Cattle

Posts Tagged ‘beauty’

Every year thousands of pets are poisoned at home. You can make your house safer with just a few adjustments. Here are a few helpful hints.

Windows

Use screens and guard rails on all windows. Pets are tempted to jump out when they feel the fresh air

Blinds

Pets that play around curtains and blinds with strings can get strangled. Cut off all strings and replace it with fabric.

Smoking

Don’t smoke in the house. Birds can die from second hand smoke. Cats and dogs can get serious illnesses from the smoke.

Ceiling Fans

Don’t let your bird fly around when the fan is on.

Candles

Cats and dogs can burn their paws and even cause your house to go on fire

Tinsel

No tinsel on the Christmas tree. It can cause intestinal blockages if eaten. No strings of popcorn either. Any strings can cause choking.

Flowers and plants

Poinsettia leaves are highly toxic to pets. Also lilies, the Easter and tiger varieties. Eating even a small piece can cause your pet kidney damage. Also keep them away from ferns, mistletoe and holly. No plants with pets is an even better idea

Ceramics

Keep all breakable items away from pets. Any small broken piece can cause cuts to their paws or mouths

Medicines

Keep all your medicines in a locked closet or drawer. Dogs can chew threw child safe bottles.

Toilets

Keep the seat down. Any small kitten can drown in the toilet. Never let the dog drink the toilet water. If you tub is clogged, keep the door closed until all water is gone

Beauty appliances

Keep all hair dryers, curling irons and hot rollers away from pets until they are cool. A bird might think a curling iron is a perch

Cars

Cats sometimes go into engines to keep warm (also the wheel wells). The best thing is to check your car by banging on the hood before you start the engine. And keep your cats indoors

Cold weather

If you live in a cold climate you only safe de-icers. Dogs paws can be irritated by these chemicals. Always wash their paws with warm water when they come in

Antifreeze

It has a sweet smell and taste to animals. So it should always to keep away from them. Even a small amount is lethal

Garden Tools

Keep all tools (rakes, hedge trimmers) locked up in a shed or garage.

Cleaning Products

Get child safety locks installed even if you don’t have small children. Your pet could get into the cabinet when you are not home and eat or inhale poisonous cleaners.

Garbage cans

Keep all cans closed with tight lids. Any re-cycling of metal (lids from cans) can cut pets or even stray animals mouths. Place all garbage in bags

Kitchen

Clean up all food leftovers after each meal immediately. Onions, chocolate, raisins, grapes are all toxic to pets. They can cause kidney damage if they survive.

I found a rugged quartz crystal in our garden yesterday and brought it to my writing table, to gaze at its beauty and reveal its mystery as I write, like gazing into a crystal ball.

The five crystals in the center of it are perfect, in their own wild way, like the days I spent in total conflict with myself, with society and the world.

It brings to mind one of my favorite Alphia stories, my golden German Shepard Collie of the 1960’s, the pre-Funk commune years, occurring several months after the communal caravan arrived in San Francisco.

We found our large Victorian house after several weeks of illegal camping around the jagged Pacific shore hideaways and in the many untamed parks for which the city is famous.

The caravan people had remained disgruntled in spite of the constant dog/God guidance surrounding us.

A chasm developed between those who wanted to join the ranks of the work-a-day world, and the four of us who went on to establish the Funky Farm community and knew that going to work was antithetical to living creatively by the seat of our pants.

I had come to a place within myself where I needed to live outside of the mainstream, established 9-5 ho-hum I’m beaten down, kill me now style of existence I imagined my father ascribing to for his thirty-five working years, at the same place, doing the same job, everyday. I’d think of an exhilarating alternative, bet on that.

My life as a rip off artist now began in earnest.

One day, I took Alphia Lee for a walk in Golden Gate park. A squirrel distracted her from the beloved stick, and damn it if she didn’t run in front of a fast moving car. She crawled back to the side of the road.

I remember crying and kneeling beside her, going over her body, getting a sense of how badly she was hurt. A car pulled over and a young man asked to take me where ever I wished to go.

He had an old blanket and we carefully laid her on it.

Then he drove Alphia and me to the big rambling Victorian house that was our temporary abode.

We prepared a bed for her with old blankets and rags.

She’d look at us with a forlorn Muki eye, the dog who joined me 28 years later to show me true love.

That look inspired me to slip into the meat department of a local Safeway, and steal one steak a day for her, and for her only.

Then we’d sit with her for hours, stroking her neck and body and encouraging her to come back to us.

