Since January, staff at Larch Corrections Center, a minimum-custody prison near Vancouver, have assigned two shelter cats to each live with a pair of inmates in the hope that the relationships will result in better behavior — in both the felons and the cats.

“We’re feline attendants,” jokes Contreras, 28, who is serving time for identity theft, forgery, fraud and possession of stolen property, as he proudly shows off the scratches and bite marks courtesy of Natalie. The cat’s terrible temper and fussiness led Contreras to add “Princess” to her name.

“She growls and swipes,” said Walter, 37, who is behind bars for assaulting a police officer.

“We don’t know what she’s in here for,” he jokes. “She won’t tell us.”

This is actually only one of many prison related animal programs. To read up on the others read the rest of the article located HERE.

For many a pet becomes as much a part of the family as other members and, for many, they are treated the same upon their passing. Which may explain the rise in funerals for pets.

In 2004, the first stand-alone pet funeral home opened in Indianapolis. Today, there are over 750 pet funeral homes, pet crematories and pet cemeteries across the country. And the trend is global. Luxury pet resting places are popping up in China. According to a recent press release from Alibaba.com, the UK market for pet “bespoke” coffins, caskets and urns soared 467 percent last year. Brits are apparently taking pet love “to the next level” with “increasing demand for funeral and remembrance products.”

The rituals of death are not limited to funerals and caskets. You can have your dead pet whisked from your house on a special “pet removal cart” designed to offer a dignified mode of transport for pet remains. Pet industry related “death-care items,” as such accoutrements are called, range from garden sculptures to musical memorials — including a special ringtone to remind you of your lost pet. Pet psychologists offer individual and group therapy for the bereaved.

It’s not bad to grieve and do the things we see fit to remember our deceased pets. Just make sure that your emotions don’t lead you to doing the wrong thing and beware of unscrupulous people who will take advantage of you in emotional times.

Source

The Pet University has some suggestions on how to achieve this task:

The majority of cats can happily coexist with a dog if they are given time to comfortably get to know each other. If a puppy and kitten are raised together, they generally will learn right away to tolerate each other, and some cats and dogs grow to be real friends, even playing and napping together. However, if a dog is already an established member of the household and a new cat or kitten is going to join the family, certain precautions need to be taken.

When you first introduce a cat and dog, make sure the cat is at the dog’s eye level. You should also keep a firm grip on both animals, which will make them feel more comfortable and provide them with a sense of security. If one of the animals seems either aggressive or frightened, immediately remove the cat and try again at a later time. You don’t want to force the situation by pushing them before they’re ready, as this will only make matters worse. If you take a few minutes several times a day to give the cat and dog this carefully supervised time together, you should soon see them feeling more relaxed around each other.

Proper introductions are way for a good start in building a good relationship between the canine and feline species. What’s important is for you as their owner to make it known to both of them that despite the presence of the new member, they are ensured that both will get the same love and attention as they were made to feel when they were still the sole pet. In that way, you can make your home a better place for both animals.

Do you have a story of dogs and cats cohabitating…share with your friends below.

Well, we all know that Japan is one of the most progressive countries, not only in Asia, but in the whole world as well. It’s only a very small country as compared to China or Russia, but it does not appear to be a country that should be neglected by other big-time countries. While it’s not new for us to hear gadgets and anime being a trend in this very progressive country but it seems to be that a new wave has arrived in Japan.

As the birthrate in Japan is slowly declining, pets, especially furry ones, namely cats and dogs, are gaining more popularity than children nowadays. Not that they are not considering to have children anymore. Since a declining birthrate indicates less people inside the homes of these people, they are now looking for new company and this would be in the form our beloved cats and dogs. If in other countries, these mutts are not being paid a lot of attention, you might get culture shock when you get to set foot in Japan. Who knows, you might meet talking dogs in the airport. Just kidding!

Going back to the topic, dogs and cats are getting pampered in Japan. As a matter of fact, the Japanese have spent a large sum of money procuring pet friendly products and services, from a car installed with the latest pet safety features to a very modern (maybe) dog or cat spa. Imagine that! However, they don’t seem to care how much money they’re spending on their pets, as long as they are able to provide them with the needed love and attention they so deserve.

We cannot simply base the importance of these pets on the amount of money these pet owners have spent, though it would be one factor to look at. However, this might be more of a shocker for you. If bills and laws regarding pet rights and welfare are taking a very long time to be considered or taken as an urgent matter in your country, it’s not the case in Japan. It so happens that the Japanese government has known of their furry friends gaining popularity amongst its citizens that it has decided to further improve their recent laws to ensure the proper care of their pets.

