September 24, 2012
Pets and Air Travel
Think twice before flying with your pets

Animals flown in the cargo area of airplanes continue to be killed, injured, or lost on commercial flights each year. Excessively hot or cold temperatures, poor ventilation, scarcity of oxygen, and rough handling are often to blame.

Just this month, model Maggie Rizer's beloved dog died in the cargo hold of an airplane. Though American-based airlines are required to report all companion animal incidents that occur in the cargo hold, the rules don't go far enough. 

Through September 27, the  Department of Transportation is accepting public comments on a new rule that would hold airlines more accountable for dogs and cats who die or are lost or hurt during commercial airline flights.

Join us in supporting the rule. Submit your comments to the D.O.T. now »
Keep pets out of the cargo hold
Before you make plans to travel with your pet, consider all the alternatives to air travel. If you plan to bring your pet on vacation, consider driving instead of flying. If this isn't possible, consider leaving your pet behind under the care of a pet sitter or boarding kennel. Above all, when making travel decisions, consider what's best for your pet.

If you must fly your pet
If you absolutely must transport your pet by air, first find out whether you can take him or her on board with you. If your pet is a cat or small dog, most airlines will allow you to take the animal on board for an additional fee. To find out about this option, call the airline well in advance of your flight; there are limits to the number of animals allowed in the cabin area. (Brachycephalic animals, like bulldogs, pugs, and Persian cats, should never travel by air—their short nasal passages leave them especially vulnerable to oxygen deprivation and heat stroke.)

When you contact the airline, be sure to get answers to these questions:

Does the airline allow you to take your cat or small dog in the cabin with you? 
If that option isn't available to you, does the airline have any restrictions on transporting your pet as cargo? 
Does the airline have any special pet health and immunization requirements?
Does the airline require a specific type of carrier? Most airlines will accept either hard-sided carriers or soft-sided carriers, which may be more comfortable for your pet, but only certain brands of soft-sided carriers are acceptable to certain airlines.
If you have no choice but to transport your pet in the cargo hold, you can increase the chances of a safe flight for your pet by following these tips »



What to do if there's a problem
Do not hesitate to complain if you witness the mishandling of an animal—either yours or someone else's—at any airport.

So, we’re down at the Jersey shore this week, my three year old daughter, Violet and I.

And like a lot of other kids, Violet is a sweet little girl who really digs animals; we have two black labs who she is always hugging on and tugging on their ears and putting plastic dinosaurs on their rumps. They are the soul of patience with her, familiar with her antics and totally wiling to put up with them in exchange for the love she gives them in spades.

But down here at the beach, I’ve suddenly figured out that Violet thinks she can be that sort of friendly to all the dogs in the entire world.

Uh-oh.



Listen, I admire her unabashed style to a point, and I certainly am in awe of her total and complete affection for every pup she meets out there in the world. But truth be told, I didn’t expect her to be so forthcoming with choker-chain wearing pit bulls and rottweilers the size of Volkswagens as she is with every Paris Hilton purse pooch who comes strolling down the way.I suppose she just hasn’t been exposed to many other dogs besides her own.

And I suppose I should have realized that.

So,  the other day a nice gent was walking his fuzzball by us on the boardwalk and Violet notices the puppy and shrieks with glee. The fellow comes over our way and tells us the pup is friendly and is about to tell Violet that she can pet him when I look over and she has like a WWF old-school half-headlock on the poor thing!

“Violet!,” I exclaimed. “That’s just a little doggie! You have to be really gentle with him!”

It was pretty embarrassing and even though the owner was really cool about it, I had to look hard at her expression of utter disbelief in what had just happened. In her tiny eyes, I could tell, she thought she was just doing what she always does back home with her dogs. She was giving them a great big squeeze fit for a 100 pound close friend. As I spoke to her, I could tell that maybe my message wasn’t really getting through so good. I chalked it up to a lesson learned, though, and we went on our way.

Then it all happened again. And again. The boardwalk was alive with a car show and people parading their pooches out in the early summer sunshine and each time they’d see the cute little girl with the pigtails getting excited about their animal they’d stop and let her meet it. But each time this happened she tried to give the darn dog an overbearing hug that probably made the owner consider breaking out the pepper spray!