The long intimate times we spent with her were patient and happy. We did not desperately plead with her to live rather than die. Rather, we coaxed her gently, showing her our love, and gave her the great option of living with a handful of rogues completely alienated from society.

She opted to spend a few more years with us in our experiment of living–dangerously.

Watching a dog perform his obedience routine with no lead attached to his collar is a thing of beauty! It appears to be magic, the way he anticipates his owner’s moves and wants to just BE there, exactly on the money. Here is how to achieve that doggy ballet of movements.

One secret to good obedience training is never to give your dog the chance to disobey. Make sure he understands the command and what you want him to do, and move toward it with baby steps so he always ALWAYS succeeds. Your happy praise at every turn is what he lives for.

When he is at that comfortable stage on lead where he yawns at every new command, this means he is sure of it and relaxed, then it’s time to move on to removing his lead. This will cause a little anxiety at first because his lead is his life line and guide to pleasing you. So make sure everything you are about to show him off-lead is something he knows VERY well with the lead attached.

On-lead heeling, turning and stopping is very smooth and controlled. Before starting off, instead of hooking the lead into the ring, slip the entire lead through his collar, not in the ring, and wrap the end around your hand so you can eat it up as you walk, until the lead slides completely out of the dog’s collar. He will barely notice this, just keep walking with no change in gait or tone of your voice, act like nothing new is happening.

When you come to a stop and your dog sits predictably at your side like always, pause a moment then PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE! Your dog will look at you funny, as if to say, “What’s the big deal? We do this all the time”. It’s quite funny. That’s when you know it has worked the way it should and your dog has made the transition effortlessly.

As you work, keep the dog close at hand, you do not want him to get the idea he can run off. If he makes the slightest off move, take his collar by the live ring and tug. Remember those little tugs that he dislikes so much he learned quickly how to stay in the exact right spot? Remind him that off-lead has the same controls, so you must be vigilant. If he backslides, go back to on-lead. He will learn quickly that he prefers the independence of off-lead work and to get it he must obey your every command.

As to the long line “Come” command, go back to the short line and leave it on the ground so you can grab it if he does not come to you in a timely fashion. Give him no room to think about disobeying. Gradually extend the distance until he is coming to you at a run totally off-lead. He loves this!

With patience and vigilance, your dog will be just as dependable off-lead as he became on-lead. And you both will enjoy it more!

Horses are known for their horse sense, horse power, loyalty, dedication and what not. They have become associated with man over the passage of time, since times immemorial. Horses and ponies have served man in many ways. A horse carriage or a horse cart is what comes to our mind at the first instance.

As a means of transport from one place to another, horse drawn coaches have provided comfort, safety and reliability to the persons who travel by means of them. In certain places, horses work in agriculture farms. By sheer diligence and industrious output, horses have endeared themselves to mankind. Stud farms have become the dream possession of animal lovers.

The sight of a stallion with a black velvety and glossy coat, of good height and stature, sturdy, is enchanting for a horse breeder or a trainer. If the animal is fostered and trained by the person, a special attachment and a sentimental relationship get developed. Bonding cannot be depicted in a better way. Stable relationships get exemplified by horses.

Right from the moment they are born, horses are known to show friendliness and playfulness. A foal is a delightful creature that frolics and gambols, providing amusement to the onlookers. A foal is a true depiction of innocent fun, bundle of energy or a live wire. People can be excused if they show a wish to fondle and caress them. The horse also acknowledges this gesture and cherishes it as it grows up only to reciprocate and return this love in a grander manner. An attitude of gratitude, so to say!

However, training of horses is an area where many changes have taken place by way of research and development. Horses, ponies and mares can be expected to learn the ropes fast and deliver goods to the owner’s satisfaction and pride. The grasping power of horses and ponies is phenomenal. But care needs to be taken to ensure that horses and ponies do not inculcate ‘bad manners’.

The situation of the horse going wild and berserk is enough to send shivers down the spine of a person. Holding the reins is of paramount importance. Food and treats that conform to the basic nature and normal food habits are the healthiest. However, horses are known to have different tastes. Generally, treats would consist of raisins, pitted dates, sugar cubes, apple pieces, hay cubes, carrot pieces, sunflower seeds, peppermints. Treats ought to be restricted, else a horse could be demanding and this would pose dangerous. Things that should be avoided under treats would include lawn, hedge or garden clippings, cabbage, cauliflower, potatoes, tomatoes, acorns, chocolates. The last one has resulted in a horse getting tested positive for drugs.

