Night Watch

My best friend Stephanie, whom I met in college, and I love sheep. For one of our classes we had to pick a species to show for the Little I Showmanship at UCONN. We had a choice between sheep, pigs, horses, and cows.

We both LOVE horses but we had to pick something that we haven’t been around so we picked sheep. We had to train them which is a lot easier said then done. Walking them around, getting them used to being on a lead. Once that part was done we had to shine them up to get them ready for the show. We bathed, carded, and sheered them which I really enjoyed. Sheep are a little tough to handle but I loved it. Stephanie won the show and I got second to last but it was still a lot of fun. Stephanie and I had a blast working with them.

Once the show was over we still wanted to be a part of the sheep world. We had heard about Night Watch which is when the ewes are ready to give birth. They almost always give birth in the safety of the night. We just flipped, getting the chance to watch a lamb be born, we were in!

Night fell, it was cold and smelly in the sheep barn but we were excited. There was hay bales which we dosed on that were next to the ewes so if anything were to happen we would be there, ready to go. The night went on and on but nothing happened.

The next night was special. About three hours into it we noticed an ewe acting strange. Walking over to her our eyes got big as we noticed a little head peaking through. Once the birthing process was over we saw that the ewe wasn’t doing her motherly things like licking and trying to protect her baby. Stephanie and I knew that she was rejecting it and we had to step in. Apparently I wasn’t thinking before I went out to the sheep barn that night because I had put my nice pea coat on. I had to pick up the lamb which was covered in slimy, icky birth and carry it over to the lambing cubicles where there are heat lamps and dry straw. I was covered in birth, it was nasty.

Once the lamb was in the safety of the cubicle we went over to get the barn manager to let him know that the ewe had rejected her baby. He had gotten towels, a bottle and formula, and a long skinny rubber catheter to force feed the lamb. Once the lamb was dry, warm and fed we knew he was going to be ok and let him go to sleep under the safety of the heat lamp.

Stephanie and I visited him everyday for a couple of weeks just because we were so attached. We learned that the same ewe had given birth to another lamb and had rejected it. I guess she just wasn’t ready to be a mom. The experience will never be forgotten, it was amazing.

World’s oldest dog dies in NY at 21 — or 147

Pulled from Yahoo news, by By VIRGINIA BYRNE

NEW YORK – A wire-haired dachshund that held the record as the world’s oldest dog and celebrated its last birthday with a party at a dog hotel and spa has died at age 21 — or 147 in dog years.

The dog, named Chanel, died Friday of natural causes at her owners’ home in suburban Port Jefferson Station, on Long Island.

Chanel, as stylish as her legendary namesake, wore tinted goggles for her cataracts in her later years and favored sweaters because she was sensitive to the cold, owners Denice and Karl Shaughnessy said Monday.

The playful dachshund was only 6 weeks old when Denice Shaughnessy, then serving with the U.S. Army, adopted her from a shelter in Newport News, Va.

Along with her owner, Chanel spent nine years on assignment in Germany, where she became adept at stealing sticks of butter from kitchen countertops and hiding them in sofa cushions in the living room, Shaughnessy said. She also liked chocolate, usually considered toxic to dogs, Shaughnessy said.

“She once ate an entire bag of Reese’s peanut butter cups, and, you see, she lived to be 21, so go figure,” Shaughnessy added.

Karl Shaughnessy nominated Chanel for the title of world’s oldest dog after noticing the Guinness World Records book had no record.

Guinness World Records officials presented Chanel with a certificate as the world’s oldest dog at a Manhattan birthday bash hosted by a private pet food company in May.

Chanel loved the party, especially the cake, which had a peanut butter flavor and had been made for dogs, Denice Shaughnessy said.

Chanel exercised daily and ate home-cooked chicken with her dog food, but good care wasn’t entirely responsible for her long life, said her owners, who attributed God.

“Dogs are God’s angels sent here to look out for us,” Denice Shaughnessy said.

A dog from New Iberia, La., named Max, is vying for the record of world’s oldest dog. Owner Janelle Derouen said Max marked his 26th birthday on Aug. 9. She said Guinness World Records officials were reviewing documents to authenticate his age; a Guinness World Records official in London didn’t immediately answer an e-mail from The Associated Press requesting confirmation of that.

When asked the secret to her dog’s long life, Derouen said she was shocked he’s still with her.

“I have five kids, and all my kids are grown and gone,” she said. “Now my grandkids are playing with this dog.”

Everyone knows the old stereotype that mail carriers everywhere are bedeviled by over-protective dogs. Now they’ve got something new to worry about up in Canada. I found this article on Yahoo! and thought the Whales & Friends blog readers would find it amusing.

