Dogs Bites Upon Children on the Rise

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, nearly 2% of the U.S. population is bitten or attacked by a dog each year. This translates to more than 5 million dog bite victims every year, most of whom are children. Every day approximately 1,000 dog bite victims go to hospital emergency rooms. During the past 10 years, the number of dogs in the United States increased by only 2%, while the number of dog bites increased by more than 33%. Dog bite losses exceed $1 billion per year, with $345 million being paid by homeowner insurance policies.

Why do Dogs Bite and What Can Be Done to Prevent It? There are many reasons why dogs bite. Some bite out of fear, in an attempt to protect their territory or to establish their dominance over the person bitten. Some owners mistakenly teach their dogs that biting is an acceptable form of play behavior, and every year a number of newborn infants die when they are bitten by dogs that see them as “prey”. Read more »

The Life Expectancy of Dogs

We want our dogs to live as long as possible, but the truth is, certain dog breeds live longer than others. If you are in the market for a new pet, following is some information that could help in this decision making process.

The age of a dog varies from breed to breed, but the average life span of the North American or European dog is about 12.8 years. Over the past 100 years there has been an increase in life span thanks to better medical care, and healthier foods.

The fact is that larger dogs like the Saint Bernard live shorter lives than smaller dogs because physically, the bodies of larger dogs must work harder and are more stressed than the bodies of smaller dogs. Medium sized dogs can live to be between 11 to 14, while very large breeds live only 8 to 12 years. some small dogs can live up to 22 years of age, but the average is from 14 to 22. Read more »

Is your cat scratching the furniture?

SCRATCHING FURNITURE

Scratching is a natural behavior for cats but unfortunately it can ruin your furniture. The first thing to do is give the cat a scratching post of its own.Scratching posts are essential for a cat’s well being: A good stretch and scratch tones up the muscles and keeps the claws in trim by stripping off the outer layers and sharpening them up. The blissful look on your cats face as it claws stretch and pull show you how deeply ingrained and how necessary the scratching behavior is.Out of doors a cat will usually find its own scratching place but inside a scratching post is essential. Read more »

The darn cat is spraying all over the house!

Cats are much more trainable than many owners realize and if behavior problems do arise they can often be dealt with quite simply so long as you take the time to see the world from your cat’s point of view.

Cats of both sexes sometimes spray when they feel insecure so by establishing a sense of their own smell their confidence is boosted. Spraying can become a problem if you cat starts to spray furniture and curtains. The first thing to look at is the reasons why cats spray. Both sexes spray and neutered males are just as likely to spray as un-neutered males.Normally cats do not spray indoors as they feel secure and there is no need to protect their territory. When several share a house they may feel the need to mark their territory. If the spraying has suddenly started look for some changes in the household that could have caused stress. For some cats this could be the installation of a cat flap. This blurrs the distinction between the indoors and outdoors and the cat needs to mark its smell. Read more »

Sound Advice for Dogs

Halloween fireworks, thunderstorms, bands and any loud noise send my Jack Russell Rex cowing in his bed or rushing for the kennel .Noises that effect him can extend to shouting…[not at him!] banging a nail with a hammer or any kind of sudden unexpected loud noise all have the same effect. So what can we do to help especially when we can anticipate the noise occurring like in the case of fireworks?

Anti-anxiety drugs such as Prozac and Buspar can work but take 3-4 weeks to take effect and also can have side effects. Looking at natural alternatives seems a better option. A meal rich in complex carbohydrates with additional vitamin B6 gives a dog a natural boost in Tryptophan. How this works is because Tryptophan leads to the production of Serotonin which is known to effect mood. When the dog eats carbohydrates this stimulates the production of insulin which in turn increases the uptake of Tryptophan and so increases the level of Serotonin. Read more »

French Bulldogs Make a Fine Choice

The overused cliché tirelessly tells you that a dog is man’s best friend. Indeed, many folks take this principle by heart. There is no doubt that you likewise equate your pet with your best friend. Yet you can’t simply jump into the decision of purchasing a pet dog. The size of your home, the health, feeding, characteristics, and lifestyle conditions, to name a few are some considerations that must be looked into when choosing the breed of dog to rear. There is an array of choices when it comes to dog breeds and one of the bestsellers is the French Bulldog. Read more »