Stressed about the holidays? So is your pet!

Holidays are great, but they are also time consuming, expensive and stressful. During this time of year it's important to remember that your pet feels what you feel. Here are some of the triggers of holiday stress for your pets and what you can do:

1) Hectic schedules and strangers visiting the house:

- Put them in a gated area distracted with a toy, video or get them a sitter

- In severe cases there are pet Xanax and Valium

2) Fear of Packages:

- Desensitize your pet: lay one or two packages in front of them to get them used to them and to train them that these are not chewing toys

Remember:

Don't coddle your pet when he/she is frightened, this teaches them to act fearfully for approval, but don't scold them either. Stress is usually the result of thier everyday routine being disrupted. To give them some structutre tell them to sit or stay, then give them a treat. It's important that they know how to behave in all situations throughout the year.

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Helping Mother Earth and Animals

DiscsForDogs and SPCA work together to reduce landfill waste and help animals at the same time.

How?

-Every month 45 tons of used CDs and DVDs end up in landfills.

-Instead of throwing away those non-biodegradable disks, donate them to be recycled by SPCA and DiscsForDogs. SPCA will even pay for shipping and handling so it doesn't cost you a thing!

For more information call (716) 875-3560

Also check out the SPCA website to find out how to help out with thier radiothon!

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Hero Dog!

Seventy-seven year old Pauline Muggleton in Dorset fell in some thick undergrowth Saturday afternoon. After unsuccessful attempts by a search team and a helicopter with heat seeking equipment to find Pauline, it was none other but the Dorset search hound who found her!

The Sun reports that Mrs Muggleton’s daughter Sally Humberstone said “A couple of hours later and she would have been dead.”

Good boy!

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PETA vs Olsen Twins

Wow. PETA sure does love a good fight! First the AKC and now Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen!

PETA's Side: “Fur Is Worn by Beautiful Animals and Ugly People”

In reaction to the Olsen twins wearing fur and using it in thier fashion line: “No one would argue that Mary-Kate and Ashley could use some meat on their bones, but the last thing they need is hair on their backs.”

And the hating doesn't stop there! Here is PETA's website dedicated to trashing "Hairy-Kate" and "Trashley" Olsen.

Have you drunk your haterade today?

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Sugar Gliders, Hottest New Pet or Bad Fad?

What is a Sugar Glider? They are pocket-size flying possums that love the sweet stuff. But there are arguments whether or not these pets are ideal for everybody. I'll present both sides of the story, and let you decide:

Sweet: They bond with the owner very quickly, and love being near your heart beat or entwined around your thumb.

Sour: They are wild animals that glide from branch to branch and are not made for living in small cages for hours alone.

Sweet: As with any pet, you have to clean the cage and them, and just as with their size, their droppings are very small.

Sour: They are, let's say "blessed" with healthy, very healthy sweat glands.

Sweet: They adjust thier sleeping patterns to accomodate thier owners

Sour: They are nocturnal, so when you're ready to doze off they're getting ready to party

Sweet:They can't survive outside, making them perfect pets

Sour: It is feared they could spread unknown diseases to local animals

Made your decision?

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News: Woman shoots Dog Owners over Christmas Decorations

No joke.

In Springfield, LA a 28-year-old woman Ethel Shannon Mckinney and her boyfriend Audie Ray Crisswell (34) shot at two dog owners after a harsh exchange of words over Mckinney's broken Christmas decorations outside of her mobile home. One man was shot in the upper torso and arm, and the other was wounded only in his arm.

She must of had one hell of a Christmas display!!!

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A Dog With Its Heart on Its Sleeve

This cutie is a male chihuahua in northern Japan. It was born in May of this year with that one in a million spot mark.

According owner Emiko Sakurada, This is her first chihuahua out of more than a thousand that she has bred to have such an incredible mark.

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Funny Cat Video

I found Psycho-Cat Christmas on Utube. Tell me what you think!


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Adopting a Celebrity Dog

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I read an interesting story this weekend about a beautiful Golden retriever that had been traveling up and down a six mile section of Highway 10, here in Los Angeles, nursing a broken leg for nearly TWO months! Highway patrol, concerned citizens and animal rescuers had attempted numerous rescues but to no avail. Then one lucky patrol officer was able to coax the retriever they had since named "Oleander," into the back of his patrol car and off they sped to a Riverside County Department of Animal Services shelter in Banning.
The interesting part of this story is that within two days for announcing that Oleander was up for adoption, this media-hyped puppy had received 90 calls of willing parties and even 10 calls of people claiming to be the dog's rightful owner!
What's sad about this situation is that Oleander is just one of thousands of pets in shelters right now, and simply because she was on the news, people responded. It was her celebrity that people wanted.


An interesting quote I found in the LA Times, "Getting an animal on television is a guaranteed adoption," said Ed Boks, the general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Animal Services, which runs six city shelters. "I think it has to do, perhaps, with an affinity with fame. A lot of folks want to touch that celebrity status through adopting the animal that everyone now wants."
I suppose it really is just another case of "A crowd attracts a crowd."
Where does this obsessive celebrity mindset come from? Frankly it's all kind of lost on me. And that's a funny thing to say when you live in Tinseltown - Hollywood, California.

Brandon James



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Need Help Assembling that Christmas Tree?

Here are two cats that can get the job done!

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