Hawks deliver go-away message to Canada Post

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) – Two nesting hawks have managed to do what Canada’s blizzards usually can’t — halt delivery of the mail to a few dozen homes in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.

Canada Post said it stopped delivering to 54 Moose Jaw homes after hawks swooped down on a letter carrier and after a supervisor who came in to inspect the area had to dive for cover. Later, another carrier was attacked two blocks away.

Mischelle Read, who lives on one of two blocks affected by the mail stoppage, saw the hawk swoop at a letter carrier in May before mail delivery stopped.

“It was a ‘get-out-of-my-area type of a dive’ clearly directed at (the letter carrier),” Read said.

But Read, who now picks up her mail at the post office, said her children continue to play outside. “It’s not worrying me,” she said.

Canada Post spokeswoman Sandra Sobko said the mail typically goes out even during blizzards, although Canada Post does halt delivery to specific addresses when dogs, wasps or other hazards threaten its carriers.

The Moose Jaw shutdown started in May and will last until the hawks leave their nest, she said.

(Reporting by Rod Nickel; Editing by Janet Guttsman)

A day In the Life of My Dogs

The day starts out with a little morning play time on the bed. Charlie antagonizes Dude which gets Dude jumping and rolling all over me which is the reason I don’t need coffee in the morning. Charlie loves to play what we call “alligator tamer” which is when he sticks his head all the way into Dude’s mouth. Dude is always so gentile with Charlie. He will take his paw and smack Charlie right on his back, pushing him down. Dude then, instead of biting, nibbles him. They play and play until either Charlie gets board of it or I decide to get up.

The second I get up out of bed they are ready! They know that it’s time to go outside and that must mean it’s almost time for breakfast! I try to get dressed but it’s a little difficult when there is a Chihuahua jumping on me and Dude getting in the way. Finally I get to the door and let them out. They take off down the hill towards the barn. Running around, they try and find a decent spot to do their thing. Meanwhile I feed the horses and get them ready for the day.

I don’t even have to call them when it’s time to go back into the house; they know it’s time for breakfast which we call “doggie dinner.” I get Dude’s breakfast; go upstairs, get Charlie’s breakfast and then finally, I get to eat. All my animals eat before I do, must be nice.

After the morning ruckus, they settle down. Charlie goes into his bed and Dude lies on the couch. This will last all day until I say “go out side?” and they bound out of the house once again. Dude runs to get his toy and plops it right down in front of me barking if I don’t throw it. Charlie runs around trying to find a nice spot to lie in the sun. I throw Dude’s toy until I get tired of it and we go in.

Once night falls, we turn the television on and watch our normal afternoon shows. The Empire Carpet commercial will come on once in a while and we have to turn it up for Dude. He will be laying on his back sound asleep and once “his show” comes on he flips over, runs to the television and howls. We love it when he does that. Charlie just watches him and he must be thinking “what is so special about that commercial,” something we all wonder.

The night rolls on. When it’s time for bed I call Charlie into the bedroom. He has his own little bed next to me on the floor, actually it’s my extra pillow, he’s spoiled. Dude has his bed on the hope chest which is at the foot of our bed and we all fall asleep only to have it start all over again the next day. Oh to be a dog!

Dealing with August Heat & Humidity

How do your animals handle the intense heat and humidity of summer? Yes, normally August is hot hot hot and we should all be used to it by now, however this year we have had such crazy weather patterns here in the northeast. Between the weeks of rain in June and July, and this very high percentage sticky humidity with highs in the low 90’s…it has gotten unbearable at times!

I live in CT and currently have two dogs and three horses.  While we keep the dogs mostly in our house which is air conditioned, we also have a little kiddie pool out in the yard that they like to ‘dip’ in occasionally to cool off.  We keep our walks and car rides to a minimum and the trips to the lake to swim frequent, and there is always a full bowl of nice cold water for them to drink. Our dogs seem to not mind the heat under these circumstances, so summer is just another month for them.

As for the horses….it seems to be a different story lately. My horses usually spend all day outside grazing in the fields and then are in stalls overnight with hay. The stalls each have a fan for them overnight, so they stay nice and cool even when humid 24 hours of the day. I have friends that switch it up in the summer and turn their horses out during the nighttime and keep them in during the day while it is this hot….however, I live down the road from my horses and am a bit leery about them being out at night without any supervision…just in case!