Last but not the least; the Japanese government has also decided to make a new way of monitoring animal behavior. This is not being done simply to have another documentary, but this is being done to somehow determine if the animals’ behavior correlates with the incidence of an earthquake. Not that they have a direct correlation though. As a matter of fact, they have stated that this is being done simply to monitor their behavior. They are basing this new monitoring system from a book written a month prior to the Hanshin Earthquake in 1995.

Well, these are just the gist of the basic things happening in Japan, especially in the animal world. If you are interested on the details, simply click the link located before the start of this article. A word of advice my dear readers: if you are planning to bring your furry pet to Japan, do not have second thoughts. Maybe your pet would get a celebrity status there. Of course, along with you as its owner.

That statement could be one in a million reasons why cats never reach the fame and fortune their canine counterparts are very much enjoying nowadays. Imagine, out of the thousands, or even millions, of pet lovers all

Why all the hatez?

around the globe, only a small fraction of the human population consider taking a feline species into their home sweet home. No matter what opinions people say regarding cats, there would always be a theme for them.

When comparing a cat and a dog, what do you see? Well, they’re nothing but two furballs ready to fight each other off if given the opportunity to do so. No matter who started the fight, people tend to side more with the dog rather than the cat. I do wonder why that’s the case. I remember my dad shooing out a very cute kitten who constantly meows outside our door. I guess she just needs a warm and cozy home to stay in for the night. But my dad just won’t let us, and so we have no choice but to make her go.

It’s quite an injustice to the cats, you know. They did not do anything, yet they are still considered as the antagonists of the tale. Well, here are some possible reasons why people hate cats so much.

1.Cats Dig In the Garden

It is known worldwide that cats are one of the cleanest animals simply because unlike the other animals, they simply do not leave their droppings unattended. They make sure that they are able to hide it properly. And how do you expect them to do this? Well, they need to dig. They just love the soft texture of the soil that it makes them just want to dig. However, with this trait that they possess, you could expect gardeners to ban them from their plots forever and ever. After all the hard work to beautify them, those cats would just smother and trample them like a piece of trash? Well, that’s their point of view, not mine.

2. Cats Poop In the Garden

In connection with the first reason, they love to poop in the garden because they can dig. This means that they can easily hide their droppings from their wary owners. However, as I’ve said earlier, this does not ring bells for their gardening lover owners. Even though it would one way of cleaning up their mess, they might still find themselves whisked out of the house. Not to mention the foul smelling mess that reaches our noses. Bloody hell!

3. Cats Spray

If one of the reasons why people hate cats is due to their poop, well how about their urinating habits? It’s considered one of their habits to mark a certain portion of your house as their territory with their ultra-powerful smelling urine. How’s that folks? Well, male cats most commonly do this, but imagine the smell and the mess this might cause. I bet anyone who had an encounter with this would sing “Enough is Enough”.

4. Cats Sit on Cars

Cats have a very uncanny habit of sitting on our furniture, whether they are leather coated or the cheaper cloth-coated ones. They seem to like the soft texture of the sofa so much. Not to mention their taste for putting holes on your beloved sofa. Now that’s a big problem. What’s worse is, after a day’s hike in the muddy lawn, they simply slip inside your brand new car, and Walla! What have you? Muddy paw prints on your car seat. What a great way to have your car interior designed.

5.Cats Multiply

Like the Bible says, “Go forth and multiply”, all the cats did was to follow what has been told to them. Hahaha…Just kiddin’! However, did you not notice how many cats are there compared to the dogs in your neighborhood? Not that these cats have owners to take care of them, but it seems that they just seem to multiply faster than dogs. How’s that? Well, we cannot do away with the call of nature then.

Well, here are just some of the reasons why people really hate cats. I know there are still more, but these are just some of the common stuff people say. Just don’t forget to keep your cool whenever you are encountering the feline species.

Let us know your feelings about cats and tell your friends so they can share theirs.

“A diabetic response dog lives with a person who has the diabetes complication hypoglycemic unawareness, in which potentially fatal episodes of extreme low blood sugar can occur suddenly and without the usual symptoms such as hunger, tremors and increased heart rate.”

