes these dogs display. (Credit: iStockphoto/Matt Cooper)

How Do They Do It? The Exercise Physiology of Sled Dogs

The physiological understandings that Davis and his colleagues have uncovered thus far are extensive. Among their findings is:

Rapid Adaptation to Exercise and Endurance—The most striking feature of these canines is their ability to rapidly adapt to sustained strenuous exercise in 24-48 hours. Conditioned dogs display most of the metabolic changes that are found in human endurance athletes during their first day of exercise, including depletion of muscle energy reserves, increases in stress hormones, evidence of cellular injury (such as to proteins, lipids and DNA), and oxidative stress. However, with subsequent consecutive days of exercise at the same intensity, these changes are reversed. Within four days after exercise begins, the metabolic profile of the dogs returns to where it was before the race began, despite their sustained, strenuous exercise. When human ultra-athletes become fatigued, they stay that way until a period of recovery that may take a full day.

Enormous Aerobic Capacity—Racing sled dogs have enormous aerobic capacity. While the untrained sled dogs have an average aerobic capacity of 175 ml/kg/min VO2 max (ratio of volume of oxygen to body weight per minute), the aerobic capacity of the fully conditioned sled dogs is estimated to be about twice that (300 ml/kg/min).

Using A High-Fat Diet to Fuel Exercise—During periods of racing, sled dogs can burn up to 12,000 kilocalories per day (kcal/day). This means that a 55-pound sled dog will consume the equivalent of 24 McDonald’s Big Macs to fuel their run on any given day. Some of the running dog’s high-fat diet is converted to energy in the liver, and used as fuel in the initial stages of exercise. Preliminary data suggests that this process is a desirable trait intended to efficiently support exercise in the racers. It is worth noting that humans would need 72 Big Macs to fuel the power they need to make a day’s run, assuming their body could absorb and process all the fat contained in the beef.

Next Steps

The mechanisms that make these four-legged athletes premiere in performance is still unknown. Dr. Davis theorizes that it may involve the regulation of extremely thin membranes in the muscle fibers and changes in the cells that are responsible for the body’s energy production. “These are one-of-a-kind athletes. What we learn from them will undoubtedly tell us a lot about human performance as well.”

2008-12-14T19:07:00.000-08:00

Hiya Doggers!

Today I when snowshoeing on Cypress! I was so stoked to be back on the snow. I may have overdone it a little bit at the start blasting up and down the trail while my monkey poked along at a snail's pace... well it looked like he was running on showshoes. Maybe it was me using my super-canine speed powers, or my monkey was just slow.

The snow was sooo nice, fluffy, loaded with cool smells (ha ha ha). Here's a pic of me just after I decided to start waiting for my monkey. I think he was speeding up or something...

Can you see my little snow beard? Makes me look wise...

At the top of the trail near Hollyburn Ridge there had been no early morning monkeys on the trail at this point, so the snow was getting deeper and deeper. At the end it was up to my tummy, and let me tell you boys- that snow can be mighty chilly on the undercarriage!

On the final climb to the summit the snow had drifted into deep piles and I was snow ploughing the last meters. Brrrrr... No way I was posing at the top!

On the way back down the sun was peeking through and that was the only glimpse of sun all day.

It was all very nice, but I was way too cold to stop and admire the view. If it was up to me I'd of driven my monnkey like a rented mule back to the car and my nice warm blanket!

More adventures coming soon!

Licks and sniffs,

the Gaffer

Little hope for finding Chile's highway hero dog

2008-12-10T15:03:00.000-08:00

Updated: 2008-12-10 09:59

SANTIAGO, Chile -- Chilean officials say they have lost hope of finding a dog whose attempted rescue of an injured animal inspired worldwide admiration.

Jorge Rivas, operations manager for Vespucio Norte Highway in Santiago, said police and highway workers had searched for the dog several times, "but not any more."

He said too much time has passed since March 23, when a surveillance camera captured images of the apparently homeless dog pulling the body of another, injured dog through busy traffic to the relative safety of a freeway median strip. The other dog, which had been hit by vehicles, died.

Rivas said earlier reports that the incident happened on Dec. 4 were based on confusion with the date the image was first shown on local television.

Hundreds of thousands of people viewed the surveillance images on Web sites and television shows and Rivas said his agency received 15 calls over the weekend from people offering to adopt the dog.

Luis Serey, 59, a taxi driver who often uses the freeway, often says the video "was impressive. This dog is a hero. I hope he gets a new life, a home. He totally deserves it."

Broadcast of the images came on the heels of an animal welfare scandal in the Chilean capital, where officials raided an Animal Protection Society accused of mistreating and killing dogs and cats in its care. Four employees of the society face charges of animal abuse.

THE ORIGINAL STORY...

SANTIAGO -- Chileans have a new hero: an apparently homeless dog that pulled the body of another dog through traffic off a busy highway. A surveillance camera on a Santiago freeway captured images of a dog trotting past speeding cars to pull the lifeless body of the other canine, which had been run over by a vehicle, away from traffic and onto the median strip.

The scene was broadcast by Chilean television stations and then posted on Web sites such as YouTube.com (The Gaffer- I won't link to the video it's too sad! Makes me choke up and get misty eyed...), and hundreds of thousands of people had viewed versions of it by Monday.

Highway crews removed both the dead and live dogs from the median strip of the Vespucio Norte Highway shortly after the Dec. 4 incident. But the rescuer dog ran away.

Authorities say images of the rescue prompted some people to call and offer to adopt the dog, but neither highway workers nor a television crew could find the animal.

Now this looks like fun!

2008-12-10T11:01:00.000-08:00

In Vancouver, well the North Shore mountains at least, the snow is not always that fluffy... But it can be so much fun!

There was a 20 cm snowfall last night so I'm begging my monkey to take me to play on Cypress this weekend! Maybe my new brindled buddy Ruby can join me? Have to find her next time I'm at da beach...

The Gaffer

Dogs can be jealous, say scientists

2008-12-08T14:09:00.000-08:00

Dogs are prone to complex emotions such as jealousy and pride, according to scientific research that sheds new light on their relationship with humans.

Canines do not like seeing their owners offering affection to other creatures, especially other dogs, and react negatively when their owners bring home new partners, the research found.

Psychologists previously believed most animals lack the "sense of self" needed to experience so-called secondary emotions such as jealousy, embarrassment, empathy or guilt. These emotions are more complex than feelings associated with instant reaction – such as anger, lust or joy.

Dr Friederike Range, of the University of Vienna's neurobiology department, has shown that dogs feel intense jealously when they spot that they are unfairly treated compared with other dogs. "Dogs show a strong aversion to inequity," she said.

The dog study is the latest into several species, including cows, horses, cats and sheep, which have shown that animals are far more self-aware than was thought.

Dr Paul Morris, a psychologist at the University of Portsmouth who studies animal emotions, told The Sunday Times: "We are learning that dogs, horses, and perhaps many other species are far more emotionally complex than we ever realised. They can suffer simple forms of many emotions we once thought only primates could experience."

In research among dog owners, Dr Morris found almost all of them reported jealous behaviour by their pets. The dog often tried to prise their owner away from a new lover in the early days of a relationship.

Behavioural experts recommend owners keeping their dog's routine as much as possible when a new partner or child comes along in order to prevent jealous activity from the dog such as interruptions with barking or whining.

[the Gaffer; See! I told you I don't like it when you scratch other dogs and not me! I don't have green eyes just to look pretty...]

Bring it on winter, I'm ready!

2008-12-03T08:59:00.000-08:00

And until you're ready, I'm right here on the sofa...