Outside, they have a nice big run-in shed out in the field that was built ‘into the ground’ sort of speak, so it stays nice and cool. There is also a fan running all day in there to keep the air moving and the bugs out.  While the rest of the year, they are normally out in the field 90% of the daytime and in the run-in shed 10% of the daytime, I am finding that over the last few weeks of this hot/humid/sticky weather, they are spending just the opposite. That would be 90% IN the run-in shed and only 10% out in the field grazing! They hole themselves up in the nice cool shelter standing in front of the breeze from the fans, run out and eat some hay or graze for about 15 minutes, then run back into the run in shed!  Even they are ready for some rain and cool weather to show up!

They have a HUGE water trough right outside the run in that I keep filled with clean cold water for them to drink to keep them hydrated, and we fly spray like crazy this time of year to keep the bugs away….even though it doesn’t always work……and they each wear a fly mask as well. Beyond the fans and cool run-in shelter, we also do ‘hose-downs’ or baths during the hot day to keep them cool and comfortable.  Other than packing them up and moving to a cooler/drier climate every summer, this is the best I have thought of so far………  I am trying to make them as comfortable as possible.

Does anyone have any other great suggestions for how they deal with the heat and humidity of summer with their pets they would like to share? I am sure there are many things people do that work that I haven’t even thought of.

Until then…..bring on the Fall!!!

**pulled from Yahoo news, written by SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN”

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – American wildlife officials and ranchers are raising questions over a plan to release a rare North American gray wolf to its historic range in northern Mexico: Will it stay south of the border and what can be done if it threatens livestock?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said this week it learned of the plan to release captive-bred Mexican gray wolves during a meeting with Mexican officials.

A male, female and two yearlings could be released in Sonora state, bordering Arizona and New Mexico, as early as October. Another release is planned for December and more could happen next year as part of an effort by both countries to return the wolves to the wild.

“I think we kind of assumed it would happen eventually but we didn’t realize it was going to happen this quickly,” said Charna Lefton, regional spokeswoman with the Fish and Wildlife Service in Albuquerque.

The Mexican agency that oversees natural resources and the environment, known as SEMARNAT, did not immediately respond to telephone and email requests for comment.

While wildlife officials and conservationists generally support the move, Lefton says “everyone is asking the same questions.”

What if the wolves cross into the United States? Will they be protected under the federal Endangered Species Act? Or will they have the same “nonessential, experimental” designation as wolves released as part of a reintroduction effort in New Mexico and Arizona?

The Fish and Wildlife Service has posed those questions to the agency’s attorneys and are hoping for answers in coming weeks. The agency also plans another meeting with Mexican officials.

The Mexican wolf, a subspecies of the gray wolf, was exterminated in the wild in the Southwest by the 1930s after a campaign by the federal government to control the predator.

A handful of wolves were captured in Mexico in the late 1970s to save the animal from extinction. In 1998, the U.S. government began reintroducing wolves along the Arizona-New Mexico line in a 4 million-acre territory. Biologists had hoped to have at least 100 wolves by now, but recent surveys show about half that. It’s unclear how many wolves are in Mexico’s Sonora state.

The wolves in Arizona and New Mexico do not have full protection under the Endangered Species Act because they are designated as “experimental,” giving game officials greater flexibility to manage them and even allows permanent removal — by capturing or killing — after three confirmed livestock kills in a year.

Conservationists contend any wolves found outside the reintroduction area in the two states would be protected under the Endangered Species Act unless the Fish and Wildlife seeks a contrary rule.

Wolves returning to the wild in Mexico only complicates a troubled effort in the United States, especially if the animals cross the border, said Caren Cowan, executive director of the New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association.

“You’ve got the potential of wolves coming down on you from the north that have one endangered status, and you’ve got wolves coming from the south that may have a different status,” she said. “How are you supposed to tell the difference?”

Conservationists are encouraged by Mexico’s plans, saying more wolves in the wild will help ensure species survival. If the U.S. and Mexico populations mingle, that would bolster the animal’s limited genetic pool.

A Bad Day

I was outside yesterday getting some gardening done. The week had been way too hot for any type of outside activity so I was taking advantage of the cloudy weather. I had the pony out eating some grass as I always do and also had the dogs out just playing around, as I always do.

Over in the garden I was doing my thing, when all of a sudden I heard Dude attacking the pony. I ran over to Dude, who was already in submission mode because he knew he did something wrong. I yelled at him, telling him he was a bad dog and then ran over to the pony to make sure he was ok.

The way that the pony was shaking his head I thought that Dude had gotten his ear. I felt it and it was bloody. I was furious. I walked him into the barn and tried to cross tie him, which he’s not very welled trained with yet. When I was hooking up the cross ties I noticed his eye was rigorously bleeding. I freaked. My day had already been a mess and now I have to deal with this poor pony and the fact that his eye might be severely damaged. I was so upset and shaking. I knew what I needed to do and I usually can handle things like this well but everything was going wrong all at once and I just couldn’t handle it anymore.

