Life With Dogs

Tuesday, 3 March 2020

Pizza Shop Puts Photos Of Adoptable Dogs On Boxes

I gotta admit, I never thought there could be a way to make a pizza delivery arriving even more exciting. A pizza shop in Amherst, New York really showed me. Starting last Friday, February 28th, Just Pizza & Wing Co. customers began seeing flyers attached to their pizza boxes. These flyers featured photos of adoptable dogs from the Niagara SPCA.

The franchise‘s owner, Mary Alloy, is an animal lover. She had been volunteering with the Niagara SPCA, working with Kimberly LaRussa, an SPCA event coordinator. The two hoped to use the business to promote adoption from the shelter. They really knocked it out of the park with this idea.

“Kimberly texted me one night and was like, ‘Hey, what would you think about putting pictures of the dogs on pizza boxes?’ and I just couldn’t wait. We are all animal lovers here, so I got permission from the franchise to do it and immediately got to work,” Alloy told CNN.

Anyone who adopts a dog featured on a pizza box flyer also gets a $50 gift certificate to Just Pizza & Wing Co. Alloy clearly wants to do everything she can for the dogs at the SPCA. LaRussa says the SPCA is touched by her dedication to the dogs and organization.

“I sent her a flyer for her approval for the boxes and she said she broke down in tears. That’s just the kind of person she is. We are so grateful to Mary and Just Pizza.”

Does Flyering Pizza Boxes With Shelter Dogs Work?

Unsurprisingly, the response to these adoptable dog pizza box surprises has been overwhelmingly positive. LaRussa says in many cases, the dogs are a bigger draw than the pizza itself. Other businesses have started picking up on the idea as well.

“Many people want to order a pizza just to get the shelter dog photo, other pizzerias have offered to put flyers on their pizza boxes, and so many people are tagging their friends and family.”

The next step according to LaRussa will be giving adoptable cats a turn to feature on pizza flyers. After all, Alloy has no plans to stop including flyers with pizzas any time soon.

“We’re just going to keep on doing it till they’re all adopted,” Alloy told WKBW.

One lucky puppy already benefitted from his pizza box feature. 6-month-old Larry found his forever home on Saturday, just one day after the flyers appeared on boxes.

Seems to me this simple measure is making a big impact! It certainly made for a big smile on little Larry’s face.

I’m hungry for pizza now. Too bad Just Pizza’s delivery zone doesn’t extend thousands of miles.

H/T: CNN
Featured Image: @yourniagaraspca/Facebook

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Could The Coronavirus Help Take Dog & Cat Meat Off The Menu?

Shenzhen is a large city and technology hub in southeastern China ravaged by the recent strain of Coronavirus known as COVID-19. In response, the city government has proposed new regulations outlawing the consumption of wild animals.

In addition, the Shenzhen government is including a potential ban on dog and cat meat, not in an effort to reduce disease transmission, but with respect to the special bond between people and pets. The legislation refers to it as the “consensus of all human civilization.”

Scientists suspect the wildlife trade caused the current coronavirus outbreak, spurring the entire country to take notice and make changes. The proposed regulations would ban all meats except for pork, chicken, beef, seafood, lamb, donkey, duck, geese and pigeon.

Many of the earliest COVID-19 infections were traced back to a wildlife market in Wuhan where bats, snakes, civets, and other wildlife were sold. As a result, the ban includes snakes, turtles, and frogs, despite the popularity of these meats in southern Chinese cuisine.

“Banning the consumption of wild animals is a common practice in developed countries and is a universal requirement of modern civilization,” the proposal reads.

While dogs and cats are not on the list of restricted wildlife, the legislation recognizes them as pets and therefore hopes to protect them. Peter Li, China’s policy expert for Humane Society International, says a ban on their consumption would be “extremely welcome.”

“Although the trade in Shenzhen is fairly small compared with the rest of [Guangdong] province, Shenzhen is still a huge city and is larger than Wuhan, so this would be very significant and could even have a domino effect with other cities following.”

After an initial suspension in January, the central government issued an immediate ban on the trade and consumption of wild animals last week. Shenzhen’s proposal is based on this decision, noting there are more than 2,000 species of protected wildlife in China.

The State Forestry and Grassland Administration also hopes to crack down on the practice of breeding wildlife for the purpose of human consumption.

Those caught eating protected animals face fines up to 20,000 yuan ($2,850). Restaurants caught serving meat from animals on the protected list face fines of up to 50,000 yuan ($7,142).

According to Li, most of the dog slaughter operations in Yulin, a city notorious for its annual dog meat festival, have closed in the past two months because of restrictions on moving dogs across provincial borders.

H/T to Reuters.com

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House Passes Bill To Give PTSD Service Dogs To Veterans

For years, the community has worked hard to raise money to help veterans get service dogs. The cost of a service dog is expensive, so many people in need cannot afford to have one by their side. Currently, Veterans Affairs supports veterans that need a service dog for mobility issues, but they don’t cover costs for those with mental health problems. However, a new bill could change this completely.

