How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Wag My Tail...

A very interesting article in yesterday's New York Times covers the science of tail wagging.

Like humans and many other animals, it's documented that dogs use their left brains for "approach and energy enrichment" - this is the term used when trying not to pin "human" emotions such as love, attachment, safety, and calm on other animals. The right brain is used for "withdrawal and energy expenditure" to cover emotions such as fear, depression, and sense of fleeing.

With the left brain controlling movements on the right side of our bodies and the right brain controlling movements on the left side of our bodies, scientists and veterinarians in Italy have now documented that these emotions are reflected in a dog's tail wagging.

When they see us as pet parents, a dog's tail will wag more to the right, reflecting the safety they're feeling in their left brains. When they see something to be wary of, such as an unfamiliar, dominant dog, their tails wag more to the left, reflecting fear.

Chocolate and Lily

Chocolate's tail was, sadly, cropped before he became part of our family, but I plan to make a visit to see Lily, the golden retriever pictured on the left, who will definitely let me know the scoop with her very lovely, long waggy tail.

I love stuff that enables us to get to know our pets better and different ways we can communicate. I hope you enjoy this as well...

Something Fun for Today

If you haven't seen this already on Animal Planet, YouTube, or the Ellen show, enjoy...

When I see something like this, I'm reminded of how much our pets add to our lives and how much many folks underestimate them. We have just as much to learn from them as they do from us.

A Special Kind of Torture...

...every day seems to start or end with a new pet food coming off the shelves. Today it includes dry foods from Royal Canin. They have voluntarily recalled the following foods:

ROYAL CANIN SENSIBLE CHOICE® (available in pet specialty stores nationwide)

- Chicken Meal & Rice Formula Senior Dry Dog Food
- Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Puppy Dry Dog Food
- Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Adult Dry Dog Food
- Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Senior Dry Dog Food
- Rice & Catfish Meal Formula Adult Dry Dog Food

ROYAL CANIN VETERINARY DIET™ (available only in veterinary clinics)

- Canine Early Cardiac EC 22™ Dry Dog Food
- Canine Skin Support SS21™ Dry Dog Food
- Feline Hypoallergenic HP23™ Dry Cat Food

There's a criminal investigation now underway as tainted pork was sold for human consumption in a limited release within California.

More Food Added to the List

The names of additional foods being recalled are in this morning's news:

Natural Balance, of Pacoima, Calif., announced a limited recall Monday of its Venison and Brown Rice canned and bagged dog foods, Venison and Brown Rice dog treats and Venison and Green Pea dry cat food.

Blue Buffalo, of Wilton, Conn., followed Thursday by recalling 5,044 bags of its Spa Select Kitten dry food. The company intercepted most of the kitten food before it reached distribution centers, company co-founder Billy Bishop said.

Also, the FDA is heading to China to investigate whether the addition of melamine in wheat gluten and rice protein was done intentionally because it can boost the apparent protein content. Will keep you posted. This is very scary.

Now it's Rice Protein Concentrate...

...that's in today's news...

The summary: Wilber-Ellis, a supplier of ingredients for pet food, has recalled the rice protein concentrate they shipped to five US pet food manufacturers. The rice protein concentrate was imported from a single source in China and found to contain melamine, the same chemical that has now sickened over 14,000 pets. Oddly, the news stays firm on only 16 deaths, but when you look at the growing list, the natural fear is that there have been many more lives claimed than what is being reported.

The FDA has reorganized the list and now has an easy-to-navigate web page of all the brands that have been recalled.

Favorite Things

One of the great advantages about being a pet owner these days are all the items available that are fun and satisfying for us as well as our pets. I've collected a couple of items to share with you, and will post others from time to time that are just too fun to pass up.

Note: there are DOG and CAT items here - there's good stuff for both!

For a lot of small dog owners, the big thing is dressing for success whether it's a cool tee-shirt or a couture dress. Chocolate is not generally a clothes-loving kind of guy, despite his Yorkie stature, but when I ran across a Spring dress-up shirt collar and tie, it just had to be his. It's a sample of many one-of-a-kind, beautiful items that Doodledings in Half Moon Bay, California carries. They also have locally baked dog treats that make wonderful gifts. If you are in the area, it's definitely a place to visit and say hello to Maritsa, another pet lover who owns the shop.

Last fall, I ran across a blanket for Chocolate which is now a required item wherever we travel. MyDoggieBlankee carries the softest, most cuddly blanket I've found to date, and the prices are very reasonable.

