The first edition of A Carnival for Pet Writers has been published by Pets-N-Things Online.
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Archive for the ‘Observations and anecdotes’ Category
A carnival for pet writers
Saturday, October 10th, 2009
Oh breeder what hast thou wrought?
Thursday, October 8th, 2009I was watching a program one evening about the history of various dog breeds, including the Standard Poodle (naturally). One of the spotlighted breeds that I knew little about was the French Bulldog. I learned that through selective breeding of smaller dogs with a more smushed-in face, the modern Frenchie lives a short life complicated with respiratory and heart problems, some even pass out from physical exertion. In fact they are so debilitated that they cannot procreate naturally. They MUST be artificially inseminated and the puppies are delivered by cesarean section because the female hindquarters are too small to deliver naturally.
French Bulldog
I don’t know about you, but I was stunned by this information. Why would you continue breeding an animal with severe health problems, doomed to a life of discomfort, if not outright suffering, that cannot even procreate without assistance? I have heard of other breeds that are so allergic to grass that they must live on concrete. How have breeders gotten so off track that they believe it is good practice to continue this way? Isn’t the whole point of selective breeding to improve the breed?
Of course a huge part of the problem is consumers who do not educate themselves and purchase debilitated animals. When you think about it, that’s extremely shortsighted. Who wants to end up with a pet they adore that runs up vet bills (so high they have to remortgage their house), and then dies at an early age anyway? When you bring a pet into your family don’t you want that pet to live a long, robust, life and create lasting, precious memories?
When you take a step back and look at the big picture, French Bulldogs are an abject lesson in Darwin’s theory of evolution and natural selection. Left to their own devices they would never have evolved in this manner and if they had, they would be extinct.
Please do your part to encourage higher standards in breeding. Research the breed you want. Then deal with reputable breeders who do health and temperament testing. Find out whether they are involved in improving the breed or catering to silly whims such as those that produced the poor French Bulldog.
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Animal Communication: Why do animals get hit by vehicles?
Sunday, October 4th, 2009A reader posed this question. She had recently lost her beloved dog to the road and just that day came across a beautiful black and white kitten who had been killed. She just couldn’t understand why so many animals died this way. She was hoping to make sense of the senseless.
When I brought this question to the animals this is what they had to say:
“You must understand that animals are more impulse driven than humans. They don’t stop and look both ways. They have a purpose when they cross the road, or cross the path of a vehicle, and mostly they are totally unaware of the danger. Animals can learn to watch out for vehicles and even some wild ones learn this lesson and practice it quite effectively. But they can’t help being who and what they are. They are alive in that moment and have a desire in that moment and it must be fulfilled in that moment. That is all there is to it.”
“After being hit and transitioning they are often startled to find out what happened. There may even be some regret but they generally shake that off fairly quickly and move on to their next adventure. Their ability to be in the now comes in quite handy in these circumstances.”
So dear readers it seems the answer is quite simple. Does it lessen the feeling of loss? Probably not. But just maybe there is some comfort in understanding.
7th National Dog Blog Carnival
Sunday, October 4th, 2009The 7th Edition of the National Dog Blog has been released. Thanks to Dog Spelled Forward for hosting!
Carnival of the Horse
Sunday, October 4th, 2009The October edition is out. Thanks to The Literary Horse for hosting!
Parelli goes to the elephants!
Friday, October 2nd, 2009Pittsburgh Zookeepers “keep it natural” with pachyderms.
All it took was one person to make a difference in the lives of the Pittsburgh Zoo elephants. When Zoo President, Dr. Barbara Baker, attended a Parelli Natural Horsemanship workshop she found the answer to the question she had been pondering: How to work with an 8900 lb animal safely and humanely?
Willie Theison, elephant mgr. & head keeper of the Pittsburgh Zoo
Traditionally elephants in captivity are trained with harsh, even abusive, methods. Occasionally one will rebel with tragic results. Dr. Baker had witnessed the special relationship one of her handlers had with the elephants and the Parelli methods encapsulated those techniques in a reproducible recipe that could easily be taught to other handlers.
Parelli methods use a combination of psychology and body language to build a language bridge between the species. This method has worked wonders on many thousands of horses. Parelli Professional, Jesse Peters, who took on the challenge, believed it could work equally well with elephants, as they like horses, are prey animals.
Thus far the experiment has been hugely successful. The elephants are responding with enthusiasm and lives are being changed. Click here to view the full story from Good Morning America.
As a Parelli enthusiast I was quite excited to see the methods translated to elephants. But as an animal communicator I was naturally curious to see what the elephants had to say. When I sat down to communicate with them, I found they had very strong opinions and were not hesitant to share.
What the elephants had to say:
“What fun. We enjoy having playmates rather than taskmasters. You want us to respect you, but do you give us the same courtesy? Respect means that some days we may not want to engage while others we may want to go for the gusto and thoroughly engage. We enjoy the mental as well as the physical exercise. Elephants are thinking creatures and too often in captive situations we are not given the option of thinking and expressing our opinions. We are told ‘go here do this… now.’ When you allow us to have an opinion it is far easier for us to go along with your ideas. Being asked feels good. Being told doesn’t.”
“If you ask and allow us to freely participate we may just surprise you with our ideas and creativity. Together we may create an experience far beyond what you ever thought possible. We are excited about this new dimension to our lives. Because we live in captivity we are necessarily stifled. This opens the door and gives us back a piece of our dignity and free will. Thank you for taking the time to acknowledge that we are sentient beings capable of having our own thoughts and ideas, not to mention opinions.”
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New Puppy in Training
Thursday, October 1st, 2009The 13th edition of Puppy in Training was just released. Thanks to Puppy In Training Magazine for hosting.