The Gaffer

da beagle... he got some mojo!

2008-11-21T10:16:00.000-08:00

Ok, so maybe I can give this beagle some 'cred...

Nicely done little man!

The Gaffer

but did she get frequent flyer points?

2008-10-27T13:05:00.000-07:00

Runaway dog evades captors at Boston airport for 17 hours; 8 flights delayed.
Published: Monday, October 27, 2008 | 12:50 PM ET

Canadian Press: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BOSTON - An escaped dog is being blamed for delaying at least eight flights over a 17-hour period at Boston's Logan International Airport.

Officials say a poodle named Choochy escaped from her kennel Saturday night as she was being unloaded after a flight from Detroit. The dog then scampered across runways and taxiways, evading airport personnel for more than 17 hours.

About 15 state police, along with firefighters, operations personnel and even electricians chased Choochy late into the night, delaying flights for up 30 minutes.

Airport spokesman Phil Orlandella says the "runway runaway" - by this time tired and hungry - was finally lured to safety with food early Sunday afternoon.

Choochy was treated for minor injuries at an animal hospital and returned to her owners.

Bunny nightmares...

2008-10-26T16:45:00.000-07:00

Just when the bunny thought it was safely hidden from view

First there is a funny shadow... from a cloud?

HA ha ha, it is moi leetle bunny...

This was my best stake out yet! The bunny never saw me coming- woo hoo
And I am as patient as my bruddah da Buddah, yeah.

Count them my friends, a cornucopia of bunnies.

All mine.

All mine...

The Gaffer

The Gaffer's household cleaning tips

2008-10-25T13:42:00.000-07:00

A big Aloha to my little bro' Snert on Maui and his life coach bruddah Kekoa for this tip...

Put both lids of the toilet up and add 125 ml of pet shampoo to the water in the bowl.
Pick up the cat and soothe it while you carry it towards the bathroom.
In one smooth movement, put the cat in the toilet and close the lid. You may need to stand on the lid.
The cat will self-agitate and make ample suds. Never mind the noises that come from the toilet, the cat is actually enjoying this.
Flush the toilet three or four times. This provides a 'power-wash and rinse'.
Have someone open the front door of your home. Be sure that there are no people between the bathroom and the front door.
Stand behind the toilet as far as you can, and quickly lift the lid.
The cat will rocket out of the toilet, streak through the bathroom, and run outside where he will dry himself off.

Both the toilet and the cat will be sparkling clean.

The Gaffer

The Wrath of Grapes

2008-10-24T11:36:00.000-07:00

Dear JJ,

My pack lady has been telling me all about your rabbit hunting adventures. I hear about your poise, your stealth, your chase speed, but never do I hear about your catch. Up here we time our hunting practices to the rhythm of the seasons and right now it's grape time.

As you may know I have a vineyard in my territory. Here it is and it's mine, all mine - well, except for my pack and the occasional guest dog who comes to share.

By the way, the red Sumac bushes on the right extend about 100 m and sometimes there are creatures I can stalk in them, like tennis balls and stuff that got lost.

Here's me surveying my domaine. There's more to my territory, but I like to survey everything I can in sections.
I like to run and play among the vines.

But the best thing of all is eating the grapes that are left. Here's Ecco and me stuffling up some grapes. We actually have figured out that if you stick your nose down the milk carton thingie that there are grapes to eat and we both go from vine to vine searching for grapes.

My appetite for grapes led to a bit of a problem for me tummy-wise a couple of days ago. My pack lady said it was the Wrath of Grapes when I got a sore tummy, but I'm not so sure. At least I haven't let it stop me from my searches. I've heard that next year when the vineyard is "in production" Ecco and I will have to walk on leashes when the grapes are ripe enough to eat. I ask you, do I look like I need a leash? At least not when I'm in my vineyard where there's an 8' high fence to keep me in and the deer out. Still my pack lady says that these grapes are not for eating, but for drinking. Is she crazy or what? How do you drink a grape? Sometimes people are just so strange.

Yours
Miss Diva!

What will you be this Halloween?

2008-10-20T14:55:00.000-07:00

Go find your own rabbit lady!

2008-10-19T17:50:00.000-07:00

Okay, so picture this- I'm in full on stalking mode down at the Jericho bunny grounds. I've got this gray-brown number in my sights. So Gray-brown is busy snackin' on something, not like I care- although rabbits like carrots and so do I...

But I digress, what do you expect? I'm a young dog with CADD (Canine Attention Deficit... something I can't remember that begins with a "D", maybe dog?)

Okay, so I'm huntin' this bunny.

I'm on fire.

I'm quiet.

I'm a statue.

I am invisible.

I'm within couple of dog lengths of Gray-brown when out of nowhere comes this old lady with a walker! It's not like I'm on a sidewalk or pathway, I'm like on the edge of a forested area! So this old lady comes up behind me saying "no, shoo" and "bad dog" What's up with that?

Excuse me? I was perfection right then and there! I couldn't be a better dog! I am a model hunter, text books could use my moves! Well way better than the Irish Setter working the next field over!

Then the old lady goes around me and after my rabbit! Like find your own rabbit lady! And not being too skilled a rabbit hunter she scares it away- amateur...

So I zero in on the next closest bunny over to my monkey's left, but the old lady hangs a U-ey and goes after that one as well! Talk about greedy, save some for us pros lady! Okay I'll take back what I said about the Irish Setter!

Anyways, I ditched that bunny zone and headed deeper into the bush to loose the OL. I tried to teach the Irish Setter some 'craft, but she was CADD even in the field- while I, I have the focus of a razor's edge. Raaaowww! Ha ha ha

I had a great time all afternoon. My Monkey and I working as a team to find the bunnies, four eyes, four ears, two noses and six legs! My favourite move is the "sky dogger" where in long grass, my monkey lifts me up high so I can see the bunnies, then zero in on them through the grass when I've got all "four on the floor" once again.

Oh yeah- I also ate a few carrots some girls were leaving for the bunnies! Ha ha ha

Good times! But what was up with the old lady?

The Gaffer

da wee-kend

2008-10-15T11:32:00.000-07:00

Hiya Doggers!

This past weekend was something called "Thanksgiving". I know the word because it is associated with eating lots and lots of food :P Yum!

But I also learned why it is called ""Thanksgiving". As a dogger, I know I have no need to be thankful, as serving my needs is a blessing to all who participate. However, my monkey was extra thankful and was treated to a great long weekend in my company.

We did a short run Saturday morning with Aunty Martina, then my monkey and I did a mountain run on Grouse after. We scrambled up an old trail that had been washed out by rain, landslides, fallen trees and other cool stuff. At one point there was a rope for my monkey to use, luckily I was skilled enough to 4x4 up the rocks "lone wolf" style.

We came out of the forest at the bottom of a ski run and rested in the sunny field for a while before heading back down for a well earned nap in the car.

That afternoon after my monkey worked on some computer stuff, I let him take me to my favourite beach down by the airport. We explored and played on MacDonald beach for a couple of hours just before dark. I love playing on the beach... We even stopped off at True Carnivores for some Thanksgiving food.

There was a weird (read Freudian anal retentive/control freak) guy in there with his über-controlled dog. He was like super weird- I sauntered in to say hi to my peeps and get some snacks, his dog was spinning on its leash like Captain Propeller and he was telling me to go on leash if I wasn't good with dogs...

Say whut?

I need to go on leash? Moi?

I just happen to be the best "good with dogs" dog, I wrote the text book on "good with dogs"!