For those of us who like purchasing socially conscious products, there's a growing number of places in which we can do good for the world as well as provide fun items for our pets. One very special place is SOCOCO (Socially Conscious Companion) that gives 10% of their proceeds to the Baphumelele Children's Home in South Africa. Last Fall, I met Hattie Elliot, SOCOCO's founder, and was enthralled by her story and passion to not only do something inspiring and fun for pets, but also make a significant contribution for a better world. I love the "good karma" collars as well as the charms. They offer the heart, pictured here, as well as an AIDS ribbon.

Toys are going natural too - a whole line of earth-friendly toys are available at The Good Dog Company. You'll see a nice range of earth friendly fiber collars, leashes, and toys. Chocolate has the hemp biscuit, and finds it's more of a challenge to destroy than the toys I purchase elsewhere.

Ok, I can't forget the CATS!

Matatabi sticks are the answer to messy catnip toys, which get destroyed and strewn all over our house in a matter of hours. Known as Japanese catnip, it's a vine in the kiwi family and is, of course, organic. Note: they will get mixed up with a small dog's chew sticks, so it's good to store them in a separate place so the cats can enjoy and not have them stolen by the dog (voice of experience talking here).


And for the cat (and small dog) that likes to sleep and travel in style, the sleepypod is one of the sleekest and prettiest carriers I've seen. It also has additional features such as custom fit bedding and a warming pad for additional comfort.


Can't wait to go shopping again!

Tainted Food: It's Not Over Yet

The FDA reported last night that tainted food is still being sold in some stores across the US, and several cat foods have been added to the list. There is now a complete list of foods, both cat and dog, that you can download. But brace yourself, it has over 5500 items listed.

I'm making meatloaf again this weekend.

Just for Fun...

This video is a big hit in YouTube land - take a minute and a half to enjoy!

People Like Us

Recently, NPR ran a story on pet lovers in the United States called Heavy Petting. Geema Hooley, who is from South Africa and remembers pets in much simpler times, is amazed at the variety of things we do for our pets today. To be honest, what she describes is also what I experienced growing up in Maryland - the phenomenon of viewing our pets as family and dedicating significant portions of our income to them is more of a recent turn in our sociological history.

But the piece is entertaining and worth listening to if you have 30 minutes to kick back and enjoy. Some highlights:

• Todd the dog trainer offers views throughout the piece. He is the voice of reason in reminding us that dogs are, well, dogs. They like structure by getting consistent direction and knowing you are alpha. As we blend them in as members of the family, we shouldn't forget that just like a child, the dog wants to know what the rules are and as "parents", we need to stay in control.
• Ok, that's the serious stuff, the fun stuff is very entertaining:
• A "Bark Mitzvah" where all activities were underway, like dress up, agility demonstrations, contests ("best personality" to the ugliest dog), and even dog line dancing. But the best had to be the "dog psychic" who addressed only the dog's future: no past, nothing for the human, just the dog and the future. I can hear Chocolate's fortune now: "You will take many walks, eat many treats, and continue to chase the cats whenever you can."
• What we will do for our pets: there's a wonderful story weaved into the program on a pet fish, who gets new pictures placed in front of the tank every day. I never even thought of doing this for my fish, so I love hearing the creativity other pet lovers demonstrate.
  
• A discussion of whether it's better to be a dog or a cat. Todd the dog trainer says it has to be the cat - there's no command, training, or expectation that can be made for them - they do as they please. As Minnie sits on my lap purring as I write this, I have to agree, this is definitely the best gig to have.

The piece wraps up by asking what all this says about us - treating our pets like family, spending significant amounts of money for all stages of their life. I tried to give this some thought, to come up with something deep and pithy, but in the end, it's about the joy they bring us, the fun we have with them, and the companionship they provide. I can't imagine my life without pets, and my guess is that, as a pet lover, you can't either. It's just that simple.

The Saga Continues...

It seems like a special type of torture to see another brand of food or treats being recalled. The worry is that we'll miss a headline and will be unknowingly giving our pets tainted food.

The best site I've found so far in collecting the most current up-to-date information is the FDA. You'll see other articles accusing them of responding too slowly, and that can be another debate. What I do see is them keeping this list more current than any other site that I'm monitoring.