The pony finally stood still enough for me to hook him up to the cross ties and I ran over to get something to wipe the blood away. His poor eye was all bloody and dilated and I feared that it was really damaged. I called my mom, because we share custody of him and told her the bad news and of course she freaked which made it even worse for me. But once again I calmed myself down and told her I would call the vet.

By the time I got the vet on the phone the bleeding wasn’t as bad but I still wanted to know what else I could do to help my little man. The vet said to keep pressure on it and once it stops bleeding to flush it out and then cold pack it and give him something to keep the swelling down like bute. I was so relieved! I thought that I would have to have the vet come out and that there was gong to be a huge bill and the pony was going to need some serious attention but it was all ok.

I really have the best pony ever! He was amazing. He just stood there and let me do what I had to do. I knew it had to hurt but he was doing his best at staying still. I took a look at his ear because I wanted to make sure that Dude didn’t get that too. It was bloody but not too bad so I checked the other one just to be sure. Come to find out it was dried blood from the terrible amount of flies that we have. I can’t find the proper fitting fly mask for him so unfortunately he gets eaten.

Once his eye looked alright I let him back out in the paddock. Usually something like that with my other horse I would have put her in a stall but the pony, he would do more damage in the stall than out in the paddock. I felt that he would be just fine in the paddock and he was. I walked up to the house and got a small ice pack and grabbed a towel.
When I got back down to the paddock he was standing in the lean to being a great boy. I placed the ice pack on his eye and that pony just stood there. He rested his nose on my shoulder, letting me do what needed to be done. After a couple of minutes he would move, I think it was getting a little too cold and he was like “ahh it’s cold!” But after a few minutes he let me do all over again.

Once everything that needed to be done was done I walked up to the house and flopped onto the couch and just took a big, deep breath. What a day! It’s a little swollen today but it’s nothing he can’t handle, he’s one tough little man!

haha….I have to share this Animal Planet article with everyone because it gave me such a laugh! Ever since the human snuggie/slanket came out, I have found such humor in the commercials and laugh out loud every time they come on tv. Now This!

The Snuggie for Dogs….

“Fresh from the “Seriously!? Seriously” files, and just when you thought the Snuggie (or Slanket) had gone the way of the pet rock, brace yourself: Introducing the Snuggie for Dogs. Yes, you heard right, the Snuggie for Dogs.

Now your dog can be both warm and comfortable on the couch while being able to take a quick trip to the local dog park without having to take their blanket off. Its also a great gift idea for dogs who are Lord of the Rings enthusiasts and want to achieve the ‘Gandalfy’ look or who perhaps practice Buddhism. As well, given it’s made of 100% synthetic mystery-material, the static charge generated by the Snuggie for Dogs can likely turn your dog into a super uber lint-roller and/or dust-bunny collection device. You’ll never need to dust or vacuum your floors again.

As I understand it, the idea behind the original Snuggie is that it is essentially a blanket with sleeves and is open in the back, akin to a hospital gown. That said, the Snuggie for Dogs, as seen in the video on their site, is not “open in the back” but instead utilizes velcro closures to keep it on the dog. Call me crazy, but doesn’t that make this something otherwise known a “dog coat?”

Regardless, you still need to watch the ridiculous video. Reason being, I had to watch it twice before believing that it was not a gag. This is an actual bona fide product….SRSLY. Enjoy!

Available for $14.95 in pink or blue at SnuggieforDogs.com”

Swimming

Today was a nice hot sunny day, finally a day with no rain. Jim and I didn’t have any plans so we decided to call up a friend that has a nice pond in their front yard. The dogs haven’t done much swimming this year so we wanted to take them out.

The second I got out Charlie’s collar it was a mad house. They know when that collar comes out we are going somewhere! They run back and forth, from one room to the next with their panting faces and the look of delight in their eyes. They jump up and down, Dude barks and walks right next to you as if he is saying please don’t forget me while Charlie shakes with excitement.

We get the car “dog ready” which is getting an old sheet to put on the seats so that the dog hair won’t get all over the place. I role the windows down to air out the car; it was an oven in there and I didn’t want the dogs to be too hot. Jim and I gathered the dogs and off we went. Dude was sticking his nose out the window with his flapping lips and ears. Charlie isn’t big enough to get his head out the window but he was looking out, standing on the arm rest watching to see where it was we were going.