Maybe I could see this for for my own safety; so that Captain Propeller doesn't hurt me as he wigs out. Aye-ya! Then the 'Captain's co-pilot starts preaching on my peeps there about having used the "N" word that rhymes with "go" around the 'Captain.

"Oh [n-], the 'Captain can't hear [n-] otherwise he gets a negative complex and [n-] looses its effectiveness... What is he that stupid? Does he only know a few words? I can almost form simple sentences and he's fixated on monosyllabic words still?

On Sunday I slept in a little and relaxed, then we went down to MacDonald Beacha again and finished it off with rabbit hunting down at Jericho. There were so many rabbits out! I was in doggy heaven...

I had bunny burgers for dinner that night. That's right bunny burgers, direct from True Carnivores, he he he betcha thought I caught my own dinner :P :P :P

On Monday it rained so we didn't do that much. Oh yeah, we watched my Aunty Martina and Uncle Rob run a 10 km race. Uncle Rob just managed to stay ahead of Aunty Martina this time, I guess the rumours of his neutering were exaggerated. he he he sorry Uncle Rob...

But we did go bunny hunting again that afternoon. And again, so many bunnies out everywhere!

I'm so into giving thanks!

The Gaffer

-up next some backlogged pen pal mail from Liangliang and my two girls in Penticton

Good times!

2008-10-10T10:18:00.000-07:00

Um yeah... I've trained my monkey to not even both playing fetch with me.

The conversation went like this,

"Hello? I'm a pointer. I point at where the ball is. Now you can send in the retrievers to do the grunt work. Got it? That'll do monkey, that'll do."

City uses DNA to fight dog poop

2008-10-09T12:21:00.000-07:00

by Avida Landau

PETAH TIKVA, Israel (Reuters) - An Israeli city is using DNA analysis of dog droppings to reward and punish pet owners.

Under a six-month trial programme launched this week, the city of Petah Tikva, a suburb of Tel Aviv, is asking dog owners to take their animal to a municipal veterinarian, who then swabs its mouth and collects DNA.

The city will use the DNA database it is building to match faeces to a registered dog and identify its owner.

Owners who scoop up their dogs' droppings and place them in specially marked bins on Petah Tikva's streets will be eligible for rewards of pet food coupons and dog toys.

But droppings found underfoot in the street and matched through the DNA database to a registered pet could earn its owner a municipal fine.

"My goal is to get the residents involved, and tell them that together, we can make our environment clean," said Tika Bar-On, the city's chief veterinarian who came up with the idea for the DNA experiment.

Bar-On said the DNA database could also help veterinarians research genetic diseases in dogs, investigate canine pedigree and identify stray animals, replacing the need for electronic chip identification.

"The sky is the limit on how far we can take this," she said.

So far, Bar-On said, residents have "reacted positively to the programme and are cooperating because they want their neighbourhood to be clean".

She said Petah Tikva would consider making it mandatory for pet owners to provide DNA samples from their dogs if the trial programme is successful.

the Gaffer

HOW TO WEAR OUT A GERMAN SHORTHAIR/WEIMEREINER MIX

2008-10-02T11:08:00.000-07:00

from Amber Monforte's blog

Kona hates living in an apartment. She sits and looks out the window most of the day. A big highlight of her day is getting to go outside......there are a couple of cats that are always running around in the parking lot. She also goes ballistic anytime Conrad or myself gets dressed for running or riding. Sometimes she gets to go with us, but other times she gets locked in her cage.

She could tell that something was up this past weekend. Conrad and I were loading up tons of gear in the Honda. This usually means she is getting locked up again, we’re moving, or she’s getting shipped off to grandma’s house.

She was in for a surprise this time. We took her on her first real camping trip. No more dreaming of chasing cats for her. She got to see her first deer.....then proceeded to spend the entire night growling at the dark shadows. I don’t think she slept a wink. She got to run around off leash for 24 hours straight. What fun!

The room with a view.

Kona vigilantly guarding the campsite. She kept staring at where the deer were the night before.

The next morning Kona was still staring into the trees and was still growling intermittently. I guess we’ve created a city dog. Then I took her on a three hour bike ride on the Metolius and Flagline trails above Bend. Because we had camped at the top we had the downhill portion first and she was still hyper so I flew down the hill trying to wear her out. She got a little break at the bottom for a quick swim in the river. The climb is past multiple waterfalls and is really stunning. Unfortunately the dog was still dancing circles around my bike and I was begining to think that I would fail this mission. When we got back to the campsite she collapsed on the ground next to her dog bed. She didn’t lift her head or make an effort to get on the dog bed.

When we got home the next day she slept for 24 hours straight. No whining to go out, no staring out the windows, no looking for the cat......it was perfection.

[Now that's what I'm talking about!- the Gaffer]

Man dives in to save his small dog from shark attack in Florida

2008-09-30T15:41:00.001-07:00

Published: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 | 11:40 AM ET

Canadian Press: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ISLAMORADA, Fla. - Is a dog really man's best friend?

Well, a Florida man has certainly proven the opposite is true. Authorities say Greg LeNoir, a carpenter in the Florida Keys, dove into the water last week to save his dog Jake from the jaws of a shark.

LeNoir says he takes his six-kilogram rat terrier for at a swim every day at a local marina. But on Friday a 1 1/2-metre shark suddenly surfaced and grabbed nearly the entire dog in its mouth.

LeNoir said he yelled, then balled up his fists and dove headfirst into the water, hitting the shark on the back until it finally let go of the dog.

Jake suffered bite wounds but was not critically injured and both man and dog made it safely back to shore.

my new pen-pal!

2008-09-24T17:58:00.000-07:00

Hiya Doggers!

I have a new pen pal! My monkey just got back from Beijing where he was working with the Paralympics.

While sniffing the Forbidden City- which isn't forbidden by the way- anyways, my monkey was sniffing around there when he met a young lady from Chengdu in south western China named Ting who was a volunteer at the same venue his goalball teams were competing at!

Even funnier was that the day before, they had both visited the Great Wall and the Ming Tombs on separate tours without even knowing it! Small world!

Turns out she has a dog who is an ideal pen-pal for me! So meet my newest buddy, Liangliang.

Stay tuned for updates from Liangliang telling me about his perspectives on a dog's life in Chengdu!

受欢迎的梁-迎的梁

The Gaffer

Charge dismissed in case of dog registered to vote in Washington state

2008-08-27T10:13:00.000-07:00

Published: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 | 3:17 PM ET

Canadian Press: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. - A judge has decided that a suburban Seattle woman who registered her Australian shepherd-terrier mix to vote has spent enough time in the legal doghouse.

Jane Balogh (BAY'-loh) had been charged with making a false statement but entered into a plea agreement last year.

A King County judge dismissed the charge after Balogh showed that she had paid $240 in court costs and completed community service.

Balogh says she registered her dog Duncan to protest a loophole in the law that she says makes voter registration so easy a nonexistent person could be added to the voter rolls.

She says she made no secret of her action after the fact, telling a number of elected officials she had registered her dog.

And she says Duncan never voted.

Summer update

2008-08-04T17:31:00.000-07:00

Hiya Doggers,

I've been a lazy blogging dog, but here are some updates from my summer adventures...

I've had a few firsts recently, the most notable being my recently acquired skills as a nautical dog. Yup, I've been out in a boat! It was quite a dilemma and I think my monkey gave me a big hint when he got my doggy PFD out of storage... I just thought it was another cool outfit.

Duh!

Like who would wear a puffy foam filled vest in the summer, but it made me look beefier ;-) So I wasn't going to complain if it could move me up in the pack order using a "size upgrade".