The short(ish) summary:

- Sunshine Mills selling under the following brands:

• Nurture Chicken & Rice, Nurture Lamb & Rice
• Pet Life Large, Pet Life Extra Large, Pet Life Large Variety, Pet Life Large Peanut Butter
• Lassie Lamb and Rice
• Pet Life People Pleasers Dog Treats
• Companion's Best Multi Flavor Biscuit
• Stater Brothers Large Biscuit
• Ol'Roy Peanut Butter Biscuit, Ol'Roy 4 Flavor Large Biscuit, Ol'Roy Puppy Biscuit
• Champion Breed Peanut Butter Biscuit, Champion Breed Large Biscuit
• Perfect Pals Large Biscuit
• Stater Brothers Large Biscuit

- Nestle Purina

• ALPO® Prime Cuts in Gravy - All sizes and varieties with specific date codes
• Mighty Dog® brand 5.3 oz. pouch products - December 3, 2006 through March 14, 2007

- Hill's Pet Nutrition

• Science Diet® brands:
• Kitten Savory Cuts® Ocean Fish
• Feline Adult Savory Cuts® Beef
• Feline Adult Savory Cuts® Chicken
• Feline Adult Savory Cuts® Ocean Fish
• Feline Senior Savory Cuts® Chicken
• Prescription Diet m/d Feline
  

- Del Monte Pet Products

• Jerky Treats Beef Flavor Dog Snacks
• Gravy Train Beef Sticks Dog Snacks
• Pounce Meaty Morsels Moist Chicken Flavor Cat Treats
• Ol' Roy brands:
• Beef Flavor Jerky Strips Dog Treats
• Beef Flavor Snack Sticks Dog Treats
• Beef Hearty Cuts in Gravy Dog Food
• Beef Hearty Strips in Gravy Dog Food
• Country Stew Hearty Cuts in Gravy Dog Food
  

- Dollar General products:

• Beef Flavored Jerky Strips Dog Treats
• Beef Flavored Beef Sticks Dog Treats

- Happy Tails products:

• Beef Flavor Jerky Strips
• Meaty Cuts with Beef in Gravy Dog Food
• Beef Flavor Beef Sticks

- Menu Foods

• Too numerous to list here, instead go:
• Here for cats
• Here for dogs
  

Big Dog, Little Dog...

This is such a great picture, I had to share it with you, just in case you missed it in the morning news...

The article that accompanies the picture is about finding the gene that is found in all dogs under 20 pounds and is guessed to be inherited from a miniature wolf about 15,000 years ago, even though it has since disappeared from the modern wolf population.

It continues in dogs because of human intervention - selectively breeding the smallest dogs to continue the line.

Another interesting fact from the article is how much humans and canines have in common - we share 85% of our genetic makeup and 300 common diseases, including high blood pressure and cancer.

The only anomaly is that this gene can sometimes be found in Rottweilers and Mastiffs, so scientists know this isn't the whole story but one that plays with other interactions. They continue to study but see this as a big first piece of the puzzle. They also noted that they've yet to discover why small dogs think they can act like big dogs. I'll definitely be interested in the answer to that one...

Facts About Us

We pet lovers are large in numbers and show how important our pets are with our wallets.

I thought you'd enjoy learning more about how we're viewed as a market segment. All data is on US stats, but that's not to say there aren't equally strong contingents throughout the world. But let's do one continent at a time...

To set context:

Of the 63% of American homes that have pets (a total of 69.1 million homes), a whopping 92% of us consider our pets to be part of our family.

Baby Boomers (born between 1946-1964) and Generation Y members (born between 1977-1994) are the two demographics that spend the most on their pets and see this spending on par with the basic support of our households. In other words, we'll cut other things from our budgets before we cut the care and support for our pets and children.

Now the money we spend:

If we have a dog, we spend about $1500 per year on food (the biggest expenditure), vet care (including surgery), vitamins, boarding, grooming, treats, and toys.

If we have a cat, it's about $900 for the same categories.

It adds up: last year we spent a total of $38B dollars, and this year, it's projected to rise to $40B.

One theory on why pet spending in all categories continues to grow: we now gravitate toward owning smaller dogs and it's easier to treat them like children (or so says Pet Age in their March 2007 issue). We'll also see a shift to purchasing more organic food as recalls of traditional foods and treats continue.

The curious thing for me is that I know I'd spend a lot more if I was aware of more products and services available for my pets. My guess is that you would, too. That's something I'm working on now, stay tuned for more details in upcoming entries...

They Like It! They Like It!

So, I did find time to make the meatloaf recipe over the weekend. And since I was cooking, and that is a special event, we decided to have a party. Lily, a 12-year-old Golden Retriever, was more than happy to be part of the taste test. The cats were showing interest as well.

The recipe is easy, especially if you skip molding it into a dog bone, and forget the garnishes of mashed potatoes, cheese cutout, and extra ketchup. For this party, the meat is what mattered and all tails were wagging.


Yesterday's news article about cats being more affected than dogs in this tragedy has me thinking simple home cooking right now isn't such a bad idea. And compared to the foods I currently buy them (mid-range), it's fairly cost effective. The only caveat is that the cats are less enthusiastic about the leftovers. But of course, you probably knew that already...