Posts Tagged ‘Pets’

Meet Byron.

On first appearance he looks like your typical golden Labrador. But an article earlier this week from the Daily Mail introduced readers to what really is a seven-year-old Super Dog.

Byron’s owner, Kate Cross, suffers from Ehlers Danlos syndrome, an inherited disorder that affects her joints, skin and blood vessels. As the article explains, her joints are so weak that she could dislocate a shoulder just from opening a door.

About five or six years ago, Kate’s emotional state began to suffer. She’d been forced to take early retirement from her job as a schoolteacher and had basically sought refuge in the safety of her home. As she says in the Daily Mail:

'When I first got Byron, I hadn’t left the house by myself for almost 18 months. I felt useless, and I hated going outside – people stared and didn’t know how to speak to me.

"Once, I was in my wheelchair going through the park, when a gang of teenage boys playing football decided to use my chair for target practice. I was so upset, I couldn’t imagine going out again. I became afraid of the world."

Then she heard about Canine Partners, a charity that matches assistance dogs with people who need help. Now, thanks to Byron, Kate not only has an easier time with her day-to-day activities but also feels free again. “Byron hasn’t just changed my life; he’s given me my life back,” she says.

Byron knows more than 100 different commands and is able – among other things – to:

• open and close doors
• load and unload the washing machine
• make the bed
• take money out of the ATM (Kate just has to key in her pass code)
• help with the groceries by fetching items from the lower shelves, loading the conveyor belt and handing Kate’s purse to the cashier

A best friend, indeed.

Over to you: how much of a rock star is Byron?

Here’s a question to ponder: If you’re an airline, how do you simultaneously accommodate passengers who wish to fly with their cats while also ensuring that people who are allergic to the animal don’t suffer?

Oh, just cancel my flight. No way the plane has this much leg room (image via Wikipedia).

It’s a question Air Canada, Jazz and WestJet have been mulling over since late last year. In December, the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) ruled that the airlines had to modify their policy on allowing cats in aircraft cabins. (The policy counted a cat in his crate as one piece of carry-on baggage.)

The decision came about after three passengers who suffer from severe cat allergies issued a complaint. The CTA ruled that the airlines must do one of two things:

• ban cats from being on the same flights as passengers with severe cat allergies (“severe” in this case meaning respiratory problems, not just sneezing and a running nose); OR
• upgrade all of their planes’ air filters AND ensure a five-row buffer zone between travelling cats and passengers with allergies.

And the solution doesn’t appear to be as simple as people just leaving the family feline behind while the rest of the gang flies to Maui for a sunny holiday. For some people cats act as “emotional support animals” – basically, they’re not only a pet, but also a service animal. As such, the animal is permitted on the flight as long as the passenger can provide a note from a certified mental-health professional.

Having had time to consider their options, Air Canada finds its hands tied. As reported in The Calgary Herald:

“Air Canada says that with the exception of its Dash-8 fleet, it is ‘prepared to implement the accommodation suggested by the agency’ – namely, to upgrade the air quality and to create a cat-free buffer zone of five rows between a person with a disability as a result of their cat allergy and cats carried as pets in the cabin.

With its Dash-8 fleet, Air Canada said cats who are deemed as pets would not be carried when there is a passenger ‘with a demonstrated allergy to cats that amounts to a disability.’

But a ban on a cat classified as an emotional support animal on Dash-8 flights could put the airline ‘in breach of other legislative requirements.’”

So, indeed, what’s an airline to do? Let Fluffy fly, but be prepared to revoke his boarding pass for some Dash-8 flights (and if he does fly risk the possible – but probably unlikely – scenario of the cat breaking free from his crate and commandeering the cockpit). Or keep Fluffy grounded and risk breaking the law.

Do you travel with your pet? And what do you think of this situation: Should the rights of the passenger with allergies come before the rights of the passenger who requires the presence of their pet to travel in comfort?

If you find yourself missing Morris during the day or wondering what Whiskers is doing to pass his time…then, maybe?

Let me tell you about the Kitty Twitty Cat Toy, a step-by-step DIY project from Make magazine.

The Kitty Twitty (photo courtesy of Make magazine)

It's the brainchild of Mark de Vinck, the magazine's director of product development. After being asked by his wife one too many times for a report on their new cat, Chester, Mark designed a device that would let the cat update her himself.

Anytime Chester swats a bird tantalizingly suspended from a wooden box, a switch inside the box posts an update to Twitter that Chester is playing with his new toy.