So I've been out in English Bay in a motor boat, cruisin' around. Sometimes it was bumpy and I helped my monkey by sitting on his lap the whole time. That way I could make sure I kept him safe with a hand on my PFD.

It took me a while, but eventually in smoother water I could stand up and surf the boat through the waves and wind. It was pretty cool.

I just wasn't sure where to look when in the boat; I like looking back at where I've come from, or at the boats with other people in them. When closer to the dock, I can't take my eyes off the dry land. And its not that I'm a bad swimmer, I'm a super swimming dog with beaver and platypus genes!

I'm also a good runner. Now that my injured claw is all back and doesn't hurt I'm running again.

Last week I took my triathlon club for a run-swim aquathon around Buntzen Lake. We ran around the lake, around 11 km with a few stops for swims along the way. I was amazing on the first swim around the fish hatchery (whatever that is-but it smells like fish) and finished second after showing my tail to Aunty Stephanie and Aunty Martina, although I puked something nasty once I could stand on the bottom again :P

On the next swim I was more conservative and swam circles around my monkey trying to herd him to shore- without luck I might add. Either I shouldn't have skipped border collie classes when I was at school :-) or I need more pack cred'

After that, my monkey, Aunty Stephanie and Aunty Martina swam off and I was told to stay with Uncle Rob (#4 in the pack order) and run over (with him and the others) to where my monkey would join us. I was not keen on that, but apparently I followed my monkey's shoes willingly and it made me feel less anxious while he was gone.

It was raining pretty hard after that and I wasn't too keen on much more of anything but getting out of the rain and napping.

So I napped, a wet, tired but contented dogger.

The Gaffer

my pack rocks!

2008-06-12T14:45:00.000-07:00

Yeah, well its all about me and my pack is the fastest! ~: ~: ~:

This past weekend my triathlon pack (who I run with early in the morning and whose swim sessions I supervise), rocked the triathlon world.

First up, my Aunty Martina swam, biked and ran to a Bronze medal in the womens 25-29 category and what looks like a top 10 overall! ~: ~: ~:

This is her on the left, in the yellow hat (he he he). In black...

And here she is just seconds away from winning her Bronze medal! She is super fast! I taught her how to run fast by chasing her on the track, jumping and barking. What can I say?

I am so, so, so ~: ~: ~: proud of her :P :P :P

I'll let her scratch me as I sit on her lap as a reward and more :P :P :P too!

AND my Aunty Stephanie was super fast in the 40-44 category going out fast and staying faster than everyone else right to the end. No pics of her, but I train her as well. I also taught her how to run fast... by chasing her around the track, jumping and barking.

Its what I do!

My uncle Rob was super quick too, but as #4 in the pack order he's still a puppy. But he's a confident one- check out this pic of his race start.

See if you can pick him out of the crowd...

My pack is the best.

The Gaffer

I know where rabbit burgers come from...

2008-06-02T14:20:00.000-07:00

Hiya Doggers,

Check this out- I'm doing a "non-violent" clinic on hunting rabbits

Learn and enjoy, the master is at work...

The Gaffer

ow-whe!

2008-05-29T15:07:00.000-07:00

Okay sympathy... lots of sympathy...

Last week I hurt myself, not like a suck it up you're fine hurt, but a full on blood and trembling needing hugs and lots of kisses hurt.

I was playing soccer in Stanley Park by Second Beach while by triathlon pack was doing a bike time trial and when I was running for the ball I stepped on one of those plastic utility access panels for the sprinklers- and it was not bolted down, and it had a big ass crack on it (like that? a bum joke!)

Anyways, the second claw on my left leg got caught in the crack and as I ran on it got pulled back something nasty. Not being a highly trained Premier League soccer player, I didn't know what I was supposed to do...

Enough of that. I soldiered on, with one claw ripped off, bleeding like a headless chicken (yum!)

After a few minutes when we took a break, I started to feel funny and my foot hurt so I nuzzled up to my monkey, tail down and trembling. He quickly saw my foot was injured and we were off to the vet before I knew it. Come to think of it, we're always off to the vet before I know it...

We went to a new vet, apparently AWAC was closed for the night, luckily there was one near home.

So my monkey carried me in (I like it when he carries me, I move up in the pack order :P) and pretty soon I was all check out and getting pretty sleepy. A nice lady brought a blankie in for me and I lay down for a nap... when I woke up my claw was gone and, this is weird- all my claws were clipped and trimmed! Alien abduction or what.

Oy yeah, my foot was all bandaged up too. It was pretty sore so I walked super slowly on it. That and I was super wobbly for some reason. I think they slipped me something when I wasn't looking.

Yeah, home we went and I was out like a light. I woke up once in the middle of the night after I had a dream that reminded me I had to go pee, except it was too late! I was so out of it I wet my bed :-( I felt soooo bad. My monkey changed all my bedding and cleaned me up, and before I knew it I was sound asleep again.

So its a week later. My foot is much better, I'm still not allowed to run on it, but I can walk around without any pain and I'm not a three legged dog anymore. Best of all I'm all done with the meds- yuck! Even hidden in tomatoes, avocado, banana or rabbit burger- I can still taste it you know... hello?

I'm most sad about missing the last week or run training with my monkey and aunty Martina- she's super nice to me and always let me sit on her lap in the car. Sometimes when she has to go to work I pretend I can't hear her telling me to move over.

Maybe one day I'll win and she'll stay and play with me all day... Don't tell but I have her birthday present already ;-)

The Gaffer

You go girl!

2008-05-23T09:56:00.000-07:00

Ailing search-and-rescue dog named Molly get heart pacemaker

Published: Friday, May 23, 2008 | 8:24 AM ET

Canadian Press: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

COLUMBIA, Mo. - After years of helping authorities track down murder victims and find survivors of natural disasters, a search-and-rescue dog named Molly has been rescued herself.

Surgeons at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine have installed a pacemaker to help regulate the five-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever's heart.

She needed the surgery after being diagnosed with a complete electrical heart blockage.

The story about the Molly's deteriorating health first appeared in the Joplin, Mo., Globe.

Since then, owners Allen and Alicia Brown of Saginaw, Mo., have been overwhelmed with offers off assistance to pay the device and more than $2,500 in medical and travel costs.

Medical technology company Medtronic Inc. donated the pacemaker, and an anonymous Kansas businessman offered up to $2,000 for other expenses.
Continue Article

"It surprises me greatly," Allen Brown said. "There's just been such an outpouring of public support for her."

Molly was scheduled to return home Friday and be confined to her crate for two weeks. She will have limited activity for the next two months, but should be able to return to full-time rescue work after that, Allen Brown said.

The Browns are volunteers with the Newton County K-9 search-and-rescue unit, which doesn't have a budget.

Allen, a paramedic, and Alicia, a nurse, put in hundreds of hours searching for bodies during emergencies. The unit has five certified dogs and three others in training.

The Browns noticed that the usually energetic Molly, whose full name is The Unsinkable Molly Brown, became lethargic and out of breath last month. Veterinarians believe she had a heart attack.

The couple have five dogs, but only two are trained as rescue dogs. It can take about two years to train a search-and-rescue dog for both live body and cadaver retrieval, and buying a fully trained one can cost up to $20,000.

Patrice Graham, another member of the K-9 search-and-rescue team, spearheaded efforts to help the Browns pay for the surgery.

"I know that everyone is tight, but these people do a lot of volunteer work," Graham said. "If she could save one more life or recover one more body for a family, it would be worth it."

Yeah baby, I'm a star...

2008-05-14T16:01:00.001-07:00

2008-05-14T12:10:00.000-07:00

I believe!

