Anything For Animals

This weekend saw the annual garden bird count get underway - and I had great fun!

I chose to help with 3 counts, as I love watching the birds - and I like to practice my identification skills!  I did my garden, which is a large lawn an orchard next to a wildlife reserve in a small village, my niece’s garden which is a huge lawned garden in suburbia, and finally my friends tiny town garden that she uses to grow vegetables in.

And surprisingly, she got the most species visiting her garden!

I couldn’t believe the numbers and the types of birds she got hopping around her garden and surrounding hedges - and I only watched out the window for and hour!  She had wrens, pied wagtails, song thrushes, starlings and house sparrows, along with blackbirds, robins, crows, collared doves, wood pigeons, magpies, blue tits and seagulls!

My countryside garden did get a great spotted woodpecker, but everything else was the expected species.  Bit unfortunate really as we have seen redwings, bullfinches, partridges, long-tailed tits and even red kites in the garden over the past few weeks - yet for the survey, they all stayed away!

My nieces garden got some standard fare, but nothing that wasn’t seen in the other 2 gardens.  However, the added bonus of doing this garden was that I was able to teach her some of the names of the species we saw!  She was very interested in the count for the whole hour, and came away knowing blackbirds, magpies and wood pigeons (and that caterpillars turn into butterflies!).  Not bad for a 3 year old!

What Else Can You Do?

This survey is only done in January every year, but there are other surveys and birds counts you can get involved in throughout the year in the UK with the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) and the BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) by just learning to identify the most common species native to this country.

There are no doubt surveys across other countries by their national bird-loving charities and organisations, and by joining them (usually for a few £’s or $’s a month) you may well get some books or booklets on local birds and how to identify native and migrating species.

This way - even if you don’t stand outside and count birds every year, you are helping others to do just that.  You will be funding research into common and endangered species in your country and around the world.

Now that can’t be a bad thing!

You would think this shouldn’t need to be written - but there is evidence to suggest it does!

There are plenty of dog owners out there who think that letting a dog run loose in a woodland is acceptable as well as those who think that they only need to pick up their dogs poop if it is on the pavement!

Think about the effects of your actions not about that 10 seconds in your life and the whole community could benefit.

It’s only 2 simple things - do you think you can do it?

1) Keep Your Dog Under Control!
Keeping your dog within earshot of your shouting isn’t having your dog under control! 

Having your dog under control involves not only being able to see your dog - but also being virtually 100% sure that if you call your dog to you they will come without fail!

I recently went into a woods to find a large dog chasing a roe deer - with not an owner in sight and after it got bored of that it came and found us again and followed us (dangerously) to the car park.  Still no owner in sight - or in ear shot!  They weren’t even trying to get their dog to come back!

It could have killed the deer, been stolen, been injured somewhere - or been run over right outside the car park.  Totally irresponsible!

2) Pick Up Their Poop!
There are very very very few instances where it is acceptable to leave a dog poop on the floor!  And percentage wise in respect of all the dog poos done in a day it would be about 1%.

If your dog poops anywhere that another person might walk - then you need to pick it up.  It doesn’t matter whether you are on a footpath in the middle of nowhere - it’s a footpath and other people have a right to use it and a right to have a poop free walk!

There’s no excuse that you didn’t see your dog do it, it was in the woods, you didn’t have a bag, it was a bit squidgy or whatever.  You need to be watching your dog when out on a walk and you need to be prepared.

Maybe stay around the carpark or poo bin for the first 15 minutes of your walk - as this is when your dog is most likely to ‘go’ and then you will see it and are right next to the poo bin or your car to leave the poo there and head out for your great walk.

I don’t know why some people think that it is the landowners responsibility to clear away the mess - because it isn’t.  And why should it be!

You wouldn’t leave a filled nappy on someones land or in your local park - so why would you do it with a dog poo?  Carnivore stools are not as welcome in the natural world as those of cows, horses and sheep.  Dogs poo isn’t plant fibre so decomposes in a different way - and can spread diseases to other animals and sometimes to people.

Train & Scoop - it’s easy!

Finally, the snow has all gone and the temperature is rising!

