Pet Blog By Bocci @ Bocci's Beefs: Huffington Post

Showing posts with label Huffington Post. Show all posts

Saturday, August 29, 2015

House With A Heart Provides Care And Love For Senior Dogs

Senior pooch well taken care of at HouseWithAHeart.com. Photo courtesy of Sher Polvinale, founder.

It's nothing short of amazing how some humans sacrifice so much to help animals in need, while others, at the first sign of extra work needed to care for a sick or aging pet, dump them off at a shelter. Sher Polvinale and her husband had been rescuing companion animals for over two decades before they decided to turn their home in a senior pet sanctuary, aptly called House with a Heart.

This recent article from the Huffington Post, says the sanctuary requires about 55 round-the-clock volunteers to help care for all of the animals this couple has taken in—mostly seniors and/or pets with special needs who suddenly found themselves at shelters when their owners chose to no longer care for them. The animals have a list of maladies including blindness, dementia and incontinence, and some require special carts for outside playtime. Have we mentioned that these people are saints?

Although the reasons why this haven is necessary confound us, it's a beautiful feeling to know that so many people open their hearts and their homes to help animals in need of care and love in their last days.

An Indoor Cat Paradise

We ran across this article and video on the Huffington Post and couldn't resist sharing it with you—talk about enrichment for indoor cats—this guy has it covered for his 15 (and counting) rescued felines.

First of all, this home in California is simply gorgeous, but what the owner designed to keep his cats happy is gorgeous, too. The article, via a link to Houzz.com, explains how they built the hundreds of feet of cat runs and perches to keep their felines purring. Yes, this house is definitely "catified"!

What enrichment or playground-like objects keep your indoor kitty happy? Let us know!

A Feel Good Story Of Canine Love

Photo of Ben and his gal Jade, courtesy of the Tribune Star

Although this story was first published a few months ago, we just ran across it today on the Huffington Post and couldn't help but pass it on. It's a love story if we ever heard one: Ben and Jade were two German shepherd mixes living together on the street. After Jade became pregnant with Ben's puppies, the Terre Haute, Indiana Humane Shelter trapped them and brought them to the shelter to care for the mother-to-be. After living at the shelter together for several months, Ben was adopted and thus parted from his mate...but not for long! Ben escaped from his new home a few weeks after he was adopted and made the 10 mile, 24 hour journey through the snow, and back to the shelter to reunite with Jade.

Luckily, the kind people who adopted Ben promptly adopted his mate, Jade, too and with any luck, they'll all live happily ever after. Question: Would your mate walk through a mid-western winter for 24 hours straight to be with you? Parental Unit doesn't even need to ask-she's sure to receive a resounding "No", but we'd love to hear from you!

Speaking Of Dogs And Hotels...

Meet Woody, the labradoodle, who greets guests at the Woodmark Hotel in Washington State with a wagging tail and a stuffed likeness of himself to take home with them.

It seems that more and more hotels are jumping on the dog bandwagon, even if they don't welcome dogs as guests, they have a canine as an official "greeter" of their human patrons. Some of these lucky pooches hang out in the lobby to add that warm and fuzzy ambiance, others hike with guests or even ride on the luggage cart with the bellman. Check out this blurb by Conde Nast Traveler that's accompanied by a slideshow of working hotel dogs and see what you think-we were amazed at the number and types of pets who serve as "greeters".

And let us know if you've ever been greeted by dog or other pets while staying overnight on your travels. We loved your stories of sneaking your pets into hotels from yesterday's post!

New Study Shows Dogs Reaction To Human Sadness

Has your dog ever comforted you when you were down? Shown real empathy by immediately trying to comfort you when you were crying? Well, now a new study seems to demonstrate that it's not just your imagination if you think your pooch is actually trying to comfort you when you're having a tough day: An article in yesterday's Science Section of the Huffington Post discusses a recent study conducted by University of London researchers and published in the journal of Animal Cognition, that seems to show that most dogs respond with submissive behavior and offers of comfort to people who are crying. Although this study doesn't prove conclusively what the dogs were thinking, and it's even "possible that dogs learn to approach crying people because their owners give them affection when they do...," 13 of the 18 dogs studied did approach their owners or a stranger with submissive behavior like tucked tails and bowed heads (behavior consistent with empathy).