Animal Rescue Site

2008-05-12T12:55:00.000-07:00

Hiya Doggers!

Do your part and help the animal rescue site feed and care for the less fortunate out there.

Click on the logo and go to the "Click to Give Free Food & Care button"

Licks,

The Gaffer

Yummers!

2008-05-08T11:29:00.000-07:00

Hiya Doggers,

I'm now going into dogger food reviews. I know some of you (hello Miss Diva and Ecco) are garburators and will eat anything live or dead (both recently and long since deceased) and in a so un-west coast attitude think of Organic food as anything that isn't inorganic :P

Like what-evah! You country dogs, so unsofisticated ~: ~: ~: Even if you do live on a beautiful vineyard on Lake Okanagan!

Today, I'm reviewing my latest find from my new best buds at...

Oh yeah baby- I'm talkin' rabbit burgers! Raw rabbit burgers :P

I'm going to evaluate the meal on the following characteristics;

presentation
look
smell
palatability
texture
colour
easy of consumption
post meal burp
subsequent flatulence (good) or
GI distress (bad).

So here is the skinny on my Nature's Variety rabbit burger

One medallion = 1 oz.

One patty = 8 oz.

Rabbit Formula
Nature's Variety Raw Frozen Diet for Dogs and Cats

Complete and balanced for all life stages
95% Rabbit, raw ground bone, pork fat, liver & heart
With wholesome fruits and vegetables
Grain-free
Made with human grade ingredients
Antibiotic-free, hormone-free rabbit

Fresh & Healthy Ingredients
Rabbit, Raw Ground Rabbit Bone, Pork Fat, Pork Liver, Pork Heart, Apples, Carrots, Butternut Squash, Ground Flaxseed, Chicken Eggs, Broccoli, Lettuce, Spinach, Dried Kelp, Apple Cider Vinegar, Parsley, Honey, Salmon Oil, Olive Oil, Blueberries, Alfalfa Sprouts, Persimmons, Duck Eggs, Pheasant Eggs, Quail Eggs, Inulin, Rosemary, Sage, Clove.

(Visit our News page to learn more about this formula.)

Nature's Variety Rabbit Formula Raw Frozen Diet is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog & Cat Food Nutrient Profiles for All Life Stages.

Handling Guidelines for Safe Use
Please click here for important food safety handling information.

Feeding Instructions
If raw diets are fed as the sole food, feed 1-1/2% to 2% of body weight daily. For more detailed feeding information based on your pet's weight and activity level, please visit our Interactive Feeding Guide.

Sizes Available
Medallions: 3 lb (approx. 48 medallions)
Patties: 6 lb (12 patties)

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein (min): 13.0%
Crude Fat (min): 8.0%
Crude Fiber (max): 3.0%
Moisture (max): 68.0%

Calories
65 per oz

Other Nutritional Information
Carbohydrates: 1.6%

Vitamins
Vitamin A: 710 IU/kg
Thiamin: 3.30 mg/kg
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2): 2.86 mg/kg
Niacin (Vitamin B3): 60.72 mg/kg
Pantothenic Acid: 6.16 mg/kg
Vitamin B6: 4.69 mg/kg
Folic Acid: 3.39 mg/kg
Vitamin B12: 0.08 mg/kg

Minerals
Calcium: 1.16%
Copper: 2 mg/kg
Iron: 61 mg/kg
Magnesium: 0.0398%
Manganese: 2 mg/kg
Phosphorus: 0.663%
Potassium: 0.215%
Selenium: 0.14 mg/kg
Sodium: 0.0744%
Zinc: 21.00 mg/kg

Amino Acids
Arginine: 1.35%
Cystine: 0.18%
Histidine: 0.35%
Isoleucine: 0.56%
Leucine: 1.02%
Lysine: 1.09%
Methionine: 0.36%
Phenylalanine: 0.68%
Threonine: 0.77%
Tyrosine: 0.41%
Tryptophan: 0.33%
Valine: 0.59%
Taurine: 0.04%

Fatty Acids
Linoleic Acid (Omega 6): 0.26%
Linolenic Acid (Omega 3): 1.53%
Arachidonic Acid: 0.02%

That's a lot of info! I can't understand most of it. To be honest I stopped listening after the word "rabbit"- its a pointer thing I guess!

Here's my review;
All in all, vigorous tail wags and barks for the rabbit burgers!

The Gaffer

busted!

2008-05-07T12:43:00.000-07:00

Hiya Doggers,

I'm back!

As super busy hound I've neglected my blogging recently, but I haven't been a couch potato! No way! In fact the past few days I've been on two different movie sets, done two running workouts and worked an aid station in the Vancouver Marathon!

I'm exhausted!

So movie sets. I have no idea what movies they're for but one was out in Deep Cove on Monday morning and the other in my building all day Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. In Deep Cove, they were setting up props on the dock where my monkey was coaching and I got to play with three other dogs who, get this- lived on boats! Like a huge floating kennel!

How cool is that!

Oh yeah, the movie had some guy run out of the forest, past the dock and into town. Apparently he wasn't that fit as they filmed it in three section to let him rest up. And move cameras around.

The one in my building was lots of setting up elaborate lights and filming points. Seemed like the filming was over in just a few minutes though. Lots to watch in those days.

I ran Tuesday morning along the seawall with my monkey and Aunty Martina before they did a swimming workout. I'm not sure why I only get to do outdoor swimming workouts... Is it because I pee in the water? Like I'm the only one who does it!

This morning we were at the track super early for a bike-run workout. I don't have a bike though, so I played around, sniffed stuff and even tried to push my monkey off his rollers a couple of times when he said the magic words "ten-nine-eight-..." and "in three, two,..." I can't help it I get so excited on countdowns wondering what comes next! We did 3 min fast bike pieces followed by 400, 800, 1200, 1600 and 3000 m runs at 10 km pace. Seemed pretty relaxed for me. Then again I cut across the infield instead of going the long way around.

You'd think they'd know its shorter that way.

I guess that's why I'm the pack leader.

Although I did get busted as the track is not dog friendly, a Vancouver Parks guys kicked me out :-( Pee on you!

Later,

The Gaffer

you must be joking...

2008-01-28T14:49:00.000-08:00

Hiya Doggers,

So Sundays are my long run day. Every week I get a long run on the trails around Vancouver, the North Shore or sometimes even a snowshoe in the mountains.

This weekend it was colder than usual. Not as cold as snow up to your tummy cold, but a crisp windy cold. All the puddles were frozen and icy, frost everywhere, even a little snow early in the morning.

It was sunny for the run though, so I decided to go au naturel; that's right- no jacket or vest. As REM would say "totally naked baby, totally nude..."

Ahem.

So we started running at around 10:30, we being me, my monkey, my Aunty Martina and my #4... I mean Uncle Rob. Uncle Rob was lazy and bailed out after 40 minutes or so, some excuse about it being a recovery week.

Like, waht-evah...

The run was pretty good, despite a few times when my pack wasn't there to get my back in the 2 on 1 situations. Don't they know that when I stop, the pack stops. What is so hard to understand? I lead you follow. I drop back, you drop back. I need protection, you protect. I need hugs and scratches, you hug and scratch. Simple right?

So, we had a great run in and around the trials from Jericho to UBC to Marine Drive and back to Jericho. Then things got weird.

Instead of rabbiting, my monkey and aunty pulled towels from the car, headed to the beach, then waded into the water.

Let me remind you; January. Ice. Snow. Cold.