It's certainly one way to know that your pet cat isn't sleeping his entire day away. And as resourceful as cats are, typing their own tweets may be stretching it. (Well, expect maybe for this cat.)

If knowing every time your cat plays isn't your ball of yarn (sorry!), you could instead connect the device to his food bowl to make sure he's eating his lunch (and no doubt, his multiple snacks).

Next on the agenda for world social media domination: Skype (image via Wikipedia)

What do you think? Is this a cute way to stay connected to your cat during the day? Or is it just a little too much information? And if you decide to make this, let me know how it turns out (pictures welcome!).

Thanks to everyone who entered our giveaway for the pet gift basket.

I loved reading all the stories of how your pets became a part of your lives.

Image via Wikipedia

As for the winner of the Iams basket, I'm going to let the Random Integer Generator decide that one.

And our winner is:

Congratulations, Penny! I'll be in touch with more details.

Thanks again to everyone who entered.

Since 1999 the Iams Home 4 the Holidays campaign has helped
5.8 million orphaned animals in 21 countries.

The goal this year has been to help 1.5 million homeless animals find homes from October 11, 2011, through January 3, 2012.

If you've been thinking of adding a four-legged member to your family, check out Facebook.com/Iams to search for adoptable animals near you. (In Canada, there are as many as 250,000 orphaned animals.)

Even if you already have a litter – or are unable to adopt a pet – you can still help our furry friends out by donating a bowl of food to an animal shelter; find out how here.

Iams is how happy to offer a gift basket (value: $100) to one pet-loving reader. In it, you'll find:

• Full-value Iams pet food coupons
• Pet bed
• Pet picture frame
• Pet treat holder
• Disposable poop bags and holder
• Food dish
• Cat litter scoop
• Pet stocking

For your chance to win this pet gift basket, please leave a comment on this post by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, January 3, 2012, telling me how your pet became a part of your family. One comment per person, please; this contest is open to residents of Canada only. Not open to any TC Media employees or the people they live with. I'll randonly select and announce the winner on Wednesday, January 4, 2012.

Now this is one happy puppy!

If his vertical matched his excitement level of seeing Baby, he could propel himself right through the ceiling. Instead, what we get is an irresistible game of peekaboo between canine and kid.

Does your pet get this excited around your kids?

Now this is taking improvising to the (life-saving) extreme.

When Kim Carlson returned to her home in Wausau, Wis., earlier this month she was met with the sight smoke and the sound of fire trucks. The distress of seeing her home on fire was made worse by the realization that her 7-year-old yellow Labrador, Koda, was still inside.

Carlson told NBC’s “Today Show”:

“My first reaction was to go upstairs and check upstairs, but it was just entirely too smoky. It was so black you couldn’t see anything in front of you.…I wanted to cover myself in water and cover my face and mouth and go up and get him myself, knowing that’s not the right thing to do.”

Instead, firefighters searched the home, finding the pooch huddled under a rocking chair in a second-floor bedroom. They carried him to safety on the front lawn.

Koda, having inhaled a considerable amount of smoke, was struggling to breathe, but responsive. That’s when firefighter Jamie Giese stepped up.

He told the “Today Show”:

“I have never been trained in [mouth-to mouth resuscitation on an animal]. I’ve seen it on TV and pictures in the newspapers and things like that. We could tell [the dog] was trying to breathe, and our training for humans in airway, breathing and circulation. We had no tools handy, so it was mouth-to-snout.”

After receiving CPR, Koda was given an oxygen mask, then taken to a veterinary hospital.

He's now back at home and doing fine. Carlson told ABC News:

“He’s perfect, he’s absolutely wonderful. He’s got a little bit of cough, and we’re assuming it’s phlegm from the smoke, but he did real good.”

A few days later Giese and the Wausau fire department were awarded the Compassionate Fire Department Award from animal rights group PETA. As well as receiving a letter of appreciation and certificate, the department was also given a supply of oxygen masks specifically designed for animals.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how much does that firefighter rock? Do you think firefighters should be trained in animal CPR?

As I previously confessed, I’m easily distracted by pet videos, usually of the warm and fuzzy – and sometimes slightly absurd – variety. But when I came across this one on my Facebook feed a couple of days ago, it left me shaking my head in amazed awe.

We’re used to hearing about pets coming to the aid of humans, and there’s even a Hall of Fame to honour these heroes. But how often do you hear about an animal rescuing another animal?

I hope you’re as inspired by this heroic dog as I am.