Outside of my window this morning there were 2 roe deer trekking across my garden, and out the side by the bird feeders, I saw a nice collection all feeding at the same time: 2 blue tits, 2 great tits, 2 robins, a blackbird and 4 pheasants!

It’s great to see everything still fighting their way into spring, and I am now living in a perfect rural location to witness the changes from winter.

I have already registered myself with many charities and wildlife surveys to make the most of my time here and to help with the monitoring of our native mammals, birds, insects, reptiles, amphibians and plants!

And of course, it will give me the opportunity to learn a bit more about the world I live in! 

Identifying the calls of birds and the sounds of mammals will really improve my enjoyment of the natural world - and could even help on my CV when I apply for future employment, volunteer opportunities or further education!

Great New Years Resolution don’t you think!

So, you have all the essentials worked out for your new little kittens - but there are still several things that are virtually essential although they don’t contribute to just keeping your kitten healthy - they keep them happy and safe.

Toys - Yes, you can drag old shoelaces along the floor, or you can roll a screwed up piece of paper across the floor - but nothing beats a few specially designed kitten toys to entertain your ball of fluff.

Catnip filled toys are almost an easy answer - as the kitten will just play by itself for hours with these, same goes for a ping pong ball that bounces of everything and gets moved by the wind or passing feet!

Gloves with toys dangling on the fingers makes for a toy to use while you are watching TV and a fishing-rod type toy is perfect for those folks who want to play but can’t bend all the way to the floor!

Scratching Post - Not everyone thinks that these are worth getting - but I always say that a kitten needs to grab with it’s claws and if you don’t supply it with something to use - then it will find something else: your couch, table leg, bed post, staircase, etc - they will use them all.

You don’t need to get a 4 storey one with a bed and rope ladder, but at least get a simple post of around .5 of a meter so that they can stretch right up. And it’s tall enough to wedge infront of whatever it is that they were scratching instead as a diversion!

Collar & Tag - Some people don’t want their kitten (or cat) to wear a collar everyday.

There are stories of them getting snagged or caught (which they do) and there are pussy cats that shed their collars almost every week (which there are), and you can identify your kittens with micro-chips anyway (which you can) - so why make your kitten wear one?

There are so many cats in built up areas these days that it is almost certain that you will come home one day to find someone else cat in your house eating your food of spraying up your counters! And the only way to stop this is to either close all your doors and windows and board-up the cat flap - or get a magnetic cat flap.

Which means your cat needs to wear a collar to put the magnet on.

Therefore, if you have got your kitten used to wearing a collar when it is younger, it won’t mind wearing one when it is older - saving you the effort of training your grumpy older cat to stop pulling his off with the expensive magnet on it!!!

Some people also like their cat to wear a bell on it’s collar to prevent them catching birds and bringing frogs home (which they will)! You’ll find them in your house!

Cat Carrier - You can make do with a large cardboard box when you first collect your kittens, but it is in no way suitable for continued use. For a start you can’t wash it!

Ideally, once you have found your kittens for sale and have agreed a collection date, you should head out to a pet store and buy a plastic cat carrier.

Ideally avoid the wire-cage style as if can be very worrying for your kitten to be so exposed - particularly at the vets where they are on the floor surrounded by legs, people, telephones and (worst of all) loads of dogs!

The more suitable plastic ones have closed in but vented sides and just the one open end for entry. The whole top unclips so they are ideal for storage as well, and with the door detached, they can be used for a cosy kitten bed allowing your felines to get used to using it rather than having an almighty struggle when you need to go to the vets!

Kitten Food - Although this is essential for your kitten - and it will be discussed in detail in a later article - you should really continue to feed you lovely kittens on the food that they are already eating. For at least 4-6 weeks really.

That way they won’t get an upset tummy when they move to your house. They will already be a bit nervous of leaving their mom and starting out in a new home - so the last thing they need is to be fed a totally different food as well.

You should decide what premium kitten food you want to move your kittens over to and have that already in stock after collecting your kittens. Make sure that you have read up all about weaning them over onto it so it all goes smoothly.

Using the list from the introduction, here is a summary of what you need and why you need it. They are covered in 2 groups: Absolute Essentials and Useful Additions.

Absolute Essentials: Your kittens cannot do without the following items (even if they are second-hand). And there are a few tips for each to make sure everything runs smoothly for your new addition!