Finally, I’d had enough and I squatted down next to my daughter and had a fairly long chat with her, telling her that we have to be nice to strange dogs, just like we want them to be nice to us, and that we never ever ever give them big hugs until we have known them for a long time.

When we were done having the talk….well, when I was done blabbering, I asked her,” Okay, Violet? Do you understand what daddy is telling you?”

“Okay, daddy!,” she said. “I understand!”

I held her in my arms on the way back to the car though, just to avoid the rush of paws coming our way.

Of course, I’d pretty much forgotten about it all that evening when we had almost the whole beach to ourselves and out of nowhere comes a lady and her spotted pitbull.

“101 Dalmations!,” Violet hollered and the lady was kind enough to oblige us with a visit from ‘Buddy’. Violet went right in for the big squeeze, this time breaking her hugs out so fast that I didn’t even have time for my whole ‘gentle/firm daddy warning’ before she went bananas. Buddy was pretty freaked too, as he should have been, I guess. Imagine if you were walking down the beach and some stranger just came up to you and leaned in with a hug. (Actually, there are many fine ladies I would not mind that from, but you catch my drift!)

Ugh! I don’t want to be afraid of letting her pet other dogs on the street when their owners says it’s okay. But I also damn sure don’t want my own daughter bear-hugging the wrong dog.

So, today I am putting this question out there to you, the people who love pets. What would you do? What do I say?

My approach seemed okay to me, but obviously it isn’t all that effective. Or do I keep hammering home my point to her until she really understands?

Have you had the same talk with your kids?

I’d love know what you said and how you handled this little problem.

You can also find Serge on his personal blog, Thunder Pie.

And on Facebook and Twitter.

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More from Serge:

Up On The Woof: Pictures Of Dogs Hanging Out On Rooftops

The Fabulous Flying Rovers: 20 Cool Pics Of Dogs In Flight


Eat The Wind: 25 Supercool Dogs In Cars

Fairytail of New York: Pictures of a Big City Dog

Soul Survivors: The Stray Dogs of the Moscow Subway

  Study Claims That Dogs Really Do Feel YourPain
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/07/dogs-empathize-people_n_1856127.html 

At Good News, we've always known that dogs are our best friends. Now, a recent study from Goldsmiths College in the UK has the scientific evidence to back that claim up.

According to a paper published in the journal Animal Cognition, in an experiment conducted by the university, dogs approached people who appeared to be distressed more often than those who weren't. "I think there is good reason to suspect dogs would be more sensitive to human emotion than other species," authorDeborah Custance told the Press Trust of India.

Goldsmiths University doctors used an experimental set up that was first used to investigate empathy in human infants. According to the Daily Mail, a diverse group of 18 dogs was individually exposed to three different scenarios: two people talking, a person "humming in an odd manner" to incite the dog's curiosity, and a person crying or pretending to cry. The experiments were conducted both with the dog's owner and with a stranger. Significantly more dogs approached the individual in distress and displayed submissive tendencies.

Surprisingly, the dogs approached the strangers as often as their owners, indicating that their empathy response doesn't discriminate among familiar and unfamiliar people. The study's authors suggest that the empathy response might have been bred into the canines after thousands of years of living in close proximity to humans.

"The fact that the dogs differentiated between crying and humming indicates that their response to crying was not purely driven by curiosity. Rather, the crying carried greater emotional meaning for the dogs and provoked a stronger overall response than either humming or talking," Dr. Custance told the Daily Mail.

"If the dog's approaches during the crying condition were motivated by self-oriented comfort-seeking, they would be more likely to approach their usual source of comfort, their owner, rather than the stranger," Jennifer Mayer, the study's co-author, said in a Goldsmiths College press release. "No such preference was found. The dogs approached whoever was crying regardless of their identity. Thus they were responding to the person's emotion, not their own needs, which is suggestive of empathic-like comfort-offering behavior."

You can access the study here, through the Goldsmiths College press release.

My Dog is Lost....