Ever heard of pheromones? These biological chemicals were featured in the film “Snakes on the Plane” to raise terror on the passengers of a certain airline flight. Biologists say that these chemicals are used by certain animals for them to find their mating partner. However, medical experts have found another use for these chemicals. Pheromones are the key chemicals that make these so-called diabetic dogs respond well to fatal hypoglycemic attacks. Since there are diabetic people whose hypoglycemic episodes cannot be properly monitored due to the fact that their attacks are not manifested by the usual signs and symptoms, managing this kind of illness could indeed be a problem. Not to worry, though, as these dogs nowadays are being trained to prevent these attacks.

Being a diabetic dog or a simple guide dog could be very difficult for both the pet and the owner without the proper training, of course. Like a dog being trained in a K9 unit to become guard dogs or bomb-sniffing dogs, these diabetic dogs also have their own special training. Not only are they trained to watch out for signs of lowering blood sugar levels, they are also trained to become well-behaved dogs. Just like kids, dogs could also become distracted, and in a way, this could become a very big hindrance to prompt response when the situation calls for it. That is why these dogs undergo series of trainings and an assessment exam to see if they are already fit for the job.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Former police dog trainee Uni was not too keen on biting criminals, so he’s had a change of career.

Uni’s training will involve learning the correct response when presented with clothing worn by a diabetic during a hypoglycemic episode. But like a guide dog for a blind person, Uni will also have to learn to have near-perfect behaviour in public. “He has to be pretty much bomb-proof, ignore everything [that might distract him and focus totally on his handler.”You’re pretty much asking them not to be a dog, not to sniff anything.

Medical technology, indeed, is becoming very fast-paced these days. Imagine, animals are now being employed in the medical field to help out those persons whose conditions are not yet fully understood. Who knows, those very expensive devices would be replaced by living monitors? It might seem impossible, though, for animals to replace most, or all, of these devices. However, if we can employ their help, why not? Not only is it cost-effective; it also promotes a closer bond between animals and humans. So to say, the world would then become a better place.

Source

Here’s a story of how a dog owner is very much willing to risk everything just to make his pet’s candlelight continue glowing. If I were to simply rewrite this story, I guess I would not be able to do enough justice of this very heartwarming story. However, a quick preview of what you’re gonna find from this article would do.

Mainly, the linked story talks about the great love of a pet owner has for her beloved dog plagued with a lot of earthly difficulties. Imagine having a dog that has cancerous tumors, a heart murmur, a spreading dental infection, and worse of all, having only one eye? An ordinary person might not even have the heart to take a look at this dog, or even dare manage to hug and take care of it. However, there’s an exception to this. Let us find out how this dog owner would make the impossible possible for her dog.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy reading this story. Just clicks the link found at the top of this article, and let us see whether a bucketful of tears would be produced from your lacrimal glands. One friendly reminder: don’t forget to bring a box of tissues, in case your nose reacts the same way as your eyes. Let us hear her plea that even the hopeless could be given hope too!

The full story is HERE.

Share it with your friends!

First things first. You have to consider the animal you want to have as a pet, and match it somehow with your personality. That’s basically the first thing you have to do. If you don’t know your personality that well, problems with owning a pet might come out. Since you and your pet are at odd terms, then there’s a big probability that you will never come close to loving your pet. It’s as if you are just having the poor animal because you want to make an image that you’re good and loving. That, for me, is the worst case scenario. A good owner-pet combo comes from a deep understanding of oneself, thus, you tend to understand your pet’s feelings as well because you know yourself.

However, if you and your pet don’t have too many things in common, try getting to know your pet better. These things usually happen if you did not have the pet since he or she was a youngster, or when you have chosen your pet from an animal shelter. But, this is not a big thing to worry about. Just think of the process as having a new friend in school. First few days might be a bit awkward for both of you, but as you get to be with each other more often, you get to know each other better. Similarly, as you get to spend more time with your pet, you get to know him or her better. And that’s where the friendship and the companionship start. As such, having a pet for friendship and companionship is the most basic reason why you want to have a pet. It’s as if you and your pet have a world where only the two of you communicate and understand each other, creating an inseparable bond between the two of you.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Well, if you’re not the one looking for friendship in an animal, there might also be other reasons for that. For one, there are those physically challenged persons who want a pet to obtain assistance. As the saying goes, no man is an island. Sometimes, there are things that humans can barely do well compared to animals. For example, a blind man crosses the road with the dog at his side to alert him whenever cars pass by and to guide him as they cross the pedestrian lane. Since the blind man can’t see, he needs the dog’s sense of sight to guide him along the way. In a way, it’s a give-and-take relationship. The blind man gets to be guided by the dog, and in return, the dog gets to be fed everyday and taken care of as a payment of gratitude from its owner. It’s as simple as that.