Is my pet psychic?
Friday, September 25th, 2009Often people observe behaviors in their pets that make them wonder if their pet is psychic. Dogs, in particular, prompt this question.
Our dog, Saphyre, is no exception. Usually twice a week my husband calls for me to pick him up after work. The time varies and sometimes the day varies but she knows it’s him on the phone and gets all excited about “going to pick up daddy.”
The term interspecies telepathic communication refers to the way in which animals of various species are able to successfully communicate, and that includes humans.
Animals don’t have all the cares and worries that we humans do, which leaves their minds open to allowing telepathic communication. It’s as natural to them as breathing. They are constantly communicating with us and sometimes we even listen.
Humans, on the other hand, usually have too much chatter in our brains to “hear” the telepathic messages. Too many of us spend our days multitasking, simply overwhelmed, just trying to get through the challenges as best we can. It’s only when we stop the noise, clear our minds, and focus that we are able to communicate with our four-legged friends.
It takes time and practice to become proficient, as with most skills. That’s where animal communicators enter the picture. We are so passionate about interspecies telepathic communication that we have taken the time to develop our ability and will happily function as translator between you and your pet.
So the simple answer to the question “Is my pet psychic?” is yes. But let me toss the ball back to you, dear reader: Why do you ask? What is it you really want to know? Are there certain behaviors that prompt the question? Is there something specific you want to know? Are you concerned that your pet is reading your mind? Please comment below or email me so that we may continue the dialog. I really want to know.
Does my horse have hoof pain?
Wednesday, September 16th, 2009Why don’t horses tell animal communicators their feet hurt?
Remember the Pet Psychic, Sonya Fitzpatrick, on Animal Planet? I used to enjoy that show, especially when she talked to horses which are my passion. One thing I never understood, though, is why the horses didn’t complain about their feet.
At the time I was studying natural hoof care so was really tuned into it. I could see that many of the horses she talked to had issues with their feet of the sort that would normally be painful. So why didn’t they tell her so she could alert the owners?
That mystery was finally solved when I became an animal communicator and started talking to horses. Talk about an enlightening experience! What I have come to understand has been positively mind boggling.
• Many horses are very stoic and not given to complaining. Their desire to please their owner supersedes pain.
• Lameness is very common in a large percentage of horses. Often they are given pain killers or nerve blocks so that they can continue performing. With these remedies the pain is masked although they are still lame.
• Many horses believe that painful feet are a normal condition so it wouldn’t occur to them to complain.
Toro, a very stoic horse
Little wonder that horses weren’t volunteering comments about their feet when they considered themselves normal.
Animal communication can be a valuable tool in finding and/or confirming pain in our horses, but we have to ask the right questions. Sometimes with very stoic horses we have to really probe as they are extremely reluctant to complain. I’ve communicated with horses who denied pain because they were afraid of what might happen to them. Others denied it because they didn’t wish to burden their caretaker. It’s amazing the justifications they can come up with, to their own detriment.
Some horses are so convinced that pain (or a physical condition) is normal that they are resistant to healing treatments. More than once during a communication consultation I have found myself explaining to the horse that it certainly is not normal and it is safe and desirable that they allow themselves to heal. Once they understand this concept, they very often begin showing improvement in short order.
Sometimes it can take more than one consultation to help the horse accept truth and consequently healing. This is when animal communicators need to be part therapist. Horses have complicated psyches!
It's a toxic world, especially for our pets.
Thursday, September 10th, 2009Toxins surround us to the point that it is nearly impossible to avoid them. Even those fillings we got as kids are toxic, leaching into our systems causing who knows what damage. Our water is so toxic that we buy bottled water hoping it’s pure, but that’s not necessarily true either.
I try to avoid toxins as much as possible and that practice carries over to my pets. As is so often the case, this enlightened attitude came about as a result of life with my four-legged friends.
My beautiful mare, Misty, developed vaccinosis after just a few years at a boarding barn that required semi-annual 7-way vaccinations. It began as an elevated temperature accompanied by swelling at the injection site. Each successive round of vaccinations brought with it a worse reaction until she developed a full-blown case of laminitis.
During this time I was diligently researching options trying to find an acceptable alternative to meet with the barn owner’s approval. (Moving wasn’t an option at that point.) Finally I found my own vet who concurred with my assessment that it was vaccinosis and prescribed no more vaccinations ever for this mare.
With that battle behind us, I expanded my research into detoxing and better nutritional alternatives to the junk food typically served at barns. It took six months to bring Misty back to health from that last set of shots, but we got there. Thankfully it wasn’t long after that I was able to purchase my own place and bring her home, safe at last from the dangerous, out-dated, ideas of that barn, no matter how well meaning.
I was reminded of this episode recently when I read the account of a beautiful, standard poodle who died horribly, painfully, after being sprayed with weed spray. From what her owner was able to piece together, she approached the fence, probably barking, to protect her puppies who were all playing in their private yard. The person spraying turned the spray directly on her in an act of incredible cruelty and stupidity. Unfortunately this part of the story was only pieced together after the fact and after her suffering had ended. It’s unlikely she could have been saved, even with immediate treatment, as those powerful toxins were inhaled and absorbed through her skin to begin their destructive work on her entire system.
RIP beautiful girl
Would this person have sprayed the dog in the face had he known it would kill her? Perhaps, but I’d like to think he would have made a better choice had he been educated on the dangers of the toxins he held in his hands.
Shortly after hearing this story, I came across a post from Dr. Mercola’s site about summer time dangers to our pets. While a bit late in the season, the information is still valid and worth sharing. I hope you’ll take a moment to read and educate yourselves and please spread the word. You just might save a life.
Blessings to you dear pet lovers.
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