This new bill is called the Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers Act of 2019, or the PAWS Act for short. This act is currently being looked at more closely, and there are many people supporting it. In fact, the bill was recently passed unanimously in the House. Now, it just needs to go through the Senate.

Veterans Need Service Dogs

Rep. John Rutherford from Florida and Sen. Deb Fischer from Nebraska created this bill. Their goal is to make service dogs accessible to more veterans, especially for those with mental health problems such as PTSD.

Sadly, the suicide rate for veterans with PTSD is very high. Around 20 veterans commit suicide each day. Also, around 30% of veterans from Vietnam experience PTSD. Sadly, the percentages of veterans from other wars are just as high.

A service dog could greatly help some of these veterans, but the price is just too much. Service dogs trained to help with PTSD start at around $5,000, but many are even more expensive.

“Veterans with PTSD may have left the battlefield, but they are still in a tough fight,” Fischer said. “Service dogs can provide support, peace, and joy to these Americans as they confront the invisible scars of war.”

Of course, dogs cannot fully cure mental illness, but they can make a huge difference in a person’s life. They have proven to have a positive effect on the veterans they help. So, the more veterans that can have a service dog by their side, the better.

Supporting the New Bill

Luckily, there are many advocates for the PAWS Act. They will all continue to push for it to make sure it gets passed as soon as possible.

“People are always asking me what is it the dogs actually do,” said Rory Diamond, the CEO of K9s for Warriors. “The genius of the dog, or the magic, is it gets the warrior out the front door. You have a reason to get up in the morning because the dog needs to be fed and walked.”

Veterans Affairs has previously done studies about service dogs for people with PTSD, but complications had always gotten in the way of completing the study. After this bill was passed in the House, they decided to restart the study, and the results will be released over the summer. It’s great that service dogs for PTSD are finally getting the attention they deserve, especially when they’ll be helping veterans in need.

This amazing bill made it through the House with no problems at all, so let’s hope that the same will be true for the Senate. At this rate, veterans will finally get access to the service dogs they need in no time!

H/T: military.com
Featured Image: Lyndon Villone Facebook

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The Street Vet Treats Homeless Pets and Connects with Their Human Companions

Dr. Kwane Stewart began his philanthropic vet care in the wake of the Great Recession. He wanted to do what he could to support people who could no longer afford to care for their animals. Since then, he has cared for hundreds of homeless pets, at his own expense. His work on the streets has revealed how vitally important the bond between pet and human can be, particularly for those living homeless.

The Great Recession Was a Career Turning Point

Stewart was practicing veterinary medicine in Modesto, which was hit hard by the recession that began in 2007. He told CNN, “Modesto got hit especially hard, it was ground zero for California as far as job loss and home loss, and people were just dumping their pets in shelters.” This was a turning point for his career. Up until then, he had been caring for people who could afford vet care for their pets at any cost. Now they could not afford to even keep them. The number of homeless people continued to climb year after year. Inspired to help humans and their pets stay together, Stewart had an idea.

He Set Up an Exam Table at a Soup Kitchen

On a whim in 2011, Stewart, his girlfriend, and son set up a table at a soup kitchen. He offered to give check-ups to anyone who wanted their pet to have one. Before he knew it, a line was forming. He was inspired. He loved the interactions with both the pets and their caretakers. He noticed that his preconceived notions about homeless people were wrong. He wanted to help them more. So he decided to take his work to the streets to find more people and pets to help rather than asking them to come to him.

On the Streets, He Finds Connections with the People and the Pets

Stewart spends hours of his free time driving around the Los Angeles area. He gets out and walks skid row. He travels with a fully stocked medical bag. When he sees someone with a dog or cat, he offers to give them an exam. As he talks with the people about their pets, he gets to know them, too. What starts as a conversation strictly about the animals’ health and wellbeing morphs into a human connection. These open conversations challenge Stewart’s preconceptions about homeless people. They reveal to him that as much as these dogs rely on their humans for care, it is the humans who need the dogs even more.

Dogs Become the Sole Source of Emotional Support and Love

Stewart has seen over and over again that these dogs are given better care than the homeless human gives themselves. They prioritize their pet’s well being over their own. Why? Their dog is their sole source of emotional support and love. The dogs protect and guard, making them feel safer. Stewart has heard again and again that dogs are the best therapy available to those living on the streets. With Stewart’s help, these important relationships can continue to thrive uninterrupted. Homelessness is a massive problem in cities across our country. Thanks to Stewart, these dog-and-human families are healthier and able to stay together.

If you are interested in supporting the work of The Street Vet, check out his Go Fund Me page. For routine care, Stewart donates his time and supplies. The fund is used to cover surgery and urgent care that he cannot deliver on the streets.

H/T cnn.com
Featured Image Screenshot The Street Vet/YouTube

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Your Dog’s Cold Nose Can Actually Detect Heat

Dog noses have long been a mystery to humans. Their noses are millions of times more sensitive than our own, but there’s always been so much that we just don’t know about them. Of course, our dogs have the cutest little noses that we just want to boop, but new research discovered that there’s more to these unique body parts that just being adorable. A recent study revealed that dog noses not only can smell, but they can also detect heat!