I was freaking out! I tried putting my foot in the water but it was cold! And they were right in there up to their belly buttons. It certainly looked cold from where I was on the beach... So I walked out onto the rocks making the breakwater, but it wasn't the same! Back on the beach I gathered all my courage and waded in. When the water reached crotch height, for once I was glad I was neutered...

I swam out, circled around them and scooted straight in. Shook off then jumped around and ran in circles like a crazy dog to warm up. Oh yeah, with a few brief period of sitting on the beach or barking at them to come in already!

Eventually we were all back in the car, shivering and giddy.

Apparently the cold water is cryotherapeutic- makes you cry but good therapy. Therapy for what I can't imagine!

I'll take therapy on my sofa any day, thank you very much

The Gaffer

letters to the Gaffer

2008-01-07T10:48:00.000-08:00

Snow Magic's S'No Magic at Our House

So last night something my pack people call the "Pineapple Express" went through our Valley. I heard the wind blowing in the night but I was too comfy lying on the bed to get up and bark at it. This morning when Ecco & I got to go out in the vineyard for an explore it was magic - all the snow had disappeared. There were lots of wonderful things to smell and the ground had all thawed out so lots of good stinking things to find. The mud was so squishy between my toes and when I ran it even got all over my tummy. It was great!

When Ecco and I got bored we barked at the back door to come inside for cookies. My pack lady, Kathryn, says this is where everything went tragically wrong. I don't understand her problem, but here's what happened. My big guy, Ian, was in the kitchen watching some gold medal hockey game. Instead of closing the door to the kitchen before he opened the backdoor, he just let us in without really taking his eyes off the TV. I heard Kathryn call out from another room that he should wipe off our paws in the mudroom, but I don't think that Ian was paying any attention. So, Ecco and I got to run all through the house and made muddy paw prints all over. It was soooo fun! For some reason Kathryn didn't seem to be very amused when she came out of her computer room and saw what we had done. I don't understand why she has this thing about clean floors, but I heard her muttering some really bad words about Ian as she was mopping up the floors!

Here are some pictures of what we looked like and what we did. You have to imagine that we were much, much worse when we first came in as by the time Kathryn saw us and took our pictures we had been all over the house and some of our mud had come of on the hardwood floors, the tile floors and even on the carpet in the bedroom. Still it was a fine job of house messing if I do say so myself!

Diva

Opposable thumbs? I don't think so...

2008-01-07T09:16:00.000-08:00

Hiya Doggers,

Being a good leader, I would like to give you a quick gift un-wrapping for dummy doggers.

While just tossing gifts on the floor is often good enough, catching is also fun. However, our peeps feel they have to wrap up gifts just after winter solstice. Why, do they actually think we have opposable thumbs? Hello!

So, here is a little photo essay on how to unwrap a box that your nose says is full of goodies! This one was from my Aunty Martina and Uncle Rob who thought they would move up in the pack order by giving me a gift. He he he. I don't think so...

You see, oh naive little followers, offering ma a gift is showing deference and respect to me, definitely an act of submission to my authority.

I am still the alpha. But nice try ;P

Step 1: begin gnawing at the corners. These are easier to open up than the top or bottom which are tempting big targets. The bigger, dumber doggers out there may continue to attack the flat sides for longer, but... that's the way it goes.

Step 2: Begin working in towards the middle as the wrapping works loose and shreds. Remember to move around the room a lot leaving a mess wherever you go. This discourages future wrapped gifts...

Step 3: Pose while proudly displaying your trophy. I haven't figured out ribbon yet, I think its to floss with once you're done eating!

Happy gift unwrapping!

The Gaffer

Long time no see snowman!

2007-12-04T09:39:00.001-08:00

Hiya Doggers!

Its back! This past Saturday and Sunday was the best weekend in recent memory. Then again, I do live in the now, so it may well be the only weekend in memory...

Whatever! It was so much fun! :~ :~ :~

I was driven up to Cypress mountain both days. Saturday was a short hike on snowy trails, very cool. No really, it was cool. About -7 C and I needed my jacket on and I was still shivering a little when we finished and I wasn't moving in fast forward.

Now Sunday... that was the best day. :~ :~ :~

Way more powder and snowing like crazy! My monkey and Aunty Martina were snowshoe running (well walking at times) while I was on foot (again). We headed up Hollyburn towards the top of the upper xc trails for a good 1:30 romp in the snow.

A few times they tricked me into thinking I wasn't the alpha male and took a different trail than me at intersections, but I knew what they were up to so I was still in charge ;-) At those times I had to demonstrate my superior snow speed and incredible four x four claw assisted cornering abilities, not to mention defensive blitzing and shoulder checking to make my way back to the front of the line.

Let me tell you, when you're stuck behind a snowshoe runner in powder its like a snowblower in your face! I was the abominable snow dog by the time I could push past into the lead!

On our way back we took a less used trail and the snow was soooo deep! I was swimming through shoulder deep snow, falling into powder holes, climbing out, falling again,... It was good to see Aunty Martina having as much trouble as I was on this section. He he he At one point I had to push past by climbing over her, I may have been a little OCD at the time, sorry Aunty :P :P :P

When we got back to the car I was pooped! Both Aunty Martina and I were covered in snow and possibly equally tired :~ :~ :~

But I was the lucky one who got to sleep the whole way home on her lap while on my blanket. In my books that makes me the alpha.

Later doggers,

The Gaffer

Northern Manitoba dogsled team has the blind leading the not-blind.

2007-11-19T14:49:00.000-08:00

Published: Sunday, November 18, 2007 | 2:16 PM ET

Canadian Press: Steve Lambert, THE CANADIAN PRESS

Isobel, a six-year-old husky cross, has all the great qualities of a sled dog. She loves to run, has strength and endurance, and works well alongside the other dogs tethered to the sleds that take tourists out on the subarctic terrain of Churchill, Man.

It takes a while for visitors to notice that she is completely blind.

Isobel, a blind sled dog runs at her dog yard near Churchill, Man. Thursday, Nov. 8, 2007. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

"The dog lost its vision, but it didn't lose its spirit," Dr. Evan Fisk, Isobel's Winnipeg-based veterinarian said in a recent interview.

"It can smell, hear and feel other dogs nearby."

Isobel not only follows other dogs on the sled team owned by Jenafor Ollander and her common-law husband, she sometimes runs lead in tandem with another husky.

"She runs tours every single day right now ... and we have tourists from all over the world that are absolutely amazed," Ollander said.

"I'm sure some of them think I'm crazy when I tell them she's blind."

Isobel wasn't born blind. Everything seemed fine until one day three years ago, when she suddenly came to a halt in the middle of a sled run and started staggering around.

"We hooked her back up in her house and noticed that both of her pupils were completely dilated," Ollander said.

"I remember a couple of people mumbling, 'What good is a blind sled dog? You should just take her out and shoot her.' And I'm a bit stubborn in nature ... and I said, so what if she can't be a sled dog? she's a good dog."

Isobel was taken to Winnipeg, where Fisk noticed her retinas had detached, possibly the result of a virus.

Back in Churchill, Isobel was kept indoors. Ollander figured she would be happy and safer inside.

Ollander was wrong.

"She stopped eating and drinking and we were quite concerned about what was going on," Ollander said.

"We happened to bring one of our other sled dogs home, and she perked right up. So it dawned on us that the problem was she was depressed and she missed her pack more than anything else."

Isobel was soon reintroduced to her canine comrades and her behaviour improved right away. She started eating and drinking again.

With some hesitation, Ollander's husband decided to take a chance and hook Isobel up to the sled team and see what would happen.

"That dog ran like you wouldn't believe. She ran better than when she had her eyesight," Ollander said.

