News, Advice and Resources for Thoughtful Pet People
Need something to do today at work? Make a paper Japanese Bobtail for your desk. Don’t worry, your boss will be too impressed with your cutting & gluing skills to lay you off.
Canon has a nifty model of a Japanese Bobtail that you can print and instructions on how to construct it. Now, go dazzle your co-workers!
SomeEcards flat out makes me laugh. These aren’t your typical eCards. They’re delightfully twisted & off-kilterd (& sometimes blue) and now they have the perfect card for that dog lover you know. Send it to that special someone who has their priorities right!
Hanna in Sweden has a good tutorial for sewing a hooded pet bed—perfect for a cat or small dog. This project will be easier with some sewing experience, but is still pretty straightforward. She gives details for how to size your pattern, but you’ll have to make your own. Don’t let that scare you though. The tutorial combines machine and hand sewing. I would machine sew as much as I could and hide the seams in the folds on the inner part of the bed where the sides attach to the bottom and to the hood.
Hanna used an old curtain, which is a great and very thrifty idea. Material used for drapes is heavier and more durable. You’ll also need foam rubber. She used thinner foam—one layer for the sides and multiple layers for a cushy bottom. You could do that, but buying a thin piece for the sides and a thick piece for the bottom means less cutting and that the foam in the bottom will be easier to manage.
Sadly, there is no real chance of finding the amazing dog that risked its own life to haul an badly injured dog to safety. The event actually happened in March. And unfortunately the injured dog died.
Like many/most countries, Chile isn’t an easy place to be a dog. It’s estimated there are 220,000 stray dogs in the Santingo area alone. Earlier this month, Chilean authorities raided the Benjamin Vinuña Mackenna Animal Protection Society where disease is rampant and animals are being killed in huge numbers instead of sheltered and adopted out. This organization was established in 1915 and reportedly is representative of the conditions in most shleters in Chile.
Here’s an interesting gallery of dogs in Chile.
You can also see the video and read a translation of the news commentary.
An interesting study shows that dogs have a sense of fairness—a trait previously only demonstrated in primates. With two dogs present, scientists began by giving a treat for the dog offering its paw when asked. To start, both dogs would get a treat when they preformed the task. Then scientists stopped giving a treat to the first dog when it offered its paw, but continued to treat the second dog when it preformed. Very quickly, the first dog began refusing to offer its paw. (Smart pup!)
Interestingly, the “value” of the treat was irrelevant. Dogs were just as peeved if they didn’t get the bread treat than if they didn’t get the sausage treat. Primates react differently given the “value” of the treat.
It’s thought this sense of jealousy or fairness is connected to cooperative behavior like hunting—keeping track of who does what and what they get for it. So, scientist will next be looking at how emotion factors in to cooperative behavior.