What’s So Special About a Dog’s Nose?

Dog noses are unique because of the hairless, smooth skin that the tip of their nose is made up of. This skin is hard to ignore because it’s often cold and wet to the touch. This part is called the rhinarium. Many mammals actually have a rhinarium, but it isn’t as moist and cold as a dog’s nose is, which is why scientists suspected that a dog’s nose could be unique.

The study claims that dog noses can sense weak, radiating heat such as the body heat of their prey. This would mean that in the wild, dogs would’ve used this skill for hunting. There are a few known animals that can sense heat, such as black fire beetles and pit vipers. Vampire bats are the only other species of mammal known to have this trait.

Sure, all animals can feel heat. As humans, we can feel it if the sun shines down on us or if we’re standing too close to the stove. But with dogs and other similar animals, this heat-sensing is different. They can sense weak thermal radiation such as body heat from a distance, which is something that humans certainly cannot do. This would help explain how certain predators can still hunt even without sight or sense of smell.

What was the Study?

Researchers at Lund University and Eötvös Loránd University decided to run an experiment to test this theory. So, they trained 3 dogs to choose between two objects. One object was put at 31 degrees Celsius (87.8 degrees Fahrenheit) to mimic the body temperature of a small mammal. The other object just had a natural temperature.

Image: Screenshot, FamilyDogProject YouTube

The two objects were visually indistinguishable from each other so the handlers did not know which one was which. The two objects were placed 1.6 meters (5.2 feet) away from the three dogs. This was to represent a hunting distance between the dogs and their prey. All 3 dogs successfully identified the object that was emitting weak thermal radiation.

Next, they took a group of 13 dogs of various breeds. They placed the dogs in an fMRI scanner before exposing them to similar objects from the first experiment. In the scanner, they were able to see that when the dog was exposed to the warmer object, the left somatosensory cortex of their brains lit up. Their brains showed no response to the neutral object.

The two studies showed that like vampire bats, dogs can sense weak radiating heat from a distance. Yet another amazing discovery about dogs! Their noses were likely used to help them hunt in the wild, even if they couldn’t actually smell their prey. So, next time you feel your dog’s cold, wet nose on you, just remember what an amazing thing that nose is doing when it sniffs you.

H/T: gizmodo.com

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Mailman And Golden Retriever Moose Make Fast Friends

It’s a daily ritual. Long before the delivery truck pulls up, your dog senses what is coming. She rushes to the window, confirming her suspicion. Once again this uniformed carrier of parcels thinks he is going to drop by unnoticed. Not on my watch! Your dog barks and runs around, scaring the mailman away. Phew! She looks to you for an affirming “good girl” for a job well done. Confused when she doesn’t get one, she ambles over to the couch to curl up. Chasing away intruders is exhausting work!

For one family in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the daily mail ritual is just as exciting, but for much sweeter reasons. You see, Moose is a Golden Retriever and he and the family’s assigned mail carrier have become fast friends. Every day, Moose waits anxiously for the mailman to arrive. Once he does, the pair have nothing but love for each other!

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It All Started One Snowy Day

One day when the mail carrier stopped at the Gruszynski house Moose happened to be outside. He showed an instant affection for the mailman and the feeling was mutual. Seeing that the two were quickly becoming sweet friends, Moose’s mama Meghan decided to let Moose out to greet the mailman every mail day. Meghan told The Dodo, “It was adorable. I loved how much he loved our boy and loved how much Moose loved saying hi to him.”

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds. And now, for this mailman, neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night will keep him from saying hi to his buddy Moose.

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As it Turns Out, the Mailman Was in Need of Some Extra Love

Of course, it feels wonderful to be greeted by a happy face and a wagging tail. Most people would stop for such an enthusiastic daily greeting. But as it turns out, the Gruszynski’s mailman met Moose at just the right time. He was grieving the loss of his own dog. Moose’s affection helped soothe the mailman’s aching heart. “I’ve come to find out our mailman’s dog recently passed away,” Gruszynski said. “He loves how much love Moose gives him every time he is out on his route.”

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Meghan is hopeful that this match made in heaven will continue for many years to come. The mailman has indicated that he will keep the route until retirement. Hopefully, he and Moose will continue meeting and greeting every mail day of the year until then.

H/T thedodo.com
Featured Image the.life.of.moose/Instagram

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How to Find a Reliable Dog Walker

Every dog needs their daily walks to stay happy and healthy. However, your schedule may not allow you to exercise your dog as much as you'd want to, and you may feel guilty about it. The best solution for your pup is to use a professional dog walker.

If you are wondering why you should get a dog walking service instead of having the neighbor kid take him out when you need him to, think again. Does the neighbor kid know how to handle an emergency? What will the kid do if the dog gets hurt or if something else unforeseen happens?

Professional dog walkers are trained and know how to handle any situation that may occur with your dog. They are also a precious source of dog ownership advice.

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