Sleepin' puppies

So what's cuter than a basket full of puppies?

Watch this.

Pretty amazing that he could just sing them — softly — to sleep.

What dog?

In Cobble Hill, a Brooklyn neighborhood, thousands of people walked their invisible dogs Sunday.

The idea was from the group Improv Everywhere.

Take a look at this blog.

Some of the comments are interesting. What if these people actually got together for some real purpose that could help society? How many of them would turn up their noses at the chance to make a difference?

Then again, it was a little funny, wasn't it?

Here are some pictures and more pictures from Improv Everywhere.

Photo by Improv Everywhere.

Video Friday

Pugs.

Mom to the rescue.

Cat all wrapped up in what it's reading.

Pug v cat.

Have a good weekend.

Are dog-size restrictions good policy for apartments?

It seems that, more and more, size is the determining factor in whether a dog can be kept in an apartment complex or condo.

The New York Times had an article about the city's ban on pit bulls and other large dogs in city housing projects that went into effect May 1.

My Kate, who weighs about 50 pounds, would be banned from the projects. Kate, who never evens barks, is the type of dog the city has set its sights on — by merely being over 25 pounds.

I can't tell you the number of dogs I've run across since I got Kate and experienced the world of dogs and dogs owners that are tiny and nasty.

There's a dog, who I've never seen, in my complex that, by the sound of its constant barking, is a small dog that never shuts up, especially when Kate and I walk about 30 feet from its door.

I am so glad I don't live next door to that one.

We are only allowed one pet, either a cat or dog, but not both. The rules must have changed a few years ago, because some residents continue to have more than one dog. Is that fair? I don't think so.

A study of Philadelphia condo sales posted on the Gerson Lehrman Group Web site says that exclusionary pet policies can drive down demand and sale price for condos.

Writer Mark Wade said:

With twenty (20) years experience selling condos in Center City Philadelphia, I can attest to the fact that I have yet to meet a buyer who will favor any given condo building over their pet. Said again, I have never met a buyer who will give up their pet to live in one specific building. Every time, they will omit the building — not the pet. Moreover, I have never met a buyer who said that they would NOT live in a building which allowed dogs.

He wonders if, in a depressed market, it is wise for condo associations to be as restrictive as they now are.

Canine flu a growing problem?

USA Today reports some kennels are requiring dog owners vaccinate their pooches for canine influenza virus.

Here's the story.

Has anyone around the mid-Hudson Valley been required to get the shots?

Bizkit videos

Do you remember Bizkit the Sleepwalking Dog?

Well, Bizkit talks.

And Bizkit barks while sleepwalking.

And Bizkit runs in circles.

Here's Bizkit: The Horror Movie.

Just what a dog like this needs — a Bizkit helmet. What a face.

My Kate doesn't get quite this animated when she sleeps, but she is definitely "chasing rabbits."

I particularly like it when she wags her tail while sleeping. Pleasant dreams.

Cat video Tuesday

The blog has been a little dog-centric lately, so here are a couple of videos of silly cats.

Cat on a trampoline. Cute.

This cat doesn't want to go inside. Obviously.

Simon's Cat. Wants dinner. Now.

Information you may someday need

By now we all know what happened to Jessica Simpson's malti-poo.

If you live in areas that coyotes inhabit, there are ways to prevent your pets from becoming their prey.

A lot of it is common sense and common safety protocols.

From the San Francisco Chronicle's Tails of the City blog:

[Coyotes] are clever animals and their typical diet consists mainly of rodents, insects, and small mammals. If they live near humans, coyotes will not hesitate to kill outdoor or feral cats and will sometimes go after small dogs. Coyotes mainly view dogs as competition, not as prey, and will usually only attack medium or larger-sized dogs if they are perceived as a threat. Coyotes are most protective of their territory when they are mating, January through March, and when they have pups, May through June.

Some of the tips include:

• Keep your animals inside or in a kennel.
• Have a fence that is at least 6 feet high and buried at least a foot into the ground.
• When walking in areas with known coyote populations, keep your dog on a leash.
• Never approach a coyote and never feed them.
• Do not leave food and water bowls outside.
• Never turn your back on a coyote.

That last one can apply to many creatures.

Keep your animals secured either inside or in a kennel both day and night when they are left unsupervised.

A fence at least six-feet high will help provide a deterrent. Be sure the fence is buried at least one foot into the ground (with an apron base) so coyotes will not be able to dig under the fence.

Keep your dog on leash when walking in areas with a known coyote population and carry a walking stick, air horn, whistle, or an aluminum can filled with coins to help scare off a coyote.

Never approach a coyote, let your dog approach one or intentionally feed them.

