If You Can't Fly...

...then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward...

Bear often chooses to fly

=)

Keep your tails wagging

Bear's P4ws

Beware of the Spring Thaw!!

Two posts in one day? Oh my!

Bear's been feeling a little left out, so we put together this very special Tip Tuesday just for you and your dogs!

Keep your tails wagging
Bear's P4ws

Healthy Pumpkin Balls

This snack is not only delicious but is also filled with fiber, vitamin A, beta-carotene, potassium, and iron.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin

• 4 tbsp molasses
• 4 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
2. Mix pumpkin, molasses, vegetable oil, and water together in a bowl
3. Add the whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon to the mixture and stir until dough softens
4. Scoop out small spoonfuls of dough and roll into balls on your hands (wet hands work best)
5. Set the balls onto a lightly greased cookie sheet and flatten with a fork
6. Bake approximately 25 minutes until dough is hardened

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Mix pumpkin, molasses, vegetable oil, and water together in a bowl
3. Add the whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon to the mixture and stir until dough softens
4. Scoop out small spoonfuls of dough and roll into balls on your hands (wet hands work best)
5. Set the balls onto a lightly greased cookie sheet and flatten with a fork
6. Bake approximately 25 minutes until dough is hardened

Allow to cool and then use any excuse you can to get your pooch to try them.  If they're anything like Bear, it'll be love at first bite!

Keep your tails wagging

Bear's P4ws

Metal Dog Cages Called "Hazardous"

It is something I've seen so many times, I've lost count – pet owners crating their dogs for hours while they are out at work or a social gathering.  This is usually done because everyone knows that if Fido were left to roam around the house for the hours that he is alone, he would probably trash the place.  To me, this is a very confusing thing.  Yes, when he was a puppy Bear devastate my house – I would come home to a new disaster every day (the time he oh-so-helpfully decided to unpack my grocery delivery stands out rather vividly), but I worked hard to make sure that I was slowly training him out of his destructive habits.  By the time he was a year old, I could trust Bear to stay at home and do no more damage than the scattering of his toys in random places around the house. 

Maybe it’s a personal bias of mine, but I’ve always felt that owners who choose to crate their dogs instead of taking the time to train them are taking the easy way out.

Now various Canadian animal rescue services are calling the collapsible metal cages used by many dog owners to house their untrained furry friends dangerous and liable to cause some very serious injuries.  K-911, a Montreal based Animal Ambulance has been responding to a growing number of serious injury cases where crated dogs have had their toes or paws trapped in the metal, fold-able cages.  And due to the nature of the injuries being sustained, often by the time they arrive, the dog is in so much pain that the cage has to be cut with bolt cutters. 

Veterinary Surgeon Elaine Madore has added her voice to those already calling for improvements to be made on current metal/wire dog cage models.  As a pet surgeon, Madore said that it is not unusual for injuries cause by metal dog cages to be serious enough to require amputation.  Sometimes, pets that have become trapped in their cages are lucky enough to walk away with minor fractures, but that is not often the case. 

For now, rescue services have been petitioning various crate building companies to re-evaluate their designs based on the number of injured dogs, but like with most large corporations, these companies have shrugged their shoulders and pinned the blame on the dog owners, stating rather firmly that “people who train their dogs properly” will avoid crate-related injuries entirely.  As it stands, the recommendation from the Canadian animal rescue is to “avoid metal cages altogether, but if they are necessary, then pet owners should make sure that no part of their pet’s paw can fit underneath the cage’s door.”

Keep your tails wagging
Bear's P4ws

The Truth (and History) Behind Puppy Mills

Puppy mills are one of the worst and most heart-breaking issues of the canine world, one that has recently been taken up by thousands of “anti-puppy mill” campaigns. But before you add your voice to the thousands already crying out in anger, take the time to learn a little bit about just HOW this horrific trend came about, and what goes on behind the scenes.

Puppy mills are a result of the growing public demand in purebreds and cross-breeds and the fact that female dogs cannot give birth to enough standard-meeting “perfect” litters to meet the demand. Introducing THE PUPPY MILL: offering large quantities of puppies for sale at a very cheap price, happily supported by a public that, until recently, had no idea what was going on behind the bars of these “new and improved” puppy-making machines.

The conditions in most puppy mills can be somewhat disturbing, especially for dog lovers. Puppies and their mothers are locked up in cages, receiving little - or sometimes no - human interaction at all. They are given just enough food to get by and minimal veterinary services. Adult dogs are often kept outside in unimaginable weather conditions and because it is a mass production establishment, the whole thing looks disturbingly like an overpopulated prison.

Because of the conditions in which they were raised, puppies that come from mills tend to have  more aggressive and anti-social behaviors once they are adopted or bought by a new owner.  It is quite similar to child psychology; a child’s behavior clearly reflects the society he or she grew up in. Even worse, if these children are abused to the point where they are never rewarded and often punished, their tendency is to not react to positive re-enforcement simply because they do not recognize it. The same kind of despair and negativity is felt by the puppies in puppy mills. They become confused, aggressive, and if not rescued and trained properly, may become a negatively labelled “problem dog” – one that is usually abandoned, returned or euthanized.

Thankfully, in light of the horrors that the animal victims of such establishments have been facing, many groups and organizations have been created simply to fight for the rights of these dogs.  There have been hundreds upon hundreds of letter-writing campaigns, and protests and animal groups have been gathering supporters left, right and center to stand against the sort of inhumane treatment of the dogs and puppies in these mills. 

For those “civilian dog owners” who want to get involved, there are many things you can do – 

> Avoid shopping at pet stores that also house a “dogs for sale” display. 

> There on online petitions to shut down puppy mills posted daily on websites such as Care2.  

> Help promote adoption by recommending it to any friend or acquaintance looking to purchase a dog, but most importantly,

> keep yourself informed.

Remember, it is only when we arm ourselves with the knowledge against our enemies that we can truly learn how to defeat them

originally sourced by the Dogington Post

Keep your tails wagging

Bear's P4ws

Goals are Important...

What keeps me chewing,

is the knowledge that my goal is to finish...

(nom nom nom)

Keep your tails wagging

Bear's Paws

Bear and Summer Present:

Romping in a Winter Wonderland

=)

Life is always better when you let loose and romp a little. Just ask Bear and Summer...

Keep your tails wagging
Bear's P4ws