                          What Should I do?????

Start your search immediately...do not wait!

Most importantly, begin searching for your pet immediately. Do not wait several days expecting your pet to return home before beginning your search.
Check the neighborhood thoroughly. Whistling, calling, walking and driving are still the best first steps to finding a lost pet. Be sure to drive around at night, also; a pet that is frightened or is seeking shelter from heat or cold may hide.
Talk to neighbors, leaving a description of your pet with as many people as you can. The more "eyes" watching for your pet, the better. Neighborhood children can be especially helpful. Let your mail person know about your missing pet; postal carriers cover a lot of territory. Check local playgrounds, shopping centers, parks and other places where crowds gather.

Do you have a T-shirt or a piece of clothing that have your smell??? If you don???t??? you can always wear a t-shirt and jog around the block until you feel the shirt has absorbed enough of your sweat. Place the used shirt on a stick on your front yard or any other location you might feel appropriate for your dog to find home. As you probably already know the most powerful tool a dog have is his nose and many have found their way home by it.

Check with the animal shelters

Leave a complete description of your pet in case he/she is brought in to them. You should also visit the shelters and continue to visit regularly, as they receive new animals daily and only you know exactly what your pet looks like.
Check with nearby veterinary clinics in case your pet has been injured and transported to the clinic by a passer-by.

Get the word out

Consider making and posting flyers in shopping centers, on telephone poles, in veterinary offices, pet stores and grooming parlors in your area. Include a detailed description and the name of your pet. Your pet will be more likely to approach a stranger if called by name. If possible, include a clear, reproducible photo. Provide a copy of the flyer to mail carriers, newspaper carriers, utility service people, etc.
Advertise in local newspapers. Also, watch the "Found" ads and respond to any that may possibly be your pet. After a week of wandering, your white poodle may look like a "grey mixed breed."


Contact local radio or TV stations that broadcast lost pet reports.


Above all, don't give up searching for your lost pet after just a few days or even weeks. Your pet may wander or may be kept by someone for some time before being turned in to a shelter.


Even if your pet was wearing tags, there is always a chance that they were lost or that someone took them off. This is why many shelter animals are tattooed before being released for adoption.

Prevention

Keep your pet properly confined at all times: indoors, on a leash, or in a securely - fenced area. (If fenced, check routinely for holes between and under the fence, loose gate latches, etc.) Be aware when service people visit your home or yard; they may leave gates open.

Make sure that your pet wears current license and ID tags at ALL times. ID tags are available from many places that sell pet supplies. Be sure to keep a written record of the tag numbers; this information is essential in the event that your pet should become lost.
Have your pet tattooed or micro-chipped, to enable positive identification (see your veterinarian about this).
Have a written description (size, weight, color, markings) and current black and white, as well as color photos of your pet on hand. Be sure to leave this information, along with license and ID tag numbers, with anyone entrusted with the care of your pet while you are away.



© 2012, DOGWORK.COM |TERMS & CONDITIONS  

I am publishing this blog in memory of my dog, Cuddles(pictured left), who died last year on July 12,2011.

I saw this list shared by several friends on Facebook yesterday. It is so simple and moving that I felt compelled to share it here. I invite you to share your thoughts below.

1. My life is likely to last ten to fifteen years. Any separation from you will be painful: remember that before you get me.

2. Give me time to understand what you want of me.

3. Place your trust in me—it is crucial to my wellbeing.

4. Do not be angry at me for long, and do not lock me up as punishment.

5. You have your work, your entertainment, and your friends. I only have you.

6. Talk to me sometimes. Even if I don’t understand your words, I understand your voice.

7. Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget.

8. Remember before you hit me that I have sharp teeth that could easily hurt you, but I choose not to bite you because I love you.

9. Before you scold me for being uncooperative, obstinate, or lazy, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I might not be getting the right food, or I have been out too long, or my heart is getting too old and weak.

10. Take care of me when I get old. You too will grow old. Accompany me on difficult journeys. Never say: “I cannot bear to watch” or “Let it happen in my absence.” Everything is easier for me if you are there—even my death.

Remember that I love you.