Animal Focus Network » Diana

service dogs for veterans legislation

Diana — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 18:19:52 +0000

Senator Al Franken, the new Senator from Minnesota, has put forth his legislative goals, dedicating the first one to dogs and war veterans.

He was inspired after meeting a golden retriever named Tuesday, who was assigned to assist Luis Montalvan, an intelligence officer wounded while in Iraq. According to Franken, Montalvan told him that if it were not for Tuesday, he would have never attended the presidential inauguration.

Having visited troops in Afganistan and Iraq, as well as wounded veterans at Walter Reed and Bethesda, Franken has seen first hand the effects war has had on these young people.

Franken noted that it costs upwards of $25,000 per dog to be trained and placed with a veteran. These are some of the benefits a service dog can provide:

   Alert when they detect a physical change such as an     increase in heartbeat or respiration.
   Provide companionship for vets experiencing emotional distress.
   Encourage people to approach a veteran, rather than avoiding the person in a wheelchair.

   To voice your opinion on Senator Franken’s goal to pass legislation to fund service dogs for veterans, contact him at info@franken.senate.gov or by phone at 202-224-5641.

Hiss and Tell: True stories from the files of a cat shrink

Diana — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:01:58 +0000

by Pam Johnson-Bennett

One of my favorite books. She has a whole series of cat psychology case study books. Delightful to read. Very educational.

Meet Mambo, the cat who attacks his owner, but only on Sundays, and Bonsai, the cat whose dislike for the new boyfriend becomes very embarrassing. What secret does Freddie know about his owner’s new wife? In this offbeat and illuminating book, feline behaviorist Pam Johnson-Bennett, takes you on the wildest house calls of her career. These stories-each of which unfolds like a mystery-will help owners better understand the ever fascinating cat psyche. Pam Johnson-Bennett sheds light on the communication breakdowns between cats and their humans.

Click here to buy it today at Amazon.com

(Animal Focus Network is an Amazon Affiliates member so we get a small commission for every book you purchase from our site. Thanks for your support.)

Check out more books on our site.

Children and Allergies

Diana — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:43:56 +0000

There is growing evidence that having pets around babies and children is actually good for them, strengthening their immune systems against allergies. (source: Lafayette Animal Aid) See WebMD.com for more info: http://my.webmd.com/content/article/75/89692.htm

Catnip Extract 10x better than DEET

Diana — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:43:15 +0000

Shown to repel flies and two species of roaches. Dr. Joel Coats, the US Dept. of Agriculture entomoligist who conducted the research, hailed catnip extract as an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional chemical repellants.

Pregnant Women NOT at risk from cats

Diana — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:42:30 +0000

There is no reason to re-home your cats when you get pregnant. By simply washing your hands or wearing gloves when handling litter contents – you minimize the risk 100%. Toxoplasmosis is completely preventable with basic hygiene. The probability of contracting the parasite though the handling of raw meat is actually greater than handling litter contents. (source: Lafayette Animal Aid) See the CDC website for more info: www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/toxoplasmosis/factsht_toxoplasmosis.htm

Over the counter Flea Treatments warning

Diana — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:42:09 +0000

The EPA has been working with the company for some time to address the 7,100 complaints they have received from 1998 to 2003 about the drug causing illness in pets. The chemical that is likely causing the problem is pyrethrin. It is used in most over-the-counter flea and tick products. Louisiana SPCA veterinarians say it can cause problems in dogs and is only effective for about a week. The chemical can be harmful to cats. Your veterinarian will likely prescribe a flea and tick product that contains fipronil or imidadoprid, which are considered much more effective. “We don’t encourage giving anything over the counter to your pets without asking your veterinarian about it first,” advises one of our veterinarians. Please remember that pet store employees are not veterinarians, and they aren’t trained to give you medical advice. Source: Laura Maloney tp article

Chocolate is toxic to pets

Diana — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:41:43 +0000

Contains theobromine and caffeine, which can cause rapid heart rate, vomiting, diarrhea, agitation, panting, excessive urination, tremors, confulsions and death. Baking chocolate is more concentrated than milk chocolate. Source: Animal Magazine.

Xylitol

Diana — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:41:08 +0000

Xylitol, an artificial sweetener found in sugarless chewing gums and mints and some household baking products is deadly to dogs and can kill them very quickly.

The Babies in the River

Diana — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:36:39 +0000

Once there were two men walking along a river. One of them saw something floating in the river. He realized that it was a baby! Without hesitation he jumped into the river to save the infant from drowning. When he jumped in he realized that there were at least ten more in his immediate area, all of them screaming and crying as they bobbed by.

Quite naturally he started screaming to the other man. “Help! Get in here and help me save them!” The other man, however, started walking upstream.

For every one that the first man saved, eight passed him. The first man screamed out “I can’t grab all of these babies alone! Where are you going?”

The second man called back, “I’m going upstream to stop the person who is throwing all of these babies in the river.”

Moral: Dealing with the source of the problem will have a greater impact, and have greater success in actually solving the problem.

Sense of a Goose

Diana — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:36:05 +0000

When you see geese flying along in “V” formation, you might consider what science has discovered as to why they fly that way:
As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following.
By flying in “V” formation, the whole flock adds at least 71 percent greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own.

People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going more quickly and easily because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.

When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone, and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front.

If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those people who are headed the same way we are.

When the head goose gets tired, it rotates back in the wing and another goose flies point.

It is sensible to take turns doing demanding jobs, whether with people or with geese flying south.

Geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.

What messages do we give when we honk from behind?

Finally … and this is important … when a goose gets sick or is wounded by gunshot, and falls out of formation, two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly or until it dies, and only then do they launch out on their own, or with another formation to catch up with their group.

If we have the sense of a goose, we will stand by each other like that.

–Author Unknown

Found at this URL: http://friedsocialworker.com/burnoutbusters.htm (If you know who wrote this, please contact us so that we can give credit.)