Water Bowls - It is essential that your kittens have at least one water bowl with clean fresh water in it at all times. Many felines prefer bathroom water or rain water to kitchen tap water as it contains less chemicals - so maybe try different options to see what the cuties prefer.

Also a combined food and water dish is not the best option as the food can fall into the water while eating and then the kittens won’t drink it. And all the while you are washing the food dish - which with wet food can be several times a day - there is no water bowl anyway!

Food Bowls - Each kitten should have their own food bowl - and it only needs to be a small one. Avoid buying dual feeding dishes as many felines prefer not to eat face to face with another feline - it’s like us eating off the same plate as our sisters!

Dishes that are too deep are no god either as they can affect the amount and frequency your kitten eats - imagine having to scoop your dinner out the bottom of a big barrel at meal times! And kittens need to eat a lot of food spread over the day, so it is essential to get the bowls right otherwise they won’t gain weight at the correct rate.

Bed or Blanket - Many kittens won’t always sleep in a bed just because you brought it for them. They like to sleep in a high location out of the way - and preferably somewhere warm and cosy.

So if you decide that you want the cat to sleep in the hallway on the floor and stick a bed there - if it’s too busy, too cold, too low or too near the dog (!) - the cat probably won’t use it. It will just sleep wherever it wants to. And this is where the blankets come in.

You can lay a blanket over the back of the couch, on a window ledge, book shelf, airing cupboard or your bed and it keeps off the hairs!

Litter Tray - As the little kittens will be too tiny to go outside for the first few weeks (and it isn’t advised until after their vaccinations anyway) - they will need a place to go to the toilet in your house somewhere.

It needs to be in a quiet location ideally and away from their normal eating place.

Depending on your needs there are many different shapes and sizes of litter tray available, some are small trays, others and protected tray and others are fully hooded contraptions (which might frighten smaller kittens). It all depends on how clean and scent-free you need the tray to be.

There are different types of cat litter available as well, but your kittens will soon tell you whether they like it or not! It’s best to start with a wood-based or paper-based litter for ease and for absorption, but some older cats prefer the heavier clay variety - so it depends if they have to share!

Even if they intend to be an outdoor cat it’s always good to have trained them to use a litter tray when they are young incase they are ever house-bound due to illness or house-moving and need to stay indoors. Some older cats just won’t be trained!

Other additional accessories for litter trays can include filters, odor eaters, fresheners and litter bags as well as scoops and exit mats! All designed for human comfort. They mean that not only do the owners not have to smell a fresh stool - but they can put the litter tray in places where it otherwise wouldn’t be suitable.

For example, the hooded litter tray with odor eaters and litter bags could be left in the kitchen as an alternative to an open shallow tray with a fresh doodle sitting in it! And when ready to change, just lift the bag out and throw away - no spillage anywhere.

Also, the exit mats and high sided litter tray would mean that litter wasn’t tracked or kicked all over the carpet after each visit!

See you next week to complete your Perfect Kitten Essential Kitten Kit!

So, you have decided to get yourself one or two cute kittens at last!

Great choice - so now you need to start getting everything ready for the big day when you collect your little kittens and bring them home.

Whether it’s a flame point Himalayan kitten you want or just a ginger tabby, they all need the same basic care when they are young - and their first 12 months could influence the rest of their lives - and yours!!

Planning:
There is nothing worse than getting the kittens first and then having to rush around buying whatever you think you need there and then.

Not only will the kittens become stressed at your rushing around with them, or at being left at home alone while you drive around the stores - but you may end up buying the wrong things simply because they are the only things you can find in time!

Not a very good start to your lives together.

So it makes sense to plan ahead and get the essentials ready in advance. And here’s the basic list for starters:

Water Bowls
Food Bowls
Bed or Blanket
Litter Tray & Cat Litter
Scratching Post
Selection of Toys
Safe Cat Carrier
Collar & Tag
Kitten Food

Obviously there are many things to consider with all of these items depending on your requirements, the number of other pets and children in the house and the requirements and choices of your kitten over the first few months.

And this series in the Perfect Kitten Guide starts with Part 1 of your Essential Starter Kitten Kit starting next week.

Don’t neglect your dogs teeth.

