Do we need dog's love ?

Ape - a K-9 hero

Thank you for your service K9 Ape. Our hearts go out to your handler and all who knew you. Go and run free and play through the Heavens knowing you were loved and valued. We wish we could have been there in some way to prevent this tragedy from happening. Rest in Peace K9 Ape. To help prevent tragedies like this from happening to other American law enforcement K9s please go towww.groupon.com/k9 and make a donation towards the purchase of bullet and stab resistant K9 vests through the Vested Interest in K9s nationwide  $10 Groupon Campaign.    This campaign is being offered through Wednesday at 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time.           March 13 through March 20,  with your help, we can reach our goal of providing a vest to 100 more K-9s!  Join the millions of people across the country in protecting our nation's law enforcement dogs with bullet and stab protective vests.                                                                                  VPI Pet Insurance will match all donations up to $20,000. ALL PROCEEDS DONATED TO : Vested Interest in K9s, Inc.    There are no fees for this campaign.

Belgrade Fair Dog Exhibition

Common dog tooth problem

Your dog's happy, carefree life should be unbothered by dental concerns, right? Think again. Vets say 85 percent of canines over age 4 have some form of gum disease. Other frequent problems include crooked, cracked or loose teeth, an infection or an abscess.

You may not even know when your dog has oral discomfort. This is part of his ancestry -- in the wild, showing pain would make a dog vulnerable to attack. Today's domestic canines maintain this instinct, so you have to do your best to watch for signs: changes to eating habits or loss of appetite, unusual night awakenings, rubbing the face against things or facial swelling.

Periodontal Disease

Your dog's toys may carry a clue about her dental health. Does she leave spots of blood on them after she's enjoyed a chew toy or vigorous playtime? Swollen, bleeding gums are a symptom of periodontal disease, the most commonly diagnosed oral problem in dogs.

Problems begin when plaque builds up on your dog's teeth and transforms into a brownish substance, known as tartar. When this moves under the gum line, red, puffy gums develop, called gingivitis. Left untreated, this progresses into periodontal disease, causing the gums to recede and lose their function. This can eventually lead to tooth loss. Periodontal disease also introduces infection, which can travel in the bloodstream to affect other organs.

All dogs are susceptible to periodontal disease, but contributing factors include the reaction of the dog's immune system, age, diet and chewing habits. In any dog, your best defense is routine dental care -- a combination of at-home tooth brushing, good quality chews and periodic dental exams by a professional. Starting this at an early age will help your dog accept mouth handling more readily and will give her a head start on prevention.

If she's leaving telltale spots of blood, has brown tartar on her teeth or if her gums look inflamed and sore, check with your vet. A professional tooth cleaning, done early, can remove the tartar and hinder the progression of gum disease.

Read more:http://animal.discovery.com/pets/healthy-pets/5-common-dog-tooth-problems.htm

Can dogs sense the supernatural ?

Can dogs sense the supernatural?
STUDIO TEC/amanaimages/Corbis

Whether folklore or fact, many of us would like to believe that our dogs can detect unexplained or invisible presences, guided by a canine sixth sense. It's exciting, and comforting, to think a favorite dog is sensitive to a departed relative or friend.

But hard evidence of dogs' extrasensory perception is elusive and anecdotal. The 2009 book "Tails of the Afterlife," by Peggy Schmidt, chronicles multiple instances of unexplainable actions by dogs who apparently interact with something, or someone, unseen. For instance, she writes about a woman named Del Johnsen who left seven dogs and six cats when she passed away. Numerous witnesses believe she still visits her pets daily, and report seeing the animals suddenly gather in one spot, cats arching their backs and purring, dogs flopping over for a belly rub, wriggling in enjoyment, all of them sitting at attention and staring into the air before resuming their own activities. And Schmidt says her own Jack Russell terrier Pixie has repeatedly reacted to ghosts present in local buildings rumored to be haunted.

But your pet's so-called sixth sense may simply be the result of his keen hearing, exceptional nose, and a dog's eye view on the world that allows him to sense small movements that escape our attention. A dog's senses are keener, and different, than ours: His eyes detect more delicate movements; his sense of smell is 1,000 to 10,000 times more sensitive than a human's. He can hear much higher frequencies, and at four times the distance of a human with normal hearing.

Wild and domestic animals, including dogs, seemed to sense the impending Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, displaying their distress with behavior changes and vocal warnings, and either ran for cover or refused to go outside. Some experts believe they could sense vibrational changes on land from impending the earthquakes before humans could.

Dogs' heightened sense of smell is credited with their ability to detect some cancers in humans. Service dogs who aid seizure-prone people are alert to subtle shifts in body smells and dilated pupils, signs that enable the dogs to warn their owners of a looming attack.

Source:http://animal.discovery.com/pets/can-dogs-sense-the-supernatural.htm

Hello ! I'm dingo !

The dingo is legendary as Australia's wild dog, though it also occurs in Southeast Asia. The Australian animals may be descendents of Asian dingoes that were introduced to the continent some 3,000 to 4,000 years ago.

These golden or reddish-colored canids may live alone (especially young males) or in packs of up to ten animals. They roam great distances and communicate with wolf-like howls.

Dingo hunting is opportunistic. Animals hunt alone or in cooperative packs. They pursue small game such as rabbits, rodents, birds, and lizards. These dogs will eat fruits and plants as well. They also scavenge from humans, particularly in their Asian range.

Dingoes breed only once a year. Females typically give birth to about five pups, which are not independent until six to eight months of age. In packs, a dominant breeding female will kill the offspring of other females.

Australia is home to so many of these animals that they are generally considered pests. A famous "dingo fence" has been erected to protect grazing lands for the continent's herds of sheep. It is likely that more dingoes live in Australia today than when Europeans first arrived.

Though dingoes are numerous, their pure genetic strain is gradually being compromised. They can and do interbreed with domestic dogs to produce hybrid animals. Studies suggest that more than a third of southeastern Australia's dingoes are hybrids.

Source: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/dingo/

Puppies are rescued.

HERO of the DAY! UPS driver hears a box of puppies left in the grass and pouring rain and he puts them on his truck to save them. The puppies are safe and sound (photo from Villabos Center)
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=546095725421268&set=a.483105625053612.110665.483075991723242&type=1&theater