Protect fruit trees and vegetable gardens to deter coyotes from scavenging for food on your property.

Do not leave food and water bowls outside and keep your garbage neatly stacked in a sealed container.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/pets/detail?entry_id=47693#ixzz0RkGENJQa

Keep your animals secured either inside or in a kennel both day and night when they are left unsupervised.

A fence at least six-feet high will help provide a deterrent. Be sure the fence is buried at least one foot into the ground (with an apron base) so coyotes will not be able to dig under the fence.

Keep your dog on leash when walking in areas with a known coyote population and carry a walking stick, air horn, whistle, or an aluminum can filled with coins to help scare off a coyote.

Never approach a coyote, let your dog approach one or intentionally feed them.

Protect fruit trees and vegetable gardens to deter coyotes from scavenging for food on your property.

Do not leave food and water bowls outside and keep your garbage neatly stacked in a sealed container.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/pets/detail?entry_id=47693#ixzz0RkGENJQa

Keep your animals secured either inside or in a kennel both day and night when they are left unsupervised.

A fence at least six-feet high will help provide a deterrent. Be sure the fence is buried at least one foot into the ground (with an apron base) so coyotes will not be able to dig under the fence.

Keep your dog on leash when walking in areas with a known coyote population and carry a walking stick, air horn, whistle, or an aluminum can filled with coins to help scare off a coyote.

Never approach a coyote, let your dog approach one or intentionally feed them.

Protect fruit trees and vegetable gardens to deter coyotes from scavenging for food on your property.

Do not leave food and water bowls outside and keep your garbage neatly stacked in a sealed container.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/pets/detail?entry_id=47693#ixzz0RkGENJQa

Ithaca dog park seeks dog waste solution

What to do with all the doo is a real question.

According to an article from the Associated Press, a group of upstate New Yorkers are working on a solution.

A pilot project by the Tompkins County Dog Owners Group and Cayuga Compost hopes to market usable compost made from dog droppings within the next three years.

Here's the story.

Dog and cat waste contain parasites and pathogens that make them unsuitable as compost for vegetable gardens and topsoil and can run off into local waterways and diminish water quality, said Cary Oshins, an assistant program director for the U.S. Composting Council. Composted pet waste can be used for deep-fill or other purposes.

Leon Kochian, a spokesman for TC DOG, a nonprofit group in Ithaca funding the project, said a use for the billions of pounds of dog waste produced every year in the United States could lead to a reduction in the amount of waste sent to landfills.

Sounds like a good idea, especially for large collection sites like dog parks, but on a smaller scale what are the solutions?

I've been using biodegradable bags, for what that's worth, but the poop still goes into the city refuse.

Look alikes?

A press release from Business Wire said the hotel chain Best Western had a new application for pet owners.

The release was part of a campaign to promote BW's pet-friendly accommodations.

Anyway, the application is called the Inseparator, and it lets you combine a picture of you with one of your pet.

Here's the opening screen from the Web site.


It has pictures of other morphings that, if they don't completely turn you off from the idea, make you chuckle.

Naturally, I couldn't resist. A quick picture of myself with my cell phone camera (I already have thousands of pics of Kate) and voila.


I couldn't find an easy, simple way to extract the photo from the email BW sent at the end of the process, so I had to take a screen shot from my cell phone.

Kind of a haunting image, no?

BW also gives you the opportunity to buy mugs, feeding bowls and pet clothing with the picture imprinted on it. I passed on that. I already have this.

Feel free to send me pictures you create from this.

UPDATE: OMG! I just noticed that Kate's — or is it my — picture is in the screen shot from the Web site. I feel used.

Take your pet to college?

Surprisingly, some colleges actually don't have a no-pets policy.

Petside.com has ranked the top 10 pet-friendly institutions.

To determine the ranking, Petside editors considered the types of pets permitted in university housing (allowing dogs and cats was preferred) and the type of housing and number of units included. Points were also awarded based on the size of the school, the number of years the school has allowed pets, and considerations made for any required deposits or weight/breed restrictions.

At the top of the list is Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Fla., which has four pet-friendly dorm cluster that allow dogs and cats under 40 pounds.

Are you going to a college or university that allows companion animals?

A few more pix and thoughts from Paws in the Park

Looks like most everyone had a good time at the Paws in the Park Petwalk Saturday at Bowdoin Park.

It was, of course, a benefit for the Dutchess County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Hyde Park.

There were other nonprofits with booths there as well. As event coordinator Debbi Calabrese said, they like to share the wealth.


I decided not to take Kate with me this year. And I got asked a lot about where she was.

I took her to the last two Paws in the Parks and the last two Beacon Barks, and she always is a trooper.