Isobel has been running ever since. She relies on the other dogs, human vocal commands, and her other senses to avoid obstacles.

It's not a complete surprise for Fisk.

"I believe that their senses adapt and they adjust, just like a person," he said.

"We know that people hone in well on their hearing skills and their sense of vibration and time and distance and smell and everything like that. And dogs become really acute at that. When they lose their vision, the rest of their senses kind of take over."

Isobel is sometimes put up front with another dog for races, and has beat other dog teams in head-to-head competitions.

She still has a couple of good running years left in her. But she's already nearing the age when many sled dogs hang up their harness.

Finding a good home for her might be a challenge.

"We've had several people who've offered to adopt her ... but we're really concerned because she just loves to run," Ollander said.

"We want to make sure that she doesn't end up in a situation where she gets depressed again."

"She's OK in the dog yard where she has her dog yard buddies."

Indian man marries dog in attempt to ward off curse after mistreating canines

2007-11-13T13:44:00.000-08:00

Published: Tuesday, November 13, 2007 | 10:59 AM ET
Canadian Press: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW DELHI - A man in southern India married a female dog in a traditional Hindu ceremony as an attempt to atone for stoning two other dogs to death.

The Hindustan Times reports P. Selvakumar married the sari-draped former stray named Selvi, who was chosen by family members and then bathed and clothed for the ceremony

Selvakumar told the paper he had been suffering since he stoned two dogs to death and hung their bodies from a tree 15 years ago.

He said that after the stoning, he became paralyzed in his hands and legs and lost hearing in one ear.

The paper says an astrologer had told Selvakumar the wedding was the only way he could cure the maladies. It did not say whether his situation had improved.

After the wedding, the paper reports that the groom and his family sat down to a feast while the dog got a bun.

Deeply superstitious people in rural India sometimes organize weddings to dogs and other animals, believing it can ward off certain curses.

...I've been a recovering scavenger-a-holic for 27 hours

2007-11-08T09:40:00.000-08:00

Hiya Doggers!

Here's a letter from my pen pal Miss Diva in Penticton;

Dear JJ,

I have heard that you are now on a raw diet, but I am confused. You say that your diet comes from the freezer and this I really don’t understand. I am on a form of raw diet myself, my pack lady calls it the “Scavenger Diet”. I’ve heard her muttering about the unfortunate “end result” of my diet that sometimes makes her go looking for paper towels and rubber gloves. Everything I eat is fresh off the ground, well, except for the dead quail, and the fruit I pick off the fruit trees. None of it is frozen, unless you count the mousescicle I found yesterday morning when the ground was frozen. So what’s with this freezer thing? Is this an urban dog attribute, or something?

From, Diva the Confused.

Well Diva, its like this. My raw food diet is served to me by my monkey. I've tried the raw diet you describe but I get yelled at and scolded. As I'm so praise oriented I've given up on that version of the diet. Although I do backslide very fast when I think no one is watching ~: ~: ~:

Hi. My name is JJ and I've been a recovering scavenger-a-holic for 27 hours.

I've told him what I like and don't like using the "spread it around the bowl method" vs. the "no evidence I was ever fed". My monkey can't leave all the food out or I'd eat it all as fast as possible (so the theory stands, and I would definitely be up for some scientific testing of that theory. Mostly to confirm it). So he puts it in a special storage area for my food called "the freezer". From what I can understand, the freezer is to food what your bed is to socks, underwear and other fragrant collectibles.

I could go for the mousescicle if I found one. Although, I do prefer the dead mouse balloons you find in the summer, the ones that are ready to burst if you roll on them enough!

Later!

JJ

Guns don't kill people, and neither do dogs with guns...

2007-10-31T10:10:00.000-07:00

Iowa man recovering after being shot by hunting dog in freak accident

Published: Tuesday, October 30, 2007 | 12:02 PM ET

Canadian Press: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

DES MOINES, Iowa - A hunter is recovering after he was shot in the leg at close range by his dog, who stepped on his shotgun and tripped the trigger, an official said Tuesday.

James Harris, 37, of Tama, Iowa, was hit in the calf Saturday, the opening day of pheasant season, said Alan Foster, a spokesman with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

"He had surgery and is doing pretty well," he said. "He took between 100-120 pellets in about a four-inch (10-centimetre) circle to his calf."

Harris was listed in good condition Tuesday, officials at University Hospitals in Iowa City said.

Harris was hunting with a group about five kilometres north of Grinnell. The group shot a bird, and when Harris went to get it, he put his gun on the ground and crossed a fence. As he crossed the fence, his hunting dog stepped on the gun, Foster said.

The gun was about a metre away from his leg.

"The muzzle velocity is so great that the pellets don't have a chance to spread out," he said.

No one else was hurt, and the dog was not injured.

Foster said no citations had been issued.

I'm a "Wild at Heart" boy!

2007-10-18T14:42:00.000-07:00

Hi Doggers,

I wanted to tell you about my new culinary exploits. Nothing too weird like I've become a vegetarian, or an ovo-lacto vegetarian, aqua-tarian or even a vegan.

Although I do like fruit and veggies , but not enough to fore sake the good stuff.

You know what I'm talking about.

Yeah, meat. Yummers!

I recently switched over to a raw diet and love it. Sure I have to wait a while if my monkey forgets to thaw out my meal ahead of time. But hey, if you can get the plastic wrap off I'm good to work on a slab of frozen meat. Then again, I am sure I can make short work of the plastic wrap. These teeth and jaws were not made for looks only ~: ~: ~:

~:

See that? That's my tail wagging emoticon. I use then when I'm texting and I'm happy or excited. I also use :P to text a lick to my favorite friend.

Only my very best buddy gets ~: ~: ~: :P :P :P

Okay, so this raw food diet is super cool. But warmer when thawed out better.

So far here are my favs in order of preference as determined by how fast I empty my bowl;

Sole
Venison and veggies
Buffalo and veggies
Beef and veggies
Herring: also good for spreading around your bowl in a wide area
Tripe

Chicken - no thanks
Kidney, heart, liver - no thanks

In case you're interested, my raw food dealer is Wild at Heart.

The diet is cool, tastes good, smells really good. The only down side is I fart less, what's up with that? And the little scar on my back started to heal up nicely and the fur grew back. Maybe just a coincidence, but...

Ciao bella!

The Gaffer

Vinnie da Bear

2007-10-17T11:20:00.000-07:00

Hiya Doggers,

Okay, is it just me or have you guys been seeing bears in the city?

I was brought to a standstill when I saw this bear down on West 2nd. I had to check him out from all angles, warily of course. And be very, very cautious...

Hey! He could have been standing still... its possible you know!

Apparently they are Spirit Bears and can be found all over Metro Vancouver and other communities in Vancouver.

And for the record, I didn't mark Vinnie the Bear as my territory. It just seemed wrong...

The Gaffer

from Miss Diva

2007-09-24T15:15:00.001-07:00

Dear JJ: I have finally found my true calling, I AM A HUNTING DOG!! This morning my pack guy, (I’ll call him by his people name, Ian) got Ecco and me out of bed very very early. Ok, I thought this a repeat of yesterday when my pack lady, Kathryn, got up before 5:00 a.m. because she had to go “racing”. When I politely reminded her that as she was up it was time to feed me breakfast, she told me to go back to bed. So I jumped on the bed and slept on her side of the bed until Ian got up.