They need to be looked after just as much as a humans - especially if you are feeding moist foods - or you have a breed prone to dental problems like sight hounds or toy dogs.

Dental problem can cost a lot of money at the vets - and can be really painful for your pet. And it is all virtually avoidable. Don’t wait until your dog gets into trouble - and never assume your dog is too old to make a difference!

What Is The Problem?
Most dog food and treats contain sugar - need I explain!

I can virtually guarantee that if you are feeding a moist or dry commercial pet food - one that is available in your local food store - it contains sugar (or sometimes listed in the ingredients as caramel, glucose).

These sticky, moist food might taste nice with all it’s additives, but it will stick to the teeth and do damage.

As it is wet - it also has no abrasive action so there is no general scraping of the teeth during eating. Some people sometimes add biscuits to the wet food - but this can only do so much!

What’s The Solution?
Well, dry food can help to increase the abrasion of teeth while eating and therefore keep your dogs teeth free of dental build-up - however, do make sure that your dry food doesn’t contain colors or sugars - other wise you may as well be cleaning their teeth with icing!

Dogs teeth are natually strong and they can eat most whole animals products (like actual animal flesh, jerky and bones) without too much trouble - but as with humans, if you add sugars or highly-processed foods to your diet - you are asking for dental decay!

Therefore you have one of 2 solutions that are very easy to add to your pets routine:

1) Feed your dog anything you want to but clean it’s teeth regularly with pet-friendly toothpaste, or;
2) Feed your dog premium dry foods (that don’t contain sugars) and only feed healthy treats and let the teeth keep themselves clean.

There are, of course, breeds of dog like Yorkshire Terriers and many sight hounds that are genetically prone to ‘bad teeth’, so these dogs may need extra attention which ever method you choose.

A Black & Tan Long-Haired Large Dog that tops the polls!

German Shepherd Dogs are one of the most-registered breeds of dog across the US and Europe due to their loyalty, intelligence and ease of training - as well as their unique appearance.

And for this exact same reason - they are a favourite breed for the armed forces and security trades to use for protection and defence.

The History Of The Breed:
Quite a recent herding breed, the German Shepherd (or GSD) grew in popularity in Germany and throughout Europe around the turn of the 20th century.

Although sometimes called the German Shepard, Berger Allemand, Deutscher Schaferhund or Alsatian - they are one and the same breed and the history of the latter no longer applies so is not a preferred term of breeders and show people alike!

Hekto Linksrhein was a working dog that was found at a show by a dog enthusiast looking for the perfect working dog.  This man was Max von Stephanitz, and he went on to intensively breed from this dogs progeny and started the genetic base for the German Shepherd we know today - and all today’s Shepherds can draw a genetic link to his puppies!

The prefix of ‘German’ has hampered the breed in the past due to the 2 World Wars, however, this goes to show the popularity of the breed has remained.  By registrations is is the 3rd most popular breed in the US at the moment, 3rd in Canada, 4th in the UK and 2nd in Australia - beating the Australian Shepherd on home turf!

Problems With The Breed:
Unfortunately, the breed was originally designed to be a working dog - as were many herding dogs we have as pets today.

This leads to a whole host of problems, as looks and temperament start to dominate breeding rather than health and internal structure.  Breed judges might say that they need to have a longer nose or a more sloping back - purely for human satisfaction - rather than for the benefit of the dog!

As a result of all the human demands - German Shepherds now suffer from a huge list of genetic problems - in reality these sometimes painful and life-shortening traits are being bred into the puppies so that the adults can ‘win’ in shows.

Hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, chronic digestive conditions, liver shunt, monorchidism and many more common ailments are well known across the breed - but afflicted animals are still bred from - as these problems are not always visible in young dogs - so can still be entered into shows!

Problems With The Owners:
There are tests available for the discerning buyer who wants a healthy - disease free pet - but many buyers just buy their dogs because they are a German Shepherd rather than a healthy German Shepherd. 

Unfortunately, it is more common for the latter of the 2 buyers to not neuter their pets therefore passing on these ‘bad genes’ to the next generation of casual buyers.