Have your heard other stories of an animal coming to the aid of another?

Did you know that birds make great pets?

Most are as social as dogs (without the shedding) and can be as mischievous as cats (without as much attitude), and they pretty much groom themselves; all you really have to do is provide a birdbath for their cage and trim their nails occasionally.

And birds make great first pets for kids, not the least because they set a good example come dinnertime: they LOVE to eat their veggies.

Here are three birds that would love to make your home their home.

BUDGIES
More formerly known as budgerigars, they are also called parakeets. They are flock birds, and therefore incredibly social creatures that do best when they live with a friend.

Budgies love their hanging toys (image via Wikipedia).

Lifespan: 7 to 20 years
Cost: $10 to $20 for one budgie
His accommodations: A long rectangular cage (from $60) is ideal, complete with various perches (from $2). Caution: Steer clear of wooden cages, as a budgie is likely to chew his way through it.
His meal plan: He'll dine on a mix of budgie seed mix (available at grocery stores and pet food stores; from $3), as well as whole grains, greens, fruit and legumes.
His entertainment: His cage should be tricked out with hanging toys and mirrors (from $2 each) and spinning bells (from $6), which will stimulate his senses. A budgies is a social butterfly and will need time out of his cage to mingle with people.
Yes, but can he talk? With some repetition and patience, you can teach your budgie some words and phrases.

COCKATIELS
Don't let their quiet nature fool you: cockatiels love human attention. They will also let you rest in peace: they need at least 10 hours of sleep a night.

A cockatiel enjoys a variety of food (image by Mark Goodall via Flickr).

Lifespan: 15 to 20 years
Cost: $20 to $100 for one cockatiel
His accommodations: His cage (from $40) should be at least twice his wingspan so he has plenty of room to fly around and get his daily workout in. Set his home in a high-traffic area so there's a constant buzz of human companionship for him to engage with.
His meal plan: He'll enjoy a feast of seeds and pellets (from $4) for starters, cuttlebone to supplement his calcium intake (from $3), as well as fresh fruit and veggies. Unsweetened cereal and unsalted nuts make good treats for him as well.
His entertainment: Like budgies, cockatiels love their toys. Hanging toys and mirrors (from $2 each) will amuse them, as will simple household items such as toilet paper rolls and clothespins.
Yes, but can he talk? Talk, no, but he can be trained to mimic whistles, voices and noises.

FINCHES
Finches are a more timid bird and may actually prefer the company of another finch to a human.

A finch is a bit more timid than other pet birds (image via Wikipedia).

Lifespan: 5 to 9 years
Cost: $10 to $40 for a pair of finches
His accommodations: His cage (from $50) should be long and wide so he has ample room to fly around. Like for all birds, there should be plenty of perches (from $2) in the cage for him to fly on to (and maybe even give him a change of scenery).
His meal plan: A finch has an incredibly active metabolism and will consume 30 per cent of his body weight each day. Seeds (from $7) are a good start, but for a complete diet he'll also need fruit and veggies, as well as a protein source such as boiled eggs and crushed eggshells (you can also buy egg granules for about $8 at a pet food store).
His entertainment: Unlike budgies and cockatiels, finches aren't so easily amused by toys. You can try hanging one or two, but making sure he has plenty of places to perch in his cage is just as likely to make him happy.
Yes, but can he talk? Better – he can sing!

Do you have a pet bird? If not, would you like to have one?

Yep, I'm a cat person.

I must stop and play with every cat I meet on the street. I will happily listen to any and all stories about your pet kitten's latest escapades. And I recently became a cat guardian through the Humane Society of Canada.

I think it's safe to say most of us know if we prefer cats or dogs, but this nifty infographic is still a fun read. Nowhere on there, though, is there a comparison of who's more likely to waste away an hour or two watching animal videos. (As animal lovers one and all, I say call it a draw.)

Here are three videos that never fail to brighten my mood, starting with one from animator Simon Tofield. I dare you not to laugh as Simon's Cat declares war on a smug tweety bird.

The bird in this next one is like a pesky little brother. Really, by the 1:10 mark, he had it coming.

I was once told that if you wanted to get a cat off of your property (say, to shoo it away from your garden) the best thing to do was to toss or spray some water in his direction. I'm thinking some of the cats in this video would just interpret that as an invitation to stay longer.

Is there a cat video (or any pet video really) that can always make you laugh? And are you a cat person or a dog person? (Or, maybe a hamster person?)