Ponies are miniature horses and are loved to be reared by one and all. Children especially are fond of ponies. Like horses ponies are generally smart, hard and sturdy, athletic, loveable. They continue beauty with intelligence.

All in all, horses have proved to be resourceful for man. They bring laurels in races and restore the wager’s confidence. They toil productively in fields. They help carry goods from one place to another. They serve as good playmates. Can man live without horses? Yes, but perhaps he would lack the horse power!

Just where exactly did this sweet and adorable little lap toy dog, the Japanese Chin originate? As with many of our toy dog breeds, there are several theories for us to remember as the history of this toy dog breed.

There is plenty of evidence that the Japanese Chin can be traced back to the dogs that arrived in Japan as precious gifts from China and Korea over 1,100 years ago. The Japanese Chin is one of the most ancient breeds of dogs.

The exact history of the Japanese Chin is difficult to determine, however, evidence exists that at the end of the first century A.D., the Chinese had a type of dog known as ‘Pai’. Canine breed authorities say the ‘Pai’ was a very small, short-headed and short-legged dog. One canine breed writer, Collier, tells us there is little doubt the Japanese race of small dogs originated from China. It is fact that trade and association between the two nations date back as far as the fifth century. During the period of Tein Wu Ti (A.D. 673-686) and Ch’ih T’ung Ti (A.D. 690-696), Korea and China constantly gave small pet dogs to Japan.

As with many of our toy dog breeds there are various theories about the origin of the Japanese Chin. Some suggest they come from Korea and that a Korean prince went to Japan taking gifts for the Mikado in A.D. 732. The gifts included tiny dogs with flat noses which resemble our present day Japanese Chin. In those days they were called Shoku-Ken. They were definitely different from the dogs in Japan at that time which was of the Spitz type.

Another theory of the origin of our Japanese Chin states that as early as 520 A.D., Buddish monks took Shoku-Ken from China to Japan when they went to preach as missionaries. The dogs were said to be a symbol of the sacred Lion of Buddha.

Other people believe the Japanese Chin were of the Imperial Ch’in that supposedly originated in China. The Imperial Ch’in dogs were only owned by Chinese royalty. This seems to be the case of several of our purebred toy dogs. We are so very fortunate now that not only the wealthy have access and the companionship of the purebred toy dog.

It has also been said that the last Empress of China kept 50 of these dogs in the throne room. When the Empress entered the room story goes that these little dogs would line up from door to throne, standing on their hind legs and bowing until she was seated. Of particular note, I would like to add as the author of this article is about my little Danny Boy, who is not Japanese Chin, but is Shih Tzu. Of all the Shih Tzu I have owned, he is the only one who stands on his hind legs before me. Danny and I are very, very close. I wonder if this is a characteristic he inherited from the Imperial line of dogs in China. None of my other Shih Tzu exhibits this trait. I thought he was begging for something. He does it quite often and he looks as if he is just standing up on his hind legs like a human and his front legs are like his human arms and hands. It is so cute; I really enjoy seeing this little trick in my Danny Boy. I am also wondering if the little dogs owned by the last Empress of China lined up from door to throne, standing on their hind legs was out of “respect, love and honor for her.”

It has been said, however, that because the Japanese Chin is not the easiest of dogs to train, the thought of 50 of them doing this in perfect unison was a bit too much to believe. And…….it is only one of mine, out of all I ever had, who does this. Incidentally, my Danny Boy received no training for this. The only real thing different is my relationship with Danny Boy. He is my absolute favorite of all time Shih Tzu I ever owned and I have in many ways told him this. He does have one bad trait I think is cute, but is dangerous for him. He sees himself as rough and tough and loves to try and prove this to all the dogs, big and small. I have to many times rescue him, which may add to the beauty and love of our relationship also. He stands to his feet when I am around because I suppose in his mind, I am his “Empress.”

Other relatives of the Chinese Imperial Ch’in were the Chinese Temple Dog, the Japanese Spaniel, the Pekingese and the Chow. They resemble each other in my opinion.

With all we know about the Japanese Chin today I believe it is reasonable to assume that at least in the very beginning was an Oriental breed. We also know the early days of the Japanese Chin were spent with people of nobility or very high rank and were considered as something very valuable and precious. It is my opinion as well that this “precious look” that seems to glow from the faces of the Japanese Chin is the result of some of that pampering and adoration. The Japanese Chin is a delightful little lap toy dog companion for us today, and is still considered valuable and precious for all who truly love this breed.

This article is FREE to publish with the resource box.