If people stopped buying German Shepherd puppies that had these illnesses (or no proof that their parents didn’t have these illnesses), then breeders would have to stop breeding them - and focus on healthier individuals to make a living.  It’s like selling faulty household goods or furniture.

Why buy a dog for several hundred dollars that is going to be in pain, get ill or have to have an operation and cost you hundreds more in vets bills - when you could buy the exact same dog and have it live it’s whole life healthy and pain-free?

Do your research before you buy - and have yourself a happy German Shepherd for the next 10 years…..

Do you want your cute puppy to be the star of the show?

Now you have the chance! You could have your little pooch seen around the world in National Geographic’s photographic competition in just a few seconds. Just upload your best shots and see your pet on the Internet!

It really is that simple.

What Do I Do?
Well, all you need to do is register with National Geographic with their easy form and get up-loading. It really couldn’t be any simpler!

It’s easy to have a look at the current gallery of snaps to see what everyone else is adding - some are soo cute! - and maybe it can inspire you to take more shots yourself!  But if you can see their pictures - then everyone will be able to see yours!

International dog-loving viewers could be downloading a picture of your retriever swimming in a lake for their home laptop or a shot of your chihuahua sleeping on the couch for their computers wallpaper.

Your poodle sitting in a flower pot or your Great Dane squashing your uncle in the car could be turned into a puzzle that thousands of people can play each day!

There is every chance that your dog shots could inspire people to either take up photography or get themselves a life-long companion! Or just make them laugh.

So, Do You Want to be a part of it?

Then get snapping - and get snappy! The sooner you register, the sooner the world can get to meet your dog!

Many people have trouble taking their dog in a car - and it’s usually distressing to watch or dangerous for the driver!

Basically, if a dog is in any way stressed by a journey (the rocking of the car) or by the reason for the journey (you only go in the car to the vets!) then it can show all sorts of signs - the most obvious is being sick.

Symptoms Of A Travel Sick Dog:
It isn’t just about being sick though, as there are many other signs that your dog is unhappy or upset by the journey. These include:

Anxiety- Your dog will no doubt actually look worries by the whole occasion.  It may well have refused or been reluctant to get in the car in the first place.  And even once inside the car, it still seems to be a bit ‘on edge’ and not quite relaxed.

Restlessness - Your dog will no doubt be unable to sit still at all for the journey - or before you even leave your drive!  It will be moving about in the same way that people do before an interview or speech.  Your mind is so full of stress that you cannot think about anything else and this creates energy that acts as a distraction.

If the dog is not secure in a dog harness, a crate or dog car seats then this could be a major hazard for the driver of the car.  The dog could obscure the view, create a diversion to take the drivers eyes off the road or maybe even move towards or climb on the drivers lap!

Trembling - Some dogs may well sit still, but they are curled up all defensive and are actually trembling with fear!  They may have fast-moving eyes - looking out for any way to end this panic and fear.  Rather than try to out-pace the stress they just stay put and suffer.

Drooling - Many dogs (and cats) will start to create excess saliva when stressed, and will drool all over themselves and your car.

Drooling is usually created by nausea - the feeling of sickness.  Just as humans start to create extra moisture in their mouths before they are going to be sick - dogs create drool.  It is unpleasant for the dog and will just make it’s stress levels become higher.

Sickness - this is normally the highest level a travel sick dog will reach as this is the result of all the other types of stress added together.

A dog will not just ‘be sick’ without having suffered stress in one or more of the ways listed above.

Other Causes?
Well, it wouldn’t be fair to say that travel sickness is the result of stress alone, but it is the main trigger.

For example - if you are feeling full up with a tummy full of dinner and then we set you out on a bouncy journey in the back of a car, I’m not sure even your tummy could stay normal.  You would know something wasn’t right and then that is all you think about.  And it is the stress of thinking about this that can make it worse.

Needing to go to toilet can also create these ‘distracting thoughts’ too - where you are not enjoying the journey - you are just thinking about one thing!

Imbalance can also create nausea - just like sea-sickness - but if you have an empty tummy, don’t need the loo and are completely relaxed then these things shouldn’t be an issue.

The Solution?
There are many ’solutions’ that people have tried and are still trying - but it all depends on the situation you are in, the reason for the fear and what you have already tried to ‘cure’ it.

I will discuss these options in the following article.