Today, I thought, this whole early morning thing is getting a bit boring, but was I ever wrong!! Ian got all dressed up in weird clothes and then he took us both out to the truck. Ecco and I don’t get to ride in the truck very often and we like it a lot. I get to sit in the backseat and tell Ian how to drive, he doesn’t always listen to me, but that hasn’t stopped me trying to tell him where to go. This morning, we picked up Ian’s friend, Richard and then we drove up and up and up into the mountains. When we finally stopped and they let us out of the truck the world was all frosty, crunchy and smelled so different from our vineyard at home. Ecco and I had so much fun running through the bush and “hunting”. Finally Ian got his gun thing out of the truck and pointed it at a big tree. Then “Bang” and a grouse fell right out of the tree. Then Ian and Richard got all excited and kept telling me to find the bird. Well, honestly, if they couldn’t tell where that bird fall out of the tree, they don’t deserve to have noses. They kept circling and circling around the bird and kept calling to me to find it. Well, eventually I decided that if they didn’t want it I might as well eat it. After all, I don’t do deliveries. Well, then they got all excited and told me to drop the bird. People, they just can’t make up their minds. Well, then we ran around for a while longer and I found the best mud ever in a swamp. I got covered in mud all the way up to my tummy. It was great!

I was so happy and excited to be hunting that I didn’t even want to eat the crunchies that Ian had brought for me. Richard gave Ecco and me some of his hot dog and it was yummy. Still by the time Kathryn got home from the “spa” that night I was feeling a bit hungry. She made up for not feeding me breakfast yesterday morning by giving me an early dinner and giving me EXTRA food! Now my tummy is full and I think I’ll lie down for a bit of a nap. Got to keep my nose on Kathryn though as she’s making the people dinner, and I think that she’s putting cheese in it. She’s pretty sloppy with the cheese and some of it always lands in my dish.

It was a very happy day today!

Miss Diva!

Sign me up!

2007-09-18T16:01:00.000-07:00

Doggy Duathlon World Championship

This new addition to the Nautica New York City Triathlon includes one person and one dog teaming together for the first Doggy Duathlon World Championship.

How to Enter: Click here for an entry form. Fill it out completely. You must include a picture of your race partner (the dog). Applications may be mailed, faxed or e-mailed. No entry will be considered unless COMPLETELY filled out. Entry deadline 10/20, entry notification 10/25.

Mail to: NYC Triathlon/Doggy Duathlon, 250 West 57th St Ste. 1713, New York, NY 10107
Fax: 212-691-6009
Email: John@korffenterprises.com

Competitors: 20 teams will be selected based on the application.

Entry Fee: $200 and includes logoed dog life vest, cool t-shirt, and finisher medals!

The Race: 1500 meter swim followed by a 10k run - same swim/run as the Triathlon.

The Start: You and Fido will be together in a Doggy Duathlon-only wave.

Mandatory Doggie Life Vest: You may not mind throwing Fido into the Hudson with no life jacket but we do. A special life vest will be provided and must be worn by your dog during the entire swim. No vest, no race.

Who Wears the Chip: The dog wears the chip. You’re along for the ride.

Transition: There will be a separate Duathlon transition.

The Run: All dogs must be leashed before exiting transition. Race marshals will DQ the team if the dog leaves transition or is seen on the course without a leash. No leash, no race, no fun.

Briefing: You and Fido must attend the Doggie Duathlon-only briefing Saturday, July 19. There will be a dog whisper for the dog. No briefing, no race.

Vet Check: There will be a vet check at the briefing, swim start, and the transition. You think we’re kidding? Vet decisions are FINAL.

What Kind of Dogs May Enter: Any breed may enter but only with a human partner. No human, no race.

Vet DQ: Race Vets may DQ a team for ANY reason to protect the safety of the dog.

Awards: Top three finishers. There are no age, breed, or sex (human or dog) divisions.

PC Dogs and Athletes: Entries will be accepted on a case by case basis based on the disability of the dog or the human.

Questions: Bean@Korffenterprises.com or call 212-691-2200.

I found my monkey!

2007-09-13T13:35:00.000-07:00

After my walk with my day pack, we stopped off down near the ponds and all of a sudden I knew something was different; a sound, a scent, a familiar figure... I found my monkey!

I know I am supposed to have no concept of time as you know it, but I know its been a long time coming... In dog time I think he was missing almost 7 months, and I didn't have much time with him for a long, long time before that.

Last night I got up three or four times to check he was still there. Admittedly my tummy was rumbling a little which may have woke me up, but I checked anyways. He was still there and tucked me back into my bed each time with a kiss and a "good boy". It was sooooo nice...

I am thinking of getting a wireless phone so I can keep track of my monkey. Apparently you can get smell phones for dogs. While people use ring tones, we doggers get smell tones programmed by the sniff of a single "butt"on. Get it? Button? Butt? Smell tone?

Okay, I gotta go now. Time for my walk...

Licks, JJ xoxo

My Monkey is MIA

2007-09-08T08:01:00.000-07:00

Hiya Doggers,

I've lost my monkey! He's been gone for quite a few walks now and I'm not sure when I'll get to see him again.

He was very sad when I last saw him and I know he needs me. I'm very empathic you know, and can offer lots of comfort without knowing why or wanting to know why... I just know.

Please monkey, can you come and play with me again? Can we go for a run again soon?

Miss you, JJ

Two point five

2007-08-08T11:44:00.000-07:00

Hiya Doggers!

Today is my two and a half birthday! I'm now a young adult; responsible, well adjusted and as lovable as ever. While I am more mature, I can still pull out the puppy play at will, and believe me I will!

I wonder if I'll get a pup cake today?

I wonder if I can get a wetsuit like my triathlon buddies have? The water is cold sometimes...

I wonder what a birthday is...

The Gaffer

To be posted VERY LOW on the refrigerator door at say nose height...

2007-07-19T13:46:00.000-07:00

Dear Dog,

The dishes on the floor with the paw print are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food, or licking it, does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR. Beating me to the bottom is
not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I will fall faster than you
can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep in the middle of the bed stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking your tail and legs straight out and having your tongue hanging out to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years, canine supervision is not required.

The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog's butt or lick yourself. I cannot stress this enough!

To pacify you, my dear pet, I have posted the following message on our front door:

To all non-pet owners who visit & like to complain about my pet:

JJ lives here. You don't.
If you don't want his hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture (That's why they call it "fur"niture.)
I like JJ a lot better than I like most people.
To you, he's an animal. To me, he is an adopted son who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn't speak clearly.

Remember: In many ways, dogs are better than kids because they:

Eat less
Don't ask for money all the time
Are easier to train
Normally come when called
Never ask to drive the car
Don't hang out with drug-using friends
Don't smoke or drink
Don't have to buy the latest fashions
Don't want to wear your clothes
Don't need a "gazillion" dollars for college
Don't mind if you sell their children

Crows and murder most fowl

2007-07-12T14:40:00.000-07:00

Okay Doggers, I'm a bird dog. That's pretty normal. But when a dog bird comes along it just gets weird...

So this past Tuesday I was out for an early morning run with my Monkey and aunty Martina. It wasn't too hot so I managed to keep up with minimal puffing and panting.

I was lucky enough to be allowed a few minutes of rabbiting by Jericho after the run, which suited me fine. I locked on to a big black rabbit and was stealthily moving in on it when this crow starts kicking up a fuss and doing repeated fly bys!

Now a fly by or two is old hat for us bird dogs, but this crow was getting physical with me! Every few passes it would clip my hips and bump me, but I was focused man.

I couldn't let it get to me.

I was a hunter.

I was in The Zone...

I soldiered on under fire, glancing off medical attention. Focused. Ready. A stalking machine.

All for another damn plastic bag...

The Gaffer