As we pulled up to the driveway the dogs are itching to get out of the car and start playing. Jim and I get out and make sure it was safe to let them out. This took us about two seconds but Dude wanted out right then and there and was barking his head off. The coast is clear, Jim opens the door and Dude leaps out. I wasn’t sure what my little man would do so I clipped his leash on just to be safe. To my surprise he jumps out and tries to run after Dude. He doesn’t even realize that he is on a leash and he does that whole “I’m gonna run and choke myself when I get to the end of the leash” thing so I finally caught up to him, unclipped him and he took off flying.

Dude is at the end of the field by then checking everything out as Charlie is trying his best to catch up. Jim and I meet up with our friend and start heading down to the pond. The dogs run back and forth and in circles around us with large smiles on their faces. It is a wonderful thing seeing them so happy.

By the time we get down to the water Dude has already jumped in. Charlie isn’t a big fan of swimming but he seems interested this time. He walks up to the edge of the water trying to decide if he wants to go chase after Dude or not. Of course, he doesn’t. Dude comes bounding out of the water, runs right up to Jim and starts barking. We all knew what it was he wanted so Jim grabs a stick and tosses it into the drink with Dude right behind it. He smashes the water with all his might like a kid doing a canon ball in a pool. Charlie wasn’t swimming so we tossed him in; we wanted him to cool down.

This went on for about an hour or so. Dude would come out, drop the stick and bark for you to throw it back in while Charlie would just whine. After a while it was time for us to leave. We walked up the hill back to the car. The dogs were rolling on the ground as if they knew we were getting back in the car and needed to dry off. We all got in and went on home. As I was driving I glanced back at the two mutts, they were exhausted and cuddled up with each other, and it was so cute.

Dog Domestication Likely Began in Africa

Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News August 3, 2009
Modern humans originated in Africa, and now it looks like man’s best friend first emerged there too.

An extensive genetic study on the ancestry of African village dogs points to a Eurasian — possibly North African — origin for the domestication of dogs.

Prior research concluded that dogs likely originated in East Asia. However, this latest study, the most thorough investigation ever on the ancestry of African village dogs, indicates otherwise.

“Village” dogs are local, semi-feral dogs that cluster around human settlements in much of the world.

“I think our results cast some doubt on the hypothesis of an East Asian origin for dog domestication that was put forward based on previous mitochondrial DNA genetic research,” lead author Adam Boyko told Discovery News.

Boyko, a research associate in the Department of Biological Statistics and Computational Biology at Cornell University, and his colleagues looked at three genetic markers for 318 village dogs from seven regions in Egypt, Uganda and Namibia. The scientists performed the same DNA analysis on a number of putatively African dog breeds, as well as on Puerto Rican street dogs and mixed breed dogs from the United States.

The scientists determined genetic diversity was just as high for the African dogs as it was for the East Asian village dogs that were the focus of the earlier research.

“Species tend to show the highest genetic diversity near their place of origin,” said Boyko. He explained that this is because the species have “been there longer and therefore have had more time to accumulate diversity, and because as a species expands its range by colonizing a new region, it usually does so with a relatively small band of individuals carrying just a subset of the genetic diversity found in the ancestral population.”

Humans might have then first domesticated dogs from wolves in Africa, with Egypt being one possibility, since wolves are native to that region. Many existing wild species of canid, such as the Egyptian jackal, popularly featured in ancient Egyptian art, are now critically endangered.

The new study, published in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, also found that some so-called “African” dog breeds are not really native to Africa. These include Pharaoh hounds and Rhodesian ridgebacks, which turned out to not have much indigenous African ancestry.

On the other hand, “Basenjis are clearly an indigenous sub-Saharan breed, and Afghan hounds and Salukis appear to be indigenous to North Africa or the Middle East,” Boyko said.

The pattern seems to be that if a region was colonized or otherwise settled by Europeans, dogs of that area now tend to be less indigenous. Dogs in central Namibia, for example, “looked nearly identical genetically to dogs you would find on the streets of Puerto Rico or in animal shelters in the U.S., a pretty clear indication that these are mixes of various modern breeds.”

Robert Wayne, an expert on wolves and dog domestication and a professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UCLA, told Discovery News that he supports the new findings.

“It’s clear dogs did not originate in sub-Saharan Africa, since wolves are not native to that area,” asserts Wayne. However, he agrees that Eurasia is the more likely overall place where dogs were first domesticated, with Egypt being a possibility.

Both Wayne and Boyko hope future genetic research on canines will continue to shed light on the origins of indigenous dog populations to better confirm and pinpoint exactly where the domestication of dogs first happened.