But after April's Beacon Barks, I realized that Kate — now well over 14 years — was not really enjoying it.

There's an uncomfortable car ride and then the seemingly long event itself where there is never enough water, shade or comfy places to lie down.

And I'm sure Kate feels that way too. (Just kidding.) (Not really.)

So, while the weather turned out to be fantastic — overcast, with bits of sunshine, and low temperatures — I decided to go solo.

Besides, it's much easier for me to work — even though it's one of the more pleasant assignments I am given — it's still work.

Taking pictures, recording video, sending tweets, interviewing people and taking notes are lot easier without a leash in one hand.

However, there is a part of me that hates that I left Kate at home. She's never been a dog that been taken everywhere. I know some people who bring their dogs wherever they go, even if it's just to pick up a quart of milk.

Leaving her at home — this time — meant, in a not so small way, that Kate really is getting old. Is old.

This makes the thought that she isn't going to be with me forever all the more real.

Love them while you can. They deserve it.

More pix from Paws in the Park

Here are some more photos I took from Paws in the Park today.


























Photos by Michael Woyton/Poughkeepsie Journal

15th Paws in the Park fun for all

Amazingly, the weather forecasts were wrong for today. Menacing clouds gave way to blue skies at times for the 15th annual Paws in the Park Petwalk.

Held at Bowdoin Park in the Town of Poughkeepsie, the festival benefits the Dutchess County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Hyde Park.

Here's the start of the walk.



There were contests for best tail wagging (please, dogs only!), best costume and look alikes (humans and pooches). Here is a video from the begging contest.



There were traditional agility courses, ball catching and Puppies of the Caribbean. A new agility course, with a NASCAR theme, is Tail-adega Nights. Here's a look.



The festival had dog-related vendors and nonprofit organizations, like Puppies Behind Bars, on hand.

Crowds show up to Paws on the Park

Sally makes an appearance at Paws in the Park

Sally, the terrier mix who was rescued from a clothing donation bin in Sept. 2008, came to the petwalk today, accompanied by her owner Paula Clausi-VanSteenburgh of Highland.

It was truly hard to believe it was the same starved pooch from a year ago.

Paws in the Park underway

At Bowdoin Park in Poughkeepsie until 3 pm.

Drink up

With tomorrow's Paws in the Park Petwalk (a benefit for the Dutchess County SPCA), I offer cat lovers out there this video of a very thirsty — and soggy — kitty.

Enjoy.

Are you gearing up for Paws in the Park?

It's time again for Paws in the Park, to benefit the Dutchess County SPCA.

The Paws in the Park Petwalk will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Bowdoin Park in the Town of Poughkeepsie.

The first Petwalk, held in 1994, raised $9000 to benefit the shelter. About 90 people participated. Since then, the yearly event has grown to include hundreds of participants and vendors and provided a lot of fun on a late summer day.

Last year, it raised almost $50,000.

Besides agility and other activities, the festival this year has a "sport" called Tail-adega Nights, a game for dogs based on sports car racing, dog agility and obedience.

Here are some stories from past blog entries about Paws in the Park.

As of today, the weather forecast calls for cloudy skies with a 30 percent chance of showers. The high should be around 72.

Here's hoping it won't be as hot as in past years.

Directions to Bowdoin Park can be found here.

Dogs to help returning troops with PTSD

The federal Department of Defense is looking into using dogs to counter the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder.

This article in the Kansas City Star tells more.

So the Defense Department is financing a $300,000 study that will pair troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with dogs trained to sense when their masters are about to have a panic attack and give them a calming nudge or nuzzle.

These psychiatric service dogs have been assisting people with a variety of mental illnesses since the late 1990s. About 10,000 such dogs are now in use.

New but preliminary research suggests that the dogs may be particularly helpful for people with PTSD.

Researchers presented their findings Thursday at a military health research conference.

Sounds like a great way to spend defense funds, doesn't it?

Thursday morning portrait

And Kate was snoring softly, too. Lucky dog.

It's wrong but funny

I don't watch Conan (I'm a Letterman fan), but apparently he had a segment that had puppies dressed as cats.

Twice.

This is the second one.

Cute.

Oldest dog dies at 21

I know the jokes are "but she was really 147."

Nonetheless, 21 is a remarkable age to live until. Rest in peace, Chanel, who died Friday in Port Jefferson Station on Long Island.

Here's the story from the Huffington Post, with an assist from the Associated Press.

The wire-haired dachshund held the record as the world's oldest dog and was feted on her 21st birthday by the Guinness World Records.

There is another dog, in Louisiana, being scrutinized, claiming 26 years (see my previous blog post here).

That takes nothing away from Chanel and the long life she's led.