Another reason might be for security purposes. It’s not a new for us to see dogs in airports, bus terminals, and shipping ports, sniffing at miles and miles of an endless line of baggage. Since they have a keener sense of smell than humans have, they can detect questionable things inside the baggage, even without the help of x-rays. That’s an ability which humans don’t have, not unless you’re well-trained for it. We feel safe just knowing that they are there to protect us. We feel safe just having them around.

These are just some of the reasons you might have for having a pet. Be it the first, second, or the third that I have mentioned, or even all three of them, the most important thing is you know how to take good care of your pet, and show how much you love your pet. In this manner, the love you showered would be reciprocated in ways we can never imagine our pet could do for us.

Do you have your own reasons for owning a pet? Let us know in the comments and share with your friends.

Ask that of Sydney, a Beagle Terrier mix, who had “adopted” a litter of abandoned kittens and she’d bark that it’s nonsense.

“When it comes to life, there is nothing written in stone,” Jhapel Santiago, one of Syndey’s owners, tells WWMT. “At the end of the day, nature’s going to do whatever nature does.”

Just like what he said, there’s nothing written in stone when it comes to life. So, we could say that dogs and cats could become friends, and who knows, BFFs. In the story cited by the website this article is linked to, a Beagle terrier mix has taken over the responsibility of taking care of a litter of kittens her owner has taken home from a construction site.

The abandoned kittens were found in a construction site and Heather Rector, Sydney’s owner, has decided to take them home until she could find a new home for them. However, she did not expect that her dog named Sydney would lend her a helping hand. What’s more surprising, according to her owner, was that Sydney’s done way over what was expected of her. Sydney took care of the kittens as her own, watching them 24/7, and even nursing them! Imagine that! That’s just one proof that indeed, what seems to be the impossible can become a reality. Just don’t be too skeptical, and it would happen in its own course.

For those who have been inspired by this story, why not try having a cat and a dog in your own home? Who knows, they might just turn out to be the best of friends as contrary to popular belief? Just make sure that you smother both of them with your love and give them enough time to get to know each other, be attuned to one’s wants and needs, and the results might even be far from what you’ve expected.

Have you heard of something of this nature happening? Please share it below and tell your friends.

Most people would think that once a dog is able to master acting on its owner’s commands, everything will go well in every situation that the dog is in. However, it has been shown that this is not the case. Dogs are able to act on cue only in one situation, and once you expose it to another environment with a different situation, they only get confused, or shall I say, distracted. That’s the reason why your dog is not able to follow you just like the way it did when you were still in training.

Dog trainer and authour Laurie Williams states on InsideNova:

“Sure, while a dog may have learned a certain behavior, the fact remains that dogs do not generalize very well. When they learn a behavior attached to a cue (command), they first learn it in the exact situation in which it was applied. That means, in that environment, with that specific cue, with that specific hand signal, tone of voice, etc. That is one of the key reasons dogs perform so well in the places they’ve been trained and worked with and not so well when they are in unfamiliar territory. They are not deliberately disobeying you. They honestly do not understand the cue in that situation or environment.”

So, if the dog cannot easily adapt to a change in environment, how then can we help your pet improve his obedience skills. Not to worry, as there is a way on how to overcome this slightly small problem. Since your dog can’t distinguish or determine whether he will act the same with the prompt done in an entirely different environment, simply expose him to different environments and situations. In this way, your dog will get the chance to generalize and become more confident as he is able to make the right choices.

Laurie also says:

“A new approach to dog training are “real life classes” geared to applying all the skills your dog has learned to real life situations, away from the training facility and in the presence of every day distractions. Classes like this will not only help with generalization and build your dog’s confidence as he learns to make the right choices, but will improve his socialization and familiarization with a multitude of people, places and things as well. Additionally, classes like this are fun! You get to spend time with and show off your dog to the world.”

Just be patient in training your dog. Who knows? Maybe a day or two after you have enrolled your dog in one of these classes; you will see a marked improvement in his behavior. You might be able to finally show off your dog’s skills and get an “A” not for effort, but for the preciseness of the newly discovered skill.