But scientific studies aside, what do you think? Do dogs have empathy, and do they understand our emotions well enough to purposefully try to comfort us when we're sad? Let us know!

Who's Smarter...Dogs Or Cats?

Well, after you read this article from the Science Section of the Huffington Post, published just a few days ago, feel free to let us know what you think. It seems that the scientists are at a bit of a standoff. Of course from my perspective, dogs are way smarter! We have larger brains, which in theory, at least allow us the opportunity to be smarter. And we engage more with humans in both play and work, which increases our brain power.

But there's another side to the story. It turns out that cats have a different kind of intelligence, sort of like book learning versus emotional intelligence in humans, and really can't be accurately compared. And cats have twice as many neurons in their cerebral cortex, the part of the brain responsible for learning and memory, as dogs, so their capacity to process information is greater. Hmmmm.

So where do you fall in the great debate? We'd love to hear!

Disabled Pets Find A Friend In Photographer

Photo by Carli Davidson, courtesy of The Huffington Post

We had no idea that May 3rd was "National Specially-abled Pets Day", but we're here to tell you about it now. In part to celebrate that day, this article on The Huffington Post features photographer Carli Davidson, who specializes in animal photography and has chosen to focus her lens on pets that are "differently-abled" in some way. She began her "Pets with Disabilities" project two years ago when she was inspired by a wheelchair bound dog playing catch with its owner. The article includes a short slide show of this series for your viewing enjoyment.

You can also check out her website and Facebook page to see more of her work. By the way, we're happy to hear that she donates 10% of the sale proceeds to a rotating number of animal shelters that specialize in caring for disabled pets. Kudos to Ms. Davidson for shining a spotlight on these very special pets and their equally special owners!

What Kids Can Learn From Having Pets

Photo courtesy of The Huffington Post

You know, we don't put those adorable photos of babies sleeping with their furry siblings or children romping with their dog in the great outdoors on our blog just because it's cute (although we think those photos are adorable!) We post them on Bocci's Beefs because we believe that the connection between animals and young children, even infants, is magical. Parental Unit can't even imagine her life as a child without her dogs and cats, nor can she imagine what her life would be like now without those glorious memories and photos. Take her cat, Fat Albert, for instance. On her walk home from grade school each day, she would whistle and call his name, and there he'd come, trotting up the street a few blocks to meet her and walk her home-everyday. And she still has a rather large picture of her first dog, Benjie, (a Miniature Schnauzer) sitting on her dresser, and remembers vividly how much comfort he so willingly gave her after her father died suddenly when she was a teenager.

So we hope you enjoy this list complete with slideshow, compiled by contributors to the Huffington Post, of their non-scientific assessment of the myriad ways children benefit from having pets in their lives.

Feel free to add to this list-we'd love to know about what you think the benefits of raising children with pets might be, or to hear your personal stories.

Top Ten Hollywood Hounds...And Pet Spending Goes Through The Roof!

Photo of Lassie courtesy of Cesar's Way

We were entranced by this list of "The 10 Top Hollywood Dogs" on Cesar Millan's website, and the scoop on how they made it big-can you guess which canine is number one? Yep, I'm sure you all shouted "Lassie" in unison! Of course, Rin Tin Tin made the top ten, too, but I'll bet you'll be surprised at a few of the others. We don't know who compiled this list, but it sure is a fun read.

And speaking of pampered pooches (and that means you), we ran across this piece on the Huffington Post, announcing the latest figures for what Americans spend on their pets. Get this: in 2011, it crossed the $50 billion threshold! Although food and vet costs accounted for about 65% of the spending, the "service category" like grooming boarding and day care is what grew the most-to a whopping $3.79 billion. And the president of the American Pet Products Association expects this type of spending to only increase.

Although Parental Unit buys me very high quality food that's pretty darn expensive, I've yet to go to a groomer or doggie day care-I'm pretty low maintenance. How about you? Have you blown your budget on your pets? Let us know.

We look low maintenance, don't we?

Leaving The Legacy Of Violence Behind: A Message Of Hope For All Creatures

There's a new documentary film recently out in theaters simply titled, "Buck", about real life "horse whisperer", Buck Brannaman, who survives a violent childhood and finds success using non-violent methods helping horses with people problems. We read a fascinating piece in today's Huffington Post, that discusses the film from the perspective of a mental health professional, Lloyd I. Sederer, MD, the current medical director for the New York State Office of Mental Health. This article's title, Buck: No Horsing Around, belies the intelligence and intensity of Dr. Sederer's take on the film, and the wide-ranging impact of the film's message.

Photo of Mr. Brannaman courtesy of The Huffington Post

As Dr. Sederer so eloquently states, "What makes this film so extraordinary is not just how amazing a figure Buck is, but the way the narrative illustrates how violence can be mastered." Whether it's violence and abuse perpetrated by humans on humans, or by humans on other animals, it doesn't appear like we, at least as a society, have mastered this often cyclical and devastating problem. But we are struck by how individuals can make such fundamental changes in their lives, and by doing so, serve as role models for many others. And as we've said before, one small decision by one person can make a bold statement-like when we choose to adopt a dog from the shelter rather than purchase from a chain pet store, we're breaking a cycle of abuse-decreasing demand for a "product" born of often violent and abusive practices.

Here's another link to an interview with the subject of the film, Buck Brannaman: www.huffingtonpost.com/zorianna-kit/star-of-buck-speaks-out-a_b_867260.html

We'd love to hear your thoughts on these articles and whether you've seen the movie. Is it on your "must-see" list?

101...Er, 16 Dalmatians!

Sixteen Dalmatian puppies, that is-all miraculously born from one mother named Milly and in one litter. The Elvin family, from Church Stretton, U.K., was told by Milly's mathematically challenged veterinarian to expect four pups, but mother nature had other plans. Ironically, Milly also was born into a 16 puppy litter, which makes this whole scenario extremely rare.

Photo and article courtesy of the Huffington Post

Mother and all 16 pups are reportedly doing well.
See the brief report along with some additional adorable photos of Milly and her pups right here: www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/14/dalmatian-puppies-litter-dogs_n_898452.html#s308778

Enjoy!

Canine Obsession: Do Dogs Rank Higher Than Children?

This hilarious article, written by Millie Kerr, a lawyer and freelance writer, was published on the Huffington Post just yesterday, and details her parent's reaction to an empty nest... that wasn't empty for long. Ms. Kerr, the youngest of four children, both shows us (through telling photos snapped at her parents home) and tells us, in the most endearing way possible, of her parents' shift from human to canine worship.

Take this memory for example: "My parents began to refer to their eldest dog as 'my girl.' Sometimes, when home for a long weekend, I would overhear one of my parents saying, 'I love you girl,' causing me to momentarily bask in their uncharacteristically spontaneous expression of love. This presumed affection vanished with the sound of a dog treat hitting the ground..."

Enjoy the full article here: www.huffingtonpost.com/millie-kerr/child-versus-dog-one-coup_b_870493.html

Just so you know, Parental Unit does not have a single picture of me up anywhere in our house...yet. She says she has enough of my smiling face on her computer desktop to last her for awhile.

Ridiculously Cute Cat Video

Now, you know that we only do this once in awhile, and when we do, it's something pretty special.
Although this short video has been viewed on You-Tube millions of times, we just saw it yesterday on the Huffington Post...and Parental Unit (and even I) cooed until we could coo no more.

But we love what someone wrote to introduce the video: "...Mother Cat squeezes baby kitten into a warm, nurturing fuzzy hug. Everyone in the world collectively looses their minds with joy."

Bonding With Pets Equals Human Health Benefits

From stress reduction to reduced blood pressure and pain relief, owning at least one pet (like 62% of the U.S. population) can have significant health benefits. We read this article published on the Huffington Post just this morning, with great interest. Written by Amy D. Shojai, an animal behavior consultant and author of 23 pet care books, these health benefits are explained with a level of detail we've not seen before. For example, did you know that "Having a pet is a stress buffer and the closer the bond, the greater the relief"?

Check out the full article here: www.huffingtonpost.com/amy-d-shojai-cabc/pets-lower-stress_b_867025.html. There's also lots of great links on this and related topics, both in the text of this article and below-enjoy!

